The local government unit of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte is poised to establish a tourism economic zone in Barangay Caparispisan.

Reelected Mayor Rafael Ralph Benemerito II said Tuesday the establishment of an ecozone will become one of his top priorities under his second term to entice more investors and tourists to the area.

“We have already discussed this with the Investment Office [under the Ilocos Norte government] and there are groups looking for real estate properties to be developed in Pagudpud,” he said.

In 2021, the state-run Mariano Marcos State University-Special Economic Zone Institute (MMSU-SEZI) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) committed to assist Pagudpud become a tourism economic zone.

As host to a mushrooming number of wind turbines that power up homes in the country, Benemerito said his town was just waiting for the perfect timing to realize its vision to become the “Green Municipality of the North,” with improved tourism revenues and renewable energy development.

The Pagudpud government is banking on its rich natural resources for balance development, thus improving the lives of its residents through developing special ecozones as a platform for economic recovery and resiliency.

Initially, various representatives from the Pagudpud local government unit, Ilocos Norte government, Provincial Environment, and Natural Resources Office, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Naval Forces Northern Luzon had convened a meeting to talk about the fundamentals of ecozone development and identify the possible industries that need to be strengthened to boost its competitiveness in the global market. (PNA)