SANTA ANA, Cagayan—A series of humanitarian activities filled this year’s 22nd founding anniversary celebration of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, such as bloodletting and medical and dental missions at the Ceza complex here.
A government-owned and controlled corporation, Ceza was created in 1995 under Republic Act 7922 to operate the 54,118-hectare Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Free Port of urban, suburban and agro-industrial lands for prime development.
CSEZFP covers the entire town of Santa Ana in Cagayan province, as well as the islands of Fuga, Barit and Mabbag in the town of Aparri, which is also rising as a major transshipment hub and a tourism and an ecotourism haven in northeastern Philippines.
Joyce Marie Jayme-Calimag, Ceza public relations head, said the bloodletting activity is in partnership with Cagayan Valley’s Philippine National Red Cross, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Santa Ana police office and blood donors and volunteers from Ceza locators, the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, the town’s barangay units, and community members.
They also distributed medicines and gifts to children and senior citizens, Calimag said.
Jose Marie B. Ponce, Ceza Administrator and Chief Executive Officer, said they made the celebration meaningful by spearheading humanitarian activities.
“Ceza intends to make the annual occasion not only about remembering the past, celebrating its birth, but more important about shaping the future, that every individual may benefit and may contribute more for the progress of Santa Ana and the Cagayan Valley region,” Ponce said.
He said community programs for this year’s founding anniversary celebration also included the distribution of various construction materials such as nails and GI sheets to various towns in Cagayan that were hit by Typhoon “Lawin.”
“We have responded and started a community-outreach program that seeks to assist the victims of the typhoon in Cagayan,” Ponce said.
He said Ceza led follow-up relief operations around the province and donated relief items to the local government units.
“Through the sponsorship of First Cagayan Leisure and Resort Corp., we have distributed GI sheets and nails in the towns, such as Tuao, Amulung, Alcala, Enrile, Baggao, Aparri, Santa Teresita and Gonzaga as part of our anniversary celebration,” Ponce said.
Meanwhile, Calimag said CEZA and CSEZFP are now the biggest employers in the Cagayan Valley region.
She said as a GOCC, CEZA remitted to the National Treasury more than P234 million, representing 60 percent of its 2015 income.
“This is in addition to the 30-percent corporate income tax CEZA has paid to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and locator’s taxes and income generated by other government agencies through CEZA-related operations,” Calimag said.
Of the 54 GOCCs that remitted to the National Treasury in 2016, CEZA had the 16th-highest dividends share, and 285th among the 500 largest non-individual taxpayers of the country by the BIR based on taxable year 2014.
“With this development, CEZA has been operating on profit over the past several years and has become the next economic hub in northeastern Luzon,” Calimag said.