By: LEANDER C. DOMINGO, TMT

SANTA ANA, Cagayan: The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) held groundbreaking rites and inspections on Monday of P238.87 billion worth of big ticket projects, all eyed to spur economic boom in the area.

Secretary Raul Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive officer, said the biggest among the six big projects was City Polaris, the $4.5-billion CEZA township project in Mapurao, which includes a 2,013-hectare property with an ocean view and is open for mixed-use development.

“It shall have business spaces for information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) companies, commercial and residential areas, health, wellness, leisure and recreational facilities,” he said.

Another is the P301 million worth of additional warehouses in Port Irene in Barangay Casambalangan envisioned to be the premier international port of northern Philippines. It can accommodate panamax and cape-sized vessels catering to the markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

“It will be developed as a major international seaport that will serve as a gateway for exports and imports from neighboring East Asian countries to the US West Coast and vice versa,” Lambino said.

He added that the development included construction of four warehouses with offices within the one-hectare property for Phase 1, which could be expanded up to three hectares.

The groundbreaking for CEZA’s planned Corporate and Commercial Center with a P300-million fund for Phase 1 was also held at the newly acquired 11-hectare CEZA property in Sitio Punti, Barangay Rapuli.

Lambino said the center would include hotel and condominium buildings, duty-free shopping malls and an entertainment plaza.

Also, the inspection of Port San Vicente was for the ongoing P155-million rehabilitation and expansion of its wharf and causeway. The port is the take-off point to tourism destinations in Cagayan Freeport’s famous Palaui Island.

“To ferry tourists, small motorized boats are currently utilized from San Vicente Port to the Survivor Island (Palaui) and other tourist areas in the ecozone,” Lambino said.

He pointed out that the project aimed to accommodate leisure fishing boats, sail boats and luxury yachts and promote the Cagayan Freeport as a premier game fishing destination.

Another City Polaris groundbreaking and inspection rite was held in a 238.48-hectare area in Sitio Puzo Robo, also in San Vicente, along the Pacific Coast that includes a forest reserve.

https://www.manilatimes.net/big-ticket-projects-break-ground-in-ceza/516646/