ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/25 October) – The Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Zamboecozone) will focus next year on developing the Second Industrial Park at the Zamboecozone area.
Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, Zamboecozone Chairman and Administrator, said the funding for the development of the 664-hectare Second Industrial Park is included in next year’s budget for the Ecozone.
Arnuco said the House of Representatives has already approved the Ecozone’s 2015 proposed budget of P246 million.
“It is now pending before the Senate,” he added.
The entire area of Zamboecozone consists of 16,000 hectares of logged-over forest in this city’s west coast from Barangay Talisayan up to the hinterlands of Barangays La Paz and Pamucutan.
Arnuco said that at present what is being utilized is the 64-hectare First Industrial Park.
The First Industrial Park is a nature park that boasts of two swimming pools, canteen, shower rooms and picnic huts, which can accommodate as many as 700 guests.
A staff house with a beautiful landscape in the facade is available for lease for seminars, conferences, and retreats.
It may be used as a vacation home for families and friends “who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.”
Investor’s houses, standard manufacturing building and storage building were also constructed for lease by interested locators at the First Industrial Park.
Arnuco said they will develop the Second Industrial Park to accommodate more locators citing there are 20 applicant-locators that have already submitted letters of intent and “are in the pipeline”.
He said that at present the Zamboecozone has a total of 19 locators with P13 billion committed investments.
The Zamboecozone stated on its website that the Second Industrial Park is ideal for agro-forestry, high-end residential projects, information technology ventures and a university village.
The Baguio-like climate in the area is highly viable for eco-tourism, it added. (MindaNews)
