Section 5Sec./Art. 5

Establishment of ECOZONES. - To ensure the viability and geographic dispersal of ECOZONES through a system of prioritization, the following areas are initially identified as ECOZONES, subject to the criteria specified in Section 6:

a. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Morong, Hermosa, Dinalupihan, Orani, Samal, and Abucay in the Province of Bataan;

b. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the municipalities of Ibaan, Rosario, Taysan, San Jose, San Juan, and cities of Lipa and Batangas;

c. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the City of Cagayan de Oro in the Province of Misamis Oriental;

d. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the City of Iligan in the Province of Lanao del Norte;

e. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Province of Saranggani;

f. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the City of Laoag in the Province of Ilocos Norte;

g. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Davao City and Samal Island in the Province of Davao del Norte;

h. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Oroquieta City in the Province of Misamis Occidental;

i. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Tubalan Cove, Malita in the Province of Davao del Sur;

j. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Baler, Dinalungan and Casiguran including its territorial waters and islets and its immediate environs in the Province of Aurora;

k. So much as may be necessary of that portion of cities of Naga and Iriga in the Province of Camarines Sur, Legaspi and Tabaco in the Province of Albay, and Sorsogon in the Province of Sorsogon;

l. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Batan Island in the Province of Batanes;

m. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Lapu-lapu in the Island of Mactan, and the municipalities of Balamban and Pinamungahan and the cities of Cebu and Toledo and the Province of Cebu, including its territorial waters and islets and its immediate environs;

n. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Tacloban City;

o. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Municipality of Barugo in the Province of Leyte;

p. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Municipality of Buenavista in the Province of Guimaras;

q. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the municipalities of San Jose de Buenavista, Hamtic, Sibalom, and Culasi in the Province of Antique;

r. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the municipalities of Catarman, Bobon and San Jose in the Province of Northern Samar, the Island of Samar;

s. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Municipality of Ternate and its immediate environs in the Province of Cavite;

t. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Polloc, Parang in the Province of Maguindanao;

u. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Municipality of Boac in the Province of Marinduque;

v. So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Municipality of Pitogo in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur;

w. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Dipolog City-Manukan Corridor in the Province of Zamboanga del Norte;

x. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Mambajao, Camiguin Province;

y. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Infants, Real, Polillo, Alabat, Atimonan, Mauban, Tiaong, Pagbilao, Mulanay, Tagkawayan, and Dingalan Bay in the Province of Quezon;

z. So much as may be necessary of that portion of Butuan City and the Province of Agusan del Norte, including its territorial waters and islets and its immediate environs;

(aa) So much as maybe necessary of that portion of Roxas City including its territorial waters and islets and its immediate environs in the Province of Capiz;

(bb) So much as may be necessary of that portion of San Jacinto, San Fabian, Mangaldan, Lingayen, Sual, Dagupan, Alaminos, Manaoag, Binmaley in the Province of Pangasinan;

(cc) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the autonomous region;

(dd) So much as may be necessary of that portion of Masinloc, Candelaria, and Sta. Cruz in the Province of Zambales;

(ee) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Palawan Island;

(ff) So much as may be necessary of that portion of General Santos City in South Cotabato and its immediate environs;

(gg) So much as may be necessary of that portion of Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental, including its territorial waters and islets and its immediate environs;

(hh) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Province of Ilocos Sur;

(ii) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Province of La Union;

(jj) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Province of Laguna, including its territorial waters and its immediate environs;

(kk) So much as may be necessary of that portion of the Province of Rizal;

(ll) All existing export processing zones and government-owned industrial estates; and

(mm) Any private industrial estate which shall voluntarily apply for conversion into an ECOZONE.

These areas shall be developed through any of the following schemes:

i. Private initiative;

ii. Local government initiative with the assistance of the national government; and

iii. National government initiative.

The metes and bounds of each ECOZONE are to be delineated and more particularly described in a proclamation to be issued by the President of the Philippines, upon the recommendation of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), which shall be established under this Act, in coordination with the municipal and/or city council, National Land Use Coordinating Committee and/or the Regional Land Use Committee.