-
House Bill 7575 was passed unanimously on May 26 by 21 senators. No legislator abstained from voting
-
The bill establishes the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, which will manage the proposed New Manila International Airport site
-
A bicameral committee of the Senate and House will meet later to reconcile their own versions before sending the final version to the President for signing into law
The Philippine Senate has passed a bill establishing the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (BACSEZFA), which will manage the site of the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulakan town, Bulacan.
Twenty-one senators voted “yes” on the third and final reading of House Bill No. 7575 on May 26. No legislator opposed the bill or abstained from voting.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill in September 2020. A bicameral committee session of the Senate and House will meet later to reconcile their respective versions before submitting the final version to the President for signing into law.
House Bill 7575 authorizes BACSEZFA to establish, build, operate, and maintain public utilities and other services and infrastructure in the Bulacan Ecozone, which will be set up on reclaimed land on the coastal area of Bulakan, an industrial and fishing town 35 kilometers north of Manila.
“The BACSEZFA will be a boon not only to Bulacan residents but also to the Central Luzon region and the Philippines at large,” said the bill’s co-sponsor, Senator Richard J. Gordon Sr., during the session.
The BACSEZFA is expected to coordinate with the local government as it develops the Bulacan Ecozone in accordance with the law. It is also authorized to register, regulate and supervise enterprises in the ecozone.
The zone will have transport, telecom and other facilities to attract investment and generate jobs. It will be managed and operated as a separate customs territory to ensure a free flow or movement of goods and capital within, into and out of its territory.
The bill empowers Bulacan Ecozone to offer incentives such as tax and duty-free importation of raw materials and capital equipment to registered enterprises under the terms laid out by Republic Act 11534, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act.
The agency will have authorized capital stock of 2 billion no par shares with a minimum issue price of P10 per share, according to the bill. The government will hold at least 60% of the capital stock.
The Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, and National Economic and Development Authority will be tasked with drafting the implementing rules and regulations accompanying the act after its signing.
San Miguel Corporation and its architectural consultant Palafox Associates earlier released a masterplan of their “aerocity,” which would be built on a build-operate-transfer basis. Under that scheme, SMC will operate the New Manila International Airport for 50 years before handing it over to the government.
READ: SMC unveils Bulacan aerocity master plan
The proposed airport will be built on a 2,500-hectare coastal property as part of an envisioned 12,000-hectare township that features a residential zone, government center, seaport and an industrial zone.
The airport project has run into strong opposition from fisherfolk advocates and environmentalists, who warn that it would displace families and be prone to geohazards.
The project is part of the flagship “Build! Build! Build!” infrastructure program of the Duterte administration.
Ground-breaking for the project was held on October 14, 2020, but actual work on the first phase of construction began on March 18, 2022. This phase includes two runways and the terminal buildings of the new airport, with expected completion by 2026.
