MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has created an innovation hub in Biñan, Laguna and declared a new protected area in San Francisco, Quezon.
Marcos signed Proclamation 985 on July 30, designating the parcel of land with an aggregate area of 50,000 square meters at the De La Salle University Science and Technology Complex, Leandro V. Locsin Campus in Biñan, Laguna as a knowledge, innovation, science and technology ecozone.
The new ecozone will be known as the De La Salle University Innovation Hub, according to the proclamation.
The innovation hub was created by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 7916, or the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, as amended by RA 8748, and upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
RA 7916, signed into law on Feb. 24, 1995, aims to encourage economic growth through the development of special economic zones called “ecozones.”
Special economic zones are defined in the law as “selected areas with highly developed or which have the potential to be developed into agro-industrial, industrial tourist/recreational, commercial banking, investment and financial centers.”
Protected landscape
Under RA 12229 inked by Marcos on July 23, a 29.6-hectare land in San Francisco, Quezon is declared protected landscape, in recognition of the richness of biological resources that are native and distinct to the Mulanay Watershed Forest Reserve, as well as their aesthetic and ecological importance.
The protected area will be known as the San Francisco Protected Landscape (SFPL) and fall under the classification of national park.
“As such, the State shall ensure the conservation, protection, management, and rehabilitation of the area. It is likewise recognized that effective administration of this area is possible only through cooperation among the national government, local government units (LGUs), concerned non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private entities, and local communities,” RA 12229 read.
The law creates a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to oversee and manage the SFPL.
A Protected Management Office is also established to supervise the day-to-day management, protection, and administration of the SFPL.
A trust fund is also established for purposes of financing projects to sustain the operations of the SFPL.
The PAMB will retain 75 percent of all revenues raised, which will be deposited to the Protected Area-Retained Income Account in any authorized government depository bank within the locality.
The remaining 25 percent of revenues will be deposited as a special account in the General Fund of the National Treasury.
The fund may be augmented by grants, donations, and endowment from domestic or foreign sources.
"The fund shall be deposited in full as a special account in the National Treasury and disbursements therefrom shall be made solely for the protection, maintenance, administration, and management of the NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Areas System) and duly approved projects endorsed by the PAMB in accordance with existing accounting, budgeting, and auditing rules and regulations," the law said.
A copy of Proclamation 985 and RA 12229 was uploaded on the Official Gazette on Friday. (PNA)