Bataan
The town of Mariveles in Bataan is the location of the first-ever export processing zone in the country. The Bataan Export Processing Zone (BEPZ) was advertised to foreign investors as an ideal strategic location within the Southeast Asian region, with a highly-trainable workforce where English is widely spoken and understood, guaranteed industrial harmony as BEPZ was declared “a vital industry” (therefore a no-strike zone) and political stability due to the declaration of martial law. The zone sits on 1,600 hectares of land (the core zone is 345 hectares) near Mariveles and much of it occupies a former U.S. military reservation (its 40-year lease expired in 1965). Since it was during martial law that the zone was created, most of the poor folks were relocated (some activists call it “dislocated”) to other areas forcibly and resistance was muted by fear. Many of them were not properly compensated for their land and no attempts were made to rehabilitate them (provide alternative livelihood). From a small town of 3,000 people, Mariveles grew 8 times into a 25,000 population within 2 years from start of BEPZ and then doubled to 48,000 in another 5 years. The sudden influx of people from the other towns and provinces created a huge housing problem then and even until now.
The success of BEPZ as an economic policy instrument of the government is questionable. It fell below expectations with regards to occupancy rates by locators, export volumes and foreign exchange earnings. In the early 1980s, there were a number of labor strikes that affected a majority of the zone locators who later ceased operations. The BEPZ was heavily subsidized by the government and supported by foreign loans. For some people, the country’s first experiment with export zones was not worth the trouble after all. Some government officials called it “The Rise and Fall of Bataan-Part 2”, referring to the BEPZ as a good idea not implemented properly and had gone bad. For them, it has run and completed its usefulness and economic life-cycle. However, over the years since its inception, it has steadily attracted foreign investors from the original 12 firms to 34, then 44, with the highest number at 66 in 1995 to the present 53 firms. Of the four public economic zones, only BEPZ suffered a decline (between 1984 and 1990). For a more thorough discussion on the history of BEPZ, this site is a good place to visit:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ahkitj/wscfap/arms1974/Book%20Series/Faith&SocialJus/F&SJ-bataan.htm