In a bid to turn Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan into a first mega ecozone, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

On 24 January, PEZA Director General Tereso Panga and BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. officially sealed the agreement, allocating an initial area of more than 2000 hectares of the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, to be developed as the Palawan Mega Economic Zone (PMEZ).

“We are proud to share that we have now entered the next important step for our ecozone development in Palawan. We look forward to beginning the master planning and immediately start the development of this ecozone which will create more employment opportunities for Filipinos, most especially persons deprived of liberty (PDLs),” expressed the PEZA Chief, highlighting its recent partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to further strengthen the Philippine workforce.

For his part, Gen. Catapang said he envisions this mega ecozone to become “clean, green, and technology-driven” aligning with PEZA’s eco-industrial framework through smart mixed-used townships. He likewise shared his push to include Palawan in the Luzon Economic Corridor, which is seen to become the manufacturing hub of the country.

“Palawan is the new frontier and we want to generate income for social development and food security,” added the BuCor Chief as among the visions for the Palawan Mega Ecozone.

Panga disclosed that in the coming years, the ecozone will become instrumental in attracting emerging and high-value industries like electric vehicle production, advanced manufacturing, green ores processing, nanotech, knowledge-based and AI-driven industries, medical-related industries, and blue industries, among others.

“The impact of this project will be felt all across the Region to include an immediate heightened trade within the context of the BIMP-EAGA international framework,” he added.

“Employing a whole-of-government approach, we are a step closer to achieving our goal of eco-zoning the country towards inclusive and sustainable development para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” stated DG Panga.

In response Gen. Catapang said, “You can set the floor for this cooperative project as it is PEZA’s expertise.”

In January 2024, PEZA and BuCor entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for the project, as they eyed

PEZA and BuCor eye that the Palawan Mega Ecozone will be proclaimed within the year and be operational before the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ends in 2028.