The National Development Co. (NDC) is exploring a partnership with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to convert government-owned properties into economic zones, potentially putting underutilized state assets to work while broadening the locations available for new investments.
NDC General Manager Robert James Samson recently met with PEZA Director General Tereso Panga to discuss matching suitable NDC landholdings with PEZA’s economic zone development program.
Under the proposed collaboration, NDC properties could be developed into industrial parks, information technology hubs or other specialized economic zones designed to attract domestic and foreign investors. Such projects could also generate employment in areas outside established business districts.
Among the larger NDC properties being considered for potential industrial development are a 65,146.5-square-meter site in Apalit, Pampanga, and a 50,276-square-meter commercial property in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. NDC also holds a 12,690-square-meter property at the Central Business Park in Pasay City.
Its Metro Manila portfolio includes a 1,012.5-square-meter property along North Avenue in Quezon City, an 824-square-meter site along Shaw Boulevard in Pasig City and a 1,318-square-meter property in Malate, Manila, which could support IT or commercial uses.
Outside Metro Manila, NDC has properties covering 13,197 square meters in Bacolod City, 11,996 square meters in Legazpi City, 8,952 square meters in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, and 5,231 square meters in Meycauayan, Bulacan.
The properties are not automatically eligible for economic zone development. Each site would still need to undergo assessments covering zoning, infrastructure, market potential and other requirements.
For the government, the discussions could create a framework for redeploying idle or underutilized assets while expanding the geographic footprint of investment and employment opportunities. The scale and timing of any projects, however, will depend on site assessments and subsequent approvals.
