A bill establishing the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, and creating the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, or the “Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Act” has lapsed into law on June 13, Malacañang announced on Friday.
The law is officially declared as Republic Act 11999, or the “Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Act.”
It creates the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (BuZ) and establishes the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (BEZA) as its governing body. The BuZ will include the airport project and the airport city project in Bulacan, managed by BEZA.
The BEZA must be organized within 180 days of the law’s effectivity, which will occur 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
In collaboration with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), BEZA will develop a land use, planning, and development framework for BuZ, aligning with the Philippine Development Plan.
Malacañang also earlier announced, Republic Act 12006, or the Free College Entrance Examinations Act, which became law on June 14.
It mandates private higher education institutions to waive entrance exam fees for eligible students. This law aims to assist disadvantaged students with academic potential by exempting them from paying entrance examination fees at private higher education institutions (HEIs).
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will enforce the law, impose penalties on violators, and draft the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) within 60 days, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) and private education associations.
Details of the two new laws can be accessed on the Official Gazette.