The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) responsible for managing and supervising the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport (CSEZFP) in the Philippines.
Its creation and operation are mandated by Republic Act No. 7922, also known as the "Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995," signed into law by President Fidel V. Ramos. The Act was authored by former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, a native of Gonzaga, Cagayan. CEZA is the first economic zone in the Philippines to host financial technology companies in the emerging fintech industry, having issued the first batch of FTSOVC certificates to three locators.
Overview
The Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, also known as Cagayan Freeport, is a special economic zone in Cagayan Province, northern Luzon, in the Philippines. It is envisioned to be a self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial, tourism, and recreational center, in order to effectively encourage and attract legitimate and productive local and foreign investments and eventually create employment opportunities and increase income and productivity in the rural areas around Freeport Zone. The Cagayan Special Economic Zone also serves as one of the main gambling jurisdictions in the Philippines.
CEZA is headed by Secretary Katrina Ponce Enrile as Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.