Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority
Encyclopedia
The Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (Zamboecozone), otherwise known by its corporate name as Zamboanga Freeport Authority (ZFA), was created by virtue of the Republic Acts of the Philippines
7903 of the Philippines
, authored by then Congresswoman and late mayor
of the city of Zamboanga
, Maria Clara L. Lobregat
.
The special economic zone
was enacted into law on February 23, 1995 and made operational a year later with the appointment of a Chairman and Administrator and the members of the Board by former President Fidel V. Ramos
. It is located about 20 km. from Zamboanga City. The Zamboanga Freeport Authority is managed as a separate customs territory and offers incentives for would-be investors like tax free importation of goods, and other tax incentives.
. It was enacted into law on February 23, 1995 and made operational a year later with the appointment of a Chairman and Administrator and the members of the Board by former President Fidel V. Ramos
.
Zamboanga Freeport Authority was conceptualized to be an economic hub that is designed to generate local economic activities that will serve as a springboard for the promotion of trade, investments, and ecology tourism not only in Zamboanga City
but also throughout the region.
By nature of its operation, Zamboanga Freeport Authority is unique being both an Economic Zone and Freeport and is in fact the only Freeport in Visayas
and Mindanao
.
The prospects for legitimate domestic and foreign investors to set up shop in the Zamboanga Freeport where they can be free from customs tax, duties and tariff obligations, among an array of fiscal incentives like one peso per square meter per month on lease rates at the 1st Development Site; PhP 3,000.00 per hectare per year at the 2nd Development Site; Income Tax Holiday for four years extendible to a maximum of eight years; Net Operating Loss Carry Over tax scheme; 5% on Gross Income Earned ;guaranteed lease period of 50 years renewable for another 25 years, and foreign investors investing US$ 150,000.00 or more will be granted permanent residential status, along with their spouses, dependents and unmarried children below 21 years of age , foreign executives and technicians with highly specialized skills are issued working visas, renewable every two years; and 100% foreign ownership of business is definitely an attractive package to reckon with.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority maintains a 4-storey office building in San Ramon manned by a complement of 80 technical staff tasked to oversee the area's day-to-day operations and map out its long-termed development plan. The Zamboanga Freeport Authority has two development site. The first Development Site consists of the 1st and 2nd Industrial Park. The 64.56-hectare San Ramon development site known as the First Industrial Park.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority has come up with another priority project for the First Industrial Park. This project is in line with the President's vision of a more globally competitive Philippines
. Priority is given to Retirement Village and Wellness Center, Information Technology (IT) with the availability of IT services such as Data Transcription, medical transcription
, Litigation Support, Publishing Services, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Data Conversion, Graphics Animation, Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), Hispanic Call Centers, and Software Development and Maintenance. On the other hand, the 664-hectare seafront property of the Authority which serves as the site for the Second Industrial Park is the proposed site for the construction of a world-class International Seaport Complex. The complex will have a main area of 20 hectares. Other projects envisioned for the seaport site includes an 18-hole golf course, hotel, recreational facilities, restaurants, marina and theme parks.
The Second Development Site of the Zamboanga Freeport Authority is a 15,000-hectare logged-over area in upper La Paz and Pamucutan. It is ideal for agro-forestry, high-end residential projects, information technology ventures and a university village.
The Baguio-like climate is highly viable for eco-tourism. Visitors have raved about the once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking in the slopes of the rugged terrain accompanied by well-trained members of Team Kaguang, the Authority's mountaineering club. Guests vowed to come back for the exhilarating experience once more. The concept of a retirement center in the hinterlands is now in the drawing boards. The identified 40-hectare property for this project nestled among the rolling hills has a magnificent view of the ocean and has a serene and calming effect most idyllic for a retirement community complete with hospital facility, fitness center, outdoor entertainment, sports and recreational center, spas and salons.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority under the helm of Chairman and Administrator Georgina Pantaleon Yu has 20 registered locators. First to break ground as a Zamboanga Freeport locator in June 1997 was Faberco Holdings, Inc., a joint Filipino-Indian venture with three subsidiary companies that deal with equipment reconditioning and multi-products distribution system. Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone has taken off on a dawdling start but it has slowly but surely increased its pace with the entry of local and foreign investors that believe in this project and what it stands for. The availability of jobs has definitely given the Zamboangueños something to look forward to and has given them hope for a better tomorrow. With Zamboanga Freeport leading the way, the more than 600,000-resident population of the city and the rest of Mindanao can all look forward to share in the bountiful social and economic rewards that it can offer.
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Republic Acts of the Philippines
This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:...
7903 of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, authored by then Congresswoman and late mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the city of Zamboanga
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
, Maria Clara L. Lobregat
Maria Clara Lobregat
María Clara Rafols Lorenzo Lobregat was a Filipina politician from Zamboanga City, where she served as its first woman mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress.-Early life:...
.
The special economic zone
Special Economic Zone
A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...
was enacted into law on February 23, 1995 and made operational a year later with the appointment of a Chairman and Administrator and the members of the Board by former President Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
. It is located about 20 km. from Zamboanga City. The Zamboanga Freeport Authority is managed as a separate customs territory and offers incentives for would-be investors like tax free importation of goods, and other tax incentives.
History
The Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority, otherwise known by its corporate name as ZamboEcozone Authority and Freeport / Zamboanga Freeport Authority(ZFA), was created by virtue of Republic Act 7903 authored by former Congresswoman Maria Clara L. LobregatMaria Clara Lobregat
María Clara Rafols Lorenzo Lobregat was a Filipina politician from Zamboanga City, where she served as its first woman mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress.-Early life:...
. It was enacted into law on February 23, 1995 and made operational a year later with the appointment of a Chairman and Administrator and the members of the Board by former President Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
.
Zamboanga Freeport Authority was conceptualized to be an economic hub that is designed to generate local economic activities that will serve as a springboard for the promotion of trade, investments, and ecology tourism not only in Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City
The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....
but also throughout the region.
By nature of its operation, Zamboanga Freeport Authority is unique being both an Economic Zone and Freeport and is in fact the only Freeport in Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
.
The prospects for legitimate domestic and foreign investors to set up shop in the Zamboanga Freeport where they can be free from customs tax, duties and tariff obligations, among an array of fiscal incentives like one peso per square meter per month on lease rates at the 1st Development Site; PhP 3,000.00 per hectare per year at the 2nd Development Site; Income Tax Holiday for four years extendible to a maximum of eight years; Net Operating Loss Carry Over tax scheme; 5% on Gross Income Earned ;guaranteed lease period of 50 years renewable for another 25 years, and foreign investors investing US$ 150,000.00 or more will be granted permanent residential status, along with their spouses, dependents and unmarried children below 21 years of age , foreign executives and technicians with highly specialized skills are issued working visas, renewable every two years; and 100% foreign ownership of business is definitely an attractive package to reckon with.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority maintains a 4-storey office building in San Ramon manned by a complement of 80 technical staff tasked to oversee the area's day-to-day operations and map out its long-termed development plan. The Zamboanga Freeport Authority has two development site. The first Development Site consists of the 1st and 2nd Industrial Park. The 64.56-hectare San Ramon development site known as the First Industrial Park.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority has come up with another priority project for the First Industrial Park. This project is in line with the President's vision of a more globally competitive Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Priority is given to Retirement Village and Wellness Center, Information Technology (IT) with the availability of IT services such as Data Transcription, medical transcription
Medical transcription
Medical transcription, also known as MT, is an allied health profession, which deals in the process of transcription, or converting voice-recorded reports as dictated by physicians and/or other healthcare professionals, into text format.-History:...
, Litigation Support, Publishing Services, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Data Conversion, Graphics Animation, Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), Hispanic Call Centers, and Software Development and Maintenance. On the other hand, the 664-hectare seafront property of the Authority which serves as the site for the Second Industrial Park is the proposed site for the construction of a world-class International Seaport Complex. The complex will have a main area of 20 hectares. Other projects envisioned for the seaport site includes an 18-hole golf course, hotel, recreational facilities, restaurants, marina and theme parks.
First Industrial Park
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 500-700 guests. A staff house with a beautiful landscape in the facade is available for lease for seminars, conferences, retreats may be availed 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.Second Industrial Park
The Second Development Site on the other hand, which is located in the hinterlands of barangays Pamucutan and La Paz, consist of 15,391 hectares of logged-over forest. The 64.56-hectare First Industrial Park is suitable for commercial and service-oriented projects, institutional complexes and light to medium enterprises.The Second Development Site of the Zamboanga Freeport Authority is a 15,000-hectare logged-over area in upper La Paz and Pamucutan. It is ideal for agro-forestry, high-end residential projects, information technology ventures and a university village.
The Baguio-like climate is highly viable for eco-tourism. Visitors have raved about the once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking in the slopes of the rugged terrain accompanied by well-trained members of Team Kaguang, the Authority's mountaineering club. Guests vowed to come back for the exhilarating experience once more. The concept of a retirement center in the hinterlands is now in the drawing boards. The identified 40-hectare property for this project nestled among the rolling hills has a magnificent view of the ocean and has a serene and calming effect most idyllic for a retirement community complete with hospital facility, fitness center, outdoor entertainment, sports and recreational center, spas and salons.
The Zamboanga Freeport Authority under the helm of Chairman and Administrator Georgina Pantaleon Yu has 20 registered locators. First to break ground as a Zamboanga Freeport locator in June 1997 was Faberco Holdings, Inc., a joint Filipino-Indian venture with three subsidiary companies that deal with equipment reconditioning and multi-products distribution system. Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone has taken off on a dawdling start but it has slowly but surely increased its pace with the entry of local and foreign investors that believe in this project and what it stands for. The availability of jobs has definitely given the Zamboangueños something to look forward to and has given them hope for a better tomorrow. With Zamboanga Freeport leading the way, the more than 600,000-resident population of the city and the rest of Mindanao can all look forward to share in the bountiful social and economic rewards that it can offer.
List of Investors
| Name of Company | Project |
|---|---|
| Multi-Products Distribution Systems Inc. | Trading/warehousing/Facilities Operator |
| Peninsula Duty Free Corporation | Duty-free shop |
| Mabuhay Satellite Corporation Mabuhay Satellite Corporation Mabuhay Satellite Corporation is a Filipino aerospace corporation responsible for operating communication satellites and is the only Philippine company to do so. It a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company or PLDT and it owns the Agila 2 satellite which provides the most... |
Back-up tracking, telemetry and control station for Aguila 2 satellite |
| Bendimil International Corp. | Facilities Operator |
| Nihon International Trading Corp. | Trading |
| IPDI of USA | Seaport Developer, Power distributor |
| OMED Zamboanga Corporation | Software development |
| Seachamp International Export Corp. | Manufacturing and export of microwavable marine products |
| Southgate Ace Marine Inc. | Manufacturing of pasteurized canned crabmeat |
| DEMAK | Assembly and manufacturing of motorcycle, tricycle and urban vehicles |
| Globe Telecom Globe Telecom Globe Telecom , commonly known as Globe, is a telecommunications company in the Philippines. Globe provides mobile, fixed line, and broadband Internet services.- History :In 1928, Congress passed Act No... |
Utilities Enterprise (in-building coverage enhancement project) |
| Alfranz Trading | Small scale mining of Gypsum |
| Fenix Group of Companies | Trading and reconditioning of imported used motor |
| Southern Auctioneer Int’l | Production of high value crops, vegetables and fighting cock breeding |
| Wellstar Recycling Corporation | Recycling of used motor vehicles, scraps, engines and parts |
| BMCO R & E Inc. | Rubber processing |
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