A Surigao del Sur congressman filed a bill to create a state-run special economic zone in Mindanao to attract Chinese investments.
Rep. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur said House Bill 2672 proposed the creation of the Bislig City Special Economic Zone “to drive employment and consumption growth and overall economic expansion” in Mindanao in general and in Caraga in particular.
“We need new investors, especially in highly labor-intensive industries, to provide thousands of good-paying jobs and raise the living standards of a greater number of families in Mindanao,” said Pimentel.
He said the proposed ecozone once approved and built would attract Chinese investors, “considering our government-to-government as well as people-to-people relations with China have warmed up owing to President Duterte’s independent foreign policy track.”
Located 208 kilometers northeast of Davao City, Bislig is one of the two component cities of Surigao del Sur – the other being the provincial capital Tandag.
The Paper Industries Corp. used to operate from Bislig until the country’s only integrated forest and paper manufacturer folded up.