MinDA teams up with Bislig LGU to set up city’s economic zone

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Mindanao Development Authority Chairperson Maria Belen Acosta and Bislig City Councilor Victor Alvar, Jr., representing City Mayor Florencio Garay, sign the memorandum of cooperation to develop the Bislig City Economic Zone last February 4, 2022. Photo from MinDA.
  • Mindanao Development Authority and the local government of Bislig, Surigao del Sur, are joining hands to set up an economic zone in the city
  • They signed a memorandum of cooperation to facilitate establishment of the Bislig City Economic Zone
  • The ecozone will be situated in the Provincial Agro-Industrial Center, with an additional 45 hectares secured by the local government for special purposes
  • The project is seen to boost the market potential of Bislig’s agri-fisheries and forestry industries and provide jobs

The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the local government of Bislig, Surigao del Sur have signed a memorandum of cooperation to facilitate the establishment of the Bislig City Economic Zone.

The proposed ecozone will be situated in Bislig’s Provincial Agro-Industrial Center. The local government has secured an additional 45 hectares for special ecozone purposes, MinDA said.

The ecozone is seen to boost the market potential of Bislig’s agri-fisheries and forestry industries and provide job opportunities to more than 90,000 farmers and fisherfolk in the city.

“This will be a big leap for Bislig’s overall development, and we are happy to have MinDA helping us push through with the project,” Bislig city councilor Victor Alvar Jr. said.

Under the agreement, the Bislig LGU will prepare the requirements to conduct site technical assessments and facilitate partnerships with other national line agencies to avail of fiscal incentives, which will help manage the ecozone.

MinDA will provide relevant technical assistance to the LGU and take part in investment promotions to align the project with national investment programs and initiatives under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area.

The partnership was preceded by a meeting between MinDA and the Bislig LGU last December during which both parties signed Executive Order 1 Series 2022 to jumpstart preparations for the special ecozone. The project takes advantage of Administrative Order 18 signed in 2019, which supports the accelerated development of ecozones in areas outside the country’s economic centers.

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