Daily Tribune
WITH 17 expansion areas now open to investors, the Freeport Area of Bataan is gearing up for a growth surge. AFAB teams up with PEZA to realign ecozone policies and sharpen their edge amid key infrastructure rollouts like the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge. At the heart of it all: collaboration, investor confidence, and a shared vision for regional progress.
Photo courtesy of Provincial Government of Bataan
Freeport Area of Bataan — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) are eyeing the expansion of ecozones while realigning policies to further boost their development.
AFAB Administrator and CEO Hussein Pangandaman said the agency is strengthening its expansion initiatives by working closely with PEZA, recognizing the latter’s deep experience in managing economic zones nationwide.
“This collaboration aims to ensure that AFAB’s strategies are aligned with best practices, while refining its framework for implementing expansion initiatives within Bataan under Republic Act No. 11453. Currently, AFAB oversees 17 expansion areas, many of which are now open for locator registrations,” Pangandaman said.
As these areas continue to grow, he emphasized the need to strengthen AFAB’s operational policies to maintain competitiveness, attract more investors, and align with national development priorities.
He added that several of AFAB’s sites are strategically positioned in growth zones set to benefit from major infrastructure projects like the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge and the Subic-Clark corridor—key developments expected to enhance regional connectivity and improve the investment landscape in North and Central Luzon.
AFAB also joined a two-day inter-agency writeshop in Iloilo City led by the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) for the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act.
The workshop aims to finalize supplemental issuances for the implementation of Republic Act No. 12066 (CREATE MORE Act), establishing a more transparent and investor-friendly fiscal incentives system.
Attended by representatives from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Local Government Finance, Department of the Interior and Local Government, World Bank, and various investment promotion agencies, the event reinforces AFAB’s commitment to collaborative policymaking grounded in fiscal prudence and national priorities.
