AFAB administrator Emmanuel Pineda. Contributed photo
BALANGA CITY — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) on Friday stressed that despite all the challenges, it continued to work harder while positively leaning towards implementing its power to declare economic zones within the province.
AFAB administrator Emmanuel D. Pineda and AFAB corporate technical officer Paul Robert Salapantan emphasized that they are making access to holding business in the Freeport Area of Bataan in Mariveles easy.
“If you are a businessman, you are a company and you are looking for a place for your business, talk to us, come to us, because only we in AFAB can create a zone for companies,” Salapantan said.
“The only things needed are the AFAB Board’s approval, the local government unit concurrence, that it is a declared ecozone, it’s a freeport already. That’s our advantage,” Pineda added.
The administrator also dealt on how AFAB encourages FAB enterprises to further promote safety in the workplace through vaccination and testing aside from securing the Safety Seal certification by the Department of Labor and Employment.
“We take pride in having this, as other investment promotion agencies do not have this. We challenged the locators to go even beyond the Safety Seal of the DOLE. It’s because, we recognize the percentage of vaccination and the institutionalization of the regular testing as mandated by DOLE,” Pineda said.
With the passage of RA 11453 or “An Act Further Strengthening the Powers and Functions of the Freeport of Bataan” that amended the AFAB’s Charter under RA 9728, the AFAB now has strengthened powers and functions that allows for the establishment of the FAB’s expansion areas.
Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia III of Bataan’s second district authored RA 11453.
There are expansion areas already being developed like in Pilar town where a modern port terminal will rise. Also being readied are projects in Dinalupihan and Abucay.
