MARIVELES, Bataan—Officials of this town are confident to see the resurgence of Mariveles as a highly industrialized territory with the creation of the Bataan Free Port Area (FAB) here.

Republic Act 9728, also known as the FAB law, was recently enacted, converting the Bataan Economic Zone (BEZ) here into FAB as authored by Bataan Second District Rep. Albert Garcia.  

Mariveles Mayor Jesse Concepcion said he agrees FAB, as envisioned by Garcia, will attract many multinational companies and elevate the town as a bustling industrial center again.

It will be recalled that the BEZ, then called the Bataan Export Processing Zone (BEPZ), was the first public economic zone established in the country through Presidential Decree 66 in November 1972.

In the first decade of operation, BEZ boomed, attracting more than a hundred multinational locators and transformed Mariveles into an economic haven and one of the most progressive communities in Luzon.

With then vibrant BEZ, prosperity spilled over the entire town of Mariveles. Natives and migrants filled up thousands of jobs at the economic zone, and lots of business establishments started operation.

Sectors of transportation, housing, banking, services, among others, remarkably thrived. There was domino effect of progress in this town.

However, said Garcia, the administrative neglect of the Philippine Export Zone Authority, supervising agency of BEZ and other external factors, stunted the growth of the economic zone.

With dilapidated roads, buildings and other infrastructure, BEZ ceased to attract new investors, and many locators opted to leave.

Garcia pointed out that BEZ has never really achieved its full potential as envisioned when it was established that made him sought its conversion into a free port.

With the FAB, Mariveles will become a bustling industrial center again and thousands of jobs will be available, said Concepcion.

“The FAB will resurge back the industrial prominence Mariveles enjoyed in the past and alleviate the economic condition of residents here,” stressed Concepcion.

The mayor said there will contagious development here once FAB starts operation and prosperity will be inevitable. He added Mariveles will surely become a boom territory again.

For his part, Mariveles municipal administrator Luis Gonzales said the establishment FAB will arrest the continued slide down into irrelevance of the first economic zone in the country. He said the 400-hectare zone, as originally projected, will soon be accommodating at least 100 light, medium and heavy industrial firms.

He said the proximity of FAB to the existing two ports of Manila, all along the Manila Bay, will be of great advantage for the transshipment and dockyard commercial activities.

He said the displaced employees at the economic zone, most of whom came from other places that swelled the unemployed population of Mariveles, can be reemployed at the newly established FAB.

When still a bill, Mariveles municipal council and the Association of Barangay Captains here separately adopted resolutions supporting the conversion of BEZ into a free port.

Mariveles municipal and barangay officials also attended Lower House and Senate hearings of the bill in manifesting support to the conversion.

Garcia said with a free-port status, FAB will be ready for foreign trading, and is set to become an international logistic hub.

There will be easy and cheap transport of raw materials and finished products and less government intervention, which mean cheaper cost of operations for locating companies, said the solon. Companies, he continued, will surely be attracted to locate at FAB.

Garcia said with the expected location of many companies soon at the free port zone, it is easy to calculate the positive economic impact it can bring to the province, particularly to the host town Mariveles.

He said industries like tourism and transport, and businesses like suppliers, restaurants and food caterers, retailers, among others, will surely thrive, and thousands of jobs will be generated.

Bataan Gov. Enrique Garcia pointed out that FAB is located to Manila Bay, a great bay, just like San Francisco Bay, Hong Kong Bay, Singapore Bay and Dubai Bay, all known logistic hubs.

He sees FAB to become a significant international logistic hub in the Asian region.

The governor said he is very excited on the huge development prospect FAB will bring to Mariveles and the other parts of Bataan province.

Earlier, Sen. Richard Gordon, proponent of the bill in the Senate, said the Subic Free Port and the FAB will be bringing parallel development both to Subic and Bataan and not adverse business competition.

Concepcion has expressed gratitude to Gordon, Sen. Loren Legarda, coauthor of the bill, Governor Garcia, Representative Garcia and Party-list Rep. Carissa Coscolluela of Buhay, supporter of the bill, for the establishment of FAB here.