MARIVELES, Bataan — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) here on Friday announced that it has approved the expansion of the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) to other areas, as a starter to three towns and a city in this province.
AFAB provincial information officer Hazel Keith Ellorin said the Bataan freeport will soon be operating not only in Mariveles but also in the towns of Dinalupihan, Abucay and Pilar, and the City of Balanga.
“The AFAB’s plan under administrator Emmanuel Pineda is to replicate the success of the main zone in Mariveles in the other locations in Bataan through these expansion areas. Through these areas, we want to generate new jobs, stimulate the local economy and promote local development,” Ellorin said.
She said that all of these would be done in partnership with the local government units as no expansion area can be created without the approval of the LGU.
“With the expansion of FAB, instead of the people going to their jobs, we will bring the jobs closer to the people. This will help make life better for Bataan residents, because instead of travelling every day to Mariveles for more or less an hour, the jobs are now closer to them,” Ellorin said.
She said that workers can also save more if they do not need to rent boarding houses any more because they are right in their hometown.
“With jobs closer to home, workers can have more disposable income, less travel time with more happy time with the family. For the LGUs, it means increase in local tax collection,” the information officer said.
Ellorin said FAB has already set estimated targets of construction and operations of companies already adjusted considering the pandemic.
She said that there are locators who have already signified their intention to start building infrastructures before the year ends.
“When it comes to target investors, this would be in coordination with the LGU and their own plans for the municipality. For example, if a municipality’s focus is on agri-industrial, most of the investors that we would target for that location would be agri-industrial,” she said.
The approval of the first three towns and a city is under Republic Act 11453 that places the whole of Bataan as FAB expansion areas. The Act further strengthens the powers and functions of AFAB amending for the purpose RA 9728, otherwise known as FAB Act of 2009.
The House Bill that led to RA 9728 was sponsored by then congressman, now Gov. Albert Garcia while that of RA 11453 by 2nd District Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd.
FAB used to be the former Bataan Export Processing Zone, the first processing zone established in the country. It was later turned into the Bataan Economic Zone under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority and then, into the Bataan freeport.
