THE proposed bill to establish a Bacolod Economic Zone Authority (Beza) was approved by the House Committee on Economic Affairs last week.
Bacolod City Lone District Representative Greg Gatasaya stressed this Sunday, February 23, after the House Committee on Economic Affairs held its hearing last week.
Gasataya filed the proposed bill in 2019.
He said Beza will be the one to identify the areas in Bacolod that have to be converted into economic zone or special economic zone either for manufacturing, information technology, and entertainment, among others, as well as to establish a Freeport in Bacolod City.
"The intention of this bill is to provide additional jobs in Bacolod City. Once it will be approved by the Senate and President Rodrigo Duterte, it will generate thousands of jobs because the foreign companies can invest here directly," he said.
He added the House committee will now make its committee report and it will be discussed again in April for the second reading of the proposed bill.
Gasataya noted that Bacolod City has Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry and served more than 18,000 jobs.
"We can provide additional jobs because Bacolod is right for more foreign investments and we don't know what will happen in five to 10 years from now so we should ready the city in terms of legislation so that there will be more funds to help the local government," Gasataya said.
Gasataya also expressed his gratitude to the House Committee on Economic Affairs because this is the first time for Bacolod to have this proposed bill.
He said in some areas like Cavite, there are a lot of improvement there because they have economic zones, as well as in Clark.
"If they did it there, so why not also do it here. We have the labor force but some of our students here have to avail their on-the job training in other places outside Bacolod City because we do not have a manufacturing firms here," he added.
Gasataya said if Bacolod has the Beza, Bacolenos will no longer work outside the city.