Duterte inks proclamation creating IT park in Davao City

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the 28th Bureau of Fire Protection Founding Anniversary and 118 Years of Fire Service at the Philippine International Convention Center on August 1, 2019. REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a proclamation creating an information technology (IT) hub in his hometown, Davao City, as part of his administration’s efforts to create more job opportunities for Filipinos.

Under Proclamation 844, Duterte designated 30,602 square meters of land located in San Antonio village in Davao City as an IT park or Special Economic Zone.

The IT park will be known as the Davao Park District, based on the presidential proclamation signed on November 15.

Special Economic Zones are defined as “selected areas with highly developed areas or which have the potential to be developed into agro-industrial, industrial tourist or recreational, commercial, banking, investment, and financial centers,” according to Republic Act 7916 or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995.

An ecozone may contain industrial estates, export processing zones, free trade zones, and tourist or recreational centers.

Property developer Megaworld will be allocating PHP15 billion to build and develop the Davao Park District, its first prime township in Mindanao, by attracting its clients and different companies to invest in the project.

Megaworld envisions the Davao Park District as “Davao City’s central business district and a major center for information technology and business process outsourcing in Mindanao.”

The President also signed two proclamations, expanding the economic zones in the provinces of Batangas and Misamis Oriental.

Duterte signed Proclamation 843, tapping 427,209 square meters of land in the villages of San Fernando, Luta Norte, and Luta Sur in Malvar, Batangas for the expansion of the Light Industry and Science Park IV Special Economic Zone.

Proclamation 850 was also signed by the President to designate 76,489 square meters of land in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental as an extension of the Jasaan Misamis Oriental Ecozone.

Duterte signed Proclamation 843 and 850 on November 15 and 18, respectively.