The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which serves as the initial commitment for the establishment of aerotropolis ecozones and/or aerotropolis-linked ecozones in the country.
The agreement provides these ecozones will use CAAP’ s idle real estate assets throughout the country.
Under the MOU, PEZA and CAAP will jointly promote the establishment of these ecozones to attract investments in aviation industry-related manufacturing industries, logistics services and maintenance, repair and operations, including, but not limited to, emerging companies involved in renewable energy technologies and food terminal hubs.
The MOU said CAAP has real estate assets that are unproductive, such as regional airports not in use and which can be transformed as aerotropolis ecozones.
Details of these assets were not immediately available.
The parties can explore opportunities for joint venture operation or through public-private partnership, the MOU said.
In turn, these investments will help the country develop world-class workers for airline industries through capacity-building and training.
The MOU was signed by Charito Plaza, PEZA director-general and Jim Sydiongco, CAAP director-general.
PEZA has embarked on new frontiers of ecozone development by putting up these zones in as many provinces as possible, based on the potentials of the host local government units: tourism, agricultural, manufacturing, information technology parks/buildings; defense industrial, agro- forestry/aquamarine; mineral processing; medical tourism; knowledge, innovation, science and technology or (KIST) parks and retirement villages and; aerotropolis ecozone and aerotropolis-linked ecozones. Irma Isip
