Pacquiao bid for ecozone in peril

Boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “ Manny” Pacquiao’s bid to put up an economic zone in South Cotabato is in peril due to the delay in the submission of required documents.

Lilia de Lima, director general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, said Monday that Pacquiao and his company had not submitted requirements to Peza since the proposed ecozone was approved in 2009.

De Lima said in an interview with reporters that a proponent has five years from project approval to complete the requirements to put up an ecozone.

Failure to submit within the timeframe means that the approval of the proposed ecozone of Pacquiao’s company, Manny Pacquiao Heights Development Corp., may be lifted in 2014.

“They haven’t submitted anything,” De Lima said.

Requirements include endorsements from the local government, verified survey returns, and clearances from government agencies including the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Tourism and Health.

Pacquiao’s company earlier proposed to invest P1.2 billion in the ecozone, which was supposed to house companies engaged in tourism and information technology.