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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Save Clark employees' jobs: solon
CLARK -- Pampanga Third District Representative Rey Aquino recently called on House Speaker Jose de Venecia to grant priority consideration for the proposed House Joint Resolution No. 09.
In a recent letter to de Venecia, Aquino said "the passage of Joint Resolution No. 09 will be most favorable to the firms established at the Clark Special Economic Zone on a long-term basis, a matter that will equally secure our local employment."
Aquino expressed his support to Joint Resolution No. 09 amid warnings of several investors in Clark to move their investments elsewhere.
He said the pull-out of the Clark investors would certainly displace thousands of Clark Ecozone workers, including his constituents from the province's third district.
Clark locators organized under the Clark Investors and Locators Association (Cila) were thrown into anxieties following the Supreme Court (SC) decision last July 29 nullifying the tax incentives and duty-free privileges.
The locators said the government should ensure that they continue to enjoy the privileges granted to them under Section 5 of Executive Order (EO) No. 8 as well as Section 4 of the Bases Conversion Development Authority Board Resolution No. 93-05-032.
The resolutions allowed Clark Development Corporation (CDC) to grant Clark locators the same privileges given to locators at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone under provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7227.
"In behalf of the people of my district, we urge the honorable House Speaker to grant priority consideration for the said resolution, given the merits gained domestically and internationally for us in Pampanga and the country as well," Aquino said.
"Many (of my) constituents from our district are employees of industrial firms inside the CSEZ, not to mention the varying businesses in the province and Metro Manila that benefit from the industrial area," he added.
The congressman explained that "the passage of the resolutions will be most favorable to the firms established at the CSEZ on a long-term basis, a matter that will equally secure our local employment."
Aquino also requested de Venecia to apprise him on the status of the measure "so we may provide ample feedback to our constituents and businessmen in the province."
There are more than 350 investors in the ecozone, majority of which threatened to pull out from Clark if no remedial measures would be undertaken to enable provisions granting similar tax and duty incentives being given to Subic Bay Freeport Zone to Clark and other similar economic zones in the country.
The SC ruling is also threatening more than 34,765 people employed by Clark Ecozone firms and their families, aside from thousands who indirectly earn from corollary enterprises and services like transportation, food and beverages, tourism, among other services and trades. (DMF)
(September 22, 2005 issue)
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