By Catherine N. Pillas
THE Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone (Zambo ecozone) pulled in P9 billion worth of committed investments for 2015, with employment generated running up to 3,000 new jobs over the next five years.
Zambo ecozone reported that 10 new substantial investments were hauled in last year, from manufacturing to agribusiness.
Among the 10 new locators were Phil-Union Canning Co., a seafoods-manufacturing firm specializing in pasteurized crabmeat and frozen tuna, with a leased area of 1 hectare at the First Industrial Park.
Filipino-owned fuel firm Seaoil Philippines Inc. will construct and operate a fuel depot and terminal within its 5-hectare leased area at the Second Industrial Park.
Leasing 200 hectares at the Zambo ecozone highlands is Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Co., which is in the production and sale of Arabica coffee cherries in the domestic and export markets.
These, and seven other locators, have committed investment pledges amounting to P9.67 billion, with 3,000 new jobs generated in the next five years.
For prospective locators, Zambo ecozone said it is in talks with six new foreign and local locators which are in different stages of project approval.
Among the six is Windflower Bio-Energy Inc., a 40-percent Korean-owned firm that aims to establish a 10-megawatt biomass power farm.
Zambopower Corp. is another prospective locator that intends to set up a hydroelectric-power plant in the Zambo ecozone highlands.
In agribusiness, Hofer Development Corp. will engage in sourcing, buying and export of various crops and the production and export of crude coconut oil and coconut pellets, while ZC International Agricultural Development Corp. is carving out 100 hectares for sesame plantation and oil processing in the Zambo ecozone highlands, as well as a 60-square-meter commercial office in the First Industrial Park.
In total, these six prospective locators are seen to add a committed investment of over P2.6 billion, with 1,000 new jobs expected to be generated.
Currently, the Zambo ecozone has 30 registered locators coming from varied industries.
As of the third quarter last year, the 30 locators have generated a total of 1,301 new jobs and an aggregated committed investment of P19.46 billion.
The 2015 export-performance figure reached over $5.56 million.
2015’s strong showing can be credited to two export-oriented locators, namely, Seachamp International Export Corp. and CTK Asia Rubber Inc., a Korean-owned company engaged in the manufacture of technically specified rubber with its semiprocessed rubber expported to Korea, China and to Yokohama Tire Philippines in the Clark Special Economic Zone.
The bring-in figures were pegged at P1.22 billion, largely contributed by Ascent Food Specialist Inc., a tolling partner of San Miguel Foods Inc., which produces animal feeds under the B-MEG brand and supplies the entire region.