Question & AnswerQ&A (PROCLAMATION NO. 588)
The creation and designation of the SMDM IT Center is pursuant to Republic Act No. 7916, as amended by Republic Act No. 8748, also known as the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 and its amendments.
The President of the Philippines has the authority to create and designate the SMDM IT Center as an Information Technology Center under the powers vested by RA No. 7916, as amended.
The SMDM IT Center is located at Sitio Pala-Pala, Barangay Sampaloc 1, Dasmariñas City, Cavite. It stands on two parcels of land: Lot 3886-B-3-B-2 with an area of 2,033 square meters, and Lot 3886-B-3-B-3 with an area of 18,108 square meters, totaling 20,141 square meters.
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Board of Directors recommended the designation of the SMDM IT Center.
The relevant PEZA resolutions include Resolution No. 00-411 (s. 2000), as amended by Resolution No. 11-066 (s. 2011) and Resolution No. 12-118 (s. 2012).
The proclamation was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III, with the authority of the Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr.
RA No. 7916, the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, provides the legal framework for the creation, operation, and regulation of special economic zones including IT centers designated for economic activities in the Philippines.
The proclamation provides detailed technical descriptions, boundaries, and survey data of the land parcels, including bearings, points of beginning, and references to survey monuments dated back to 1905 and surveys approved in 1999.
The proclamation formally designates the land as an IT Center under the law, subjecting it to the provisions of RA No. 7916 and PEZA regulations, enabling preferential economic treatment as a special economic zone.
The creation and designation of the SMDM IT Center are subject to RA No. 7916, as amended, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and specific resolutions issued by the PEZA Board of Directors.