Bataoil to file bill if Capitol acts first on harbor

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SUAL – A Pangasinan congressman promptly responded to the call of the mayor here for the seven solons in the province to lobby Malacanang for ten billion pesos to bankroll the construction of the international seaport here if the provincial capitol passes a resolution.

Second District Representative Leopoldo Bataoil said that if the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) approved a resolution and Governor Amado I. Espino, III signed it he will immediately file a bill in the House of Representatives for the funding of the mammoth port here.

“Yes I am waiting for a proposal from the Governor and the S.P. I will gladly and immediately sponsor a bill for this purpose,” he said.

LUMINARIES: From left clockwise: Congressman Pol Bataoil, Presidential
Adviser for Northern Luzon Raul Lambino, and Sual Mayor Roberto
 Arcinue.

This town mayor said that the construction of the final phase of the seaport will attract investors to put mega projects like power plant, ship building, oil depot, and a tourism hub he envisioned.

“It is ironic that while industrial giants want to bring to this town’s mega projects worth billions of US dollars that would generate thousands of jobs for our people, a few individuals want these projects stopped to serve their selfish interests,” Arcinue said to some public and private individuals who opposed the creation of a second one thousand megawatt coal power plant that would give more revenue to the local government unit (LGU) here.

The first phase of the seaport was already constructed by the local government unit here in 2012 for ninety million pesos.

It could however service flat-bottomed vessels that travel through shallow waters.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte even used them as landing pad of his and his staff four twin –engine Bell 412 Bell Helicopters when he visited it last year and this year to send off those Vietnamese poachers arrested and imprisoned by law enforcers.

“Ten billion pesos lang ang e-lobby to maximize this town’s potential kung ang project ni President Rodrigo Duterte ay Build- Build- Build ay international seaport sa Sual, that is for Region 1 and Pangasinan the biggest province in Luzon,” the mayor cited.

To reinforce the viability of the investors to come here, Presidential Adviser on Northern Luzon and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Director Raul Lambino said he will recommend to Malacanang the creation of the economic zone here to make the province more attractive to both foreign and domestic investors.

"It is regrettable that we do not have an economic zone in Pangasinan. I wish our congressmen would sponsor a bill in Congress for the establishment of a Pangasinan Special Economic Zone," he said.

Lambino, a lawyer who came from Pangasinan, cited that the economic zone will be  located here or it “will cover Sual, Alaminos City, Bani, Anda, Bolinao or the whole Western Pangasinan, and include the towns of Labrador, Lingayen and Binmaley of the Second District”.

He believed that this town is an ideal site, as it is where a coal-fired power plant is located.

"Our problem in Pangasinan is, this is not an economic zone. If it were an economic zone, it will be very attractive to investors," he said.

He cited that the economic zone will be realized before or just after the 2019 middle term election.
Mayor Arcinue cited however that this burgeoning town was already a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under Republic Act 7916 signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos in 1995.
Recalled that since its operation in year 2000, the Sual Coal Power Plant that became a part of the SEZ and then operated by Team Energy started to pay taxes to the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs in 2001.

READ: 

Planned seaport, power plant in Sual pushed