The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to facilitate the immediate issuance of the Certificate of Authority to Transport (CA-TT) of registered enterprises.
In a statement, PEZA director-general Charito Plaza said the agency has received reports from locators their request for the approval to transport chemicals have been denied by Comelec in view of the regulations related to the elections.
“Our locators who are using regulated chemicals have a good track record as a manufacturer and exporter since the start of their (respective] operations and have never been involved in any election-related violence. With this, we sincerely hope for Comelec to review the CA-TT application process especially in our ecozones so that transport of regulated chemicals will not stop nor be delayed during the election period,” Plaza said.
Manufacturing companies registered to PEZA use chemicals in their operations and is regulated by the Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP-FEO). Such chemicals are sulfur powder, nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and potassium permanganate among others.
While the use, importation, transport, or manufacture of these chemicals are already covered by PNP-FEO permits, the Comelec issues a resolution every election period requiring duplicate permits through the Committee on Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC).
Plaza added PEZA also requested for the Comelec’s assistance in securing the exemption of PEZA-registered enterprises from the election ban of firearms.
In addition, PEZA also requested about the disbursement of public fund or construction of public works, and infrastructure projects in PEZA’s public ecozones procured by public bidding during the election period.
“Based on PNP-FEO records, manufacturers using regulated chemicals only form a small fraction of permit applicants during the election period compared to the gun or ammunition applications,” she said.
Currently, there are 9 PEZA-registered enterprises awaiting the approval of their permit applications, two of which have already shutdown since the last week of February and another two companies who have used up their chemical supplies on the first week of March.
