By virtue of Republic Act No. 7916, otherwise known as the Special Economic Zone Act of 1995, the Province of Sorsogon, because of its perceived rich potential for growth and development, was declared as one of the Special Economic Zones in the country. Here are what the Province has to offer in terms of investment opportunities:

The Bulusan Mountain Lake Resort is only part of what has been declared by the National Government  as the Mt. Bulusan Natural Park, a complex of lakes, forest and the still active Bulusan Volcano itself. As such, only the most basic structures and conveniences for tourists that will not alter its natural landscape, but rather blend with it and enhance it, shall be constructed in the Park area in order to maintain its natural beauty. The Bulusan Mountain Lake Resort and the Mt. Bulusan Natural Park, which are located in the Municipality of Bulusan, is the province’s premier tourism destination.

With the fast developing new local tourism industry – the Whale Shark/Butanding Interaction Activity - the Municipality of Donsol, where the largest number of Whale Sharks have been observed to converge during certain times of the year, now needs the necessary support facilities for a systematic and intensive scientific study of these giants of the sea, such as their migration patterns and reproduction. The Center Complex shall also serve as visitor/tourist reception facility, education and information center, as well as training center for interaction officers, guides and spotters to ensure the conservation and protection of the Whale Sharks. The Center will also house Whale Shark Interaction equipment, souvenir shops and other tourist conveniences, such as visitor lounges, restrooms, cafes and restaurants, and a Whale Shark audiovisual room.

With its fine white sand, wide and long stretch of beach area facing the Pacific Ocean, identified in the Bicol Tourism Master Plan as one of the region’s Primary Tourism Development Zones, the Rizal Beach, in Gubat town, is a potential for the development of a major beach resort estate. In fact, already in place are two big resort hotels. Additional tourism facilities are still needed.

Located offshore in Sorsogon Bay, just parallel to the Sorsogon Pier that juts into the Bay, the 3-hectare island is suitable as a picnic resort, complete with swimming pools, bird and butterfly sanctuaries, a mini-zoo, a botanical garden, bicycle lanes, picnic huts and cottages, or a small hotel, a seafood restaurant, a small marina for boating in Sorsogon Bay, and other leisure facilities.

The Province of Sorsogon has been declared the “commodity champion” for Pili nut because it is the biggest Pili production source in the whole Bicol Region, accounting for approximately 70% of the total Pili supply in the country. It has a total of 1,568.54 hectares planted to Pili trees, or an estimated total of 56,861 trees capable of producing 1,893 metric tons of Pili nuts per harvest season. This positions Sorsogon favorably as the main supplier of Pili nuts in the world market. Also, since this is a “new” export product, the prospect is bright for producers and processors of Pili nuts.

The proposed hydroelectric plants – located in the barangays of Osiao, Tiris and Maricrum – all in the Bacon District of Sorsogon City, have an estimated combined generating capacity of 3.45 megawatts, enough to stabilize and further improve the reliability of the existing power supply system under the coverage area of the Sorsogon II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SORECO II). The Provincial Government proposes to develop these under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. The proposed upgrading of the existing Cawayan Hydroelectric Plant, under the same BOT scheme, intends to maximize its potential  for a total power output of 2,500 kilowatts.

Seaweed culture, particularly Eucheuma seaweeds, offers the brightest prospects among all marine resource development projects in the Province of Sorsogon. In fact, cooperative-ran Eucheuma farms are now in place, and have proven to be economically-successful, in the municipalities of Matnog, Castilla, Gubat, Barcelona, Magallanes and Bacon District in Sorsogon City. There are also Gracillaria seaweed farms. One of the possible strategies for the promotion of local commercial production of seaweeds is to link up seaweed producers with foreign buyers and processors through contract farming and marketing schemes.

Prawn production is one of the identified priority industries in the Province of Sorsogon because of its demand both in the domestic and international market. At present, there are a total of 1,900.52 hectares of fishponds devoted to prawn culture in the province. Investors interested in inland aquaculture, or specifically prawn production, can establish support facilities, such as prawn hatcheries and laboratories to ensure the industry’s sustainability.

The province’s marble reserves are located principally in Barangay Bato, Bacon District, but these are also found in the adjacent barangays of Gatbo and Sugod, also in Bacon District of Sorsogon City, with an estimated total geological reserve of 25 million cubic meters. Small scale marble quarrying and processing are now being undertaken by individual lot owners in Barangay Bato.

A total of 98,155.07 hectares of agricultural land is devoted to coconut production in the Province of Sorsogon. The province produces an estimated 65,000 metric tons of copra per annum. The proposed Integrated Coconut Processing Plant will buy whole nuts from local coconut farmers, which will go into four major plant operations/processing. These include the Copra Drying Division to produce coconut oil; the Coconut Water Division to produce coconut vinegar and Nata de Coco; the Coconut Shell Carbonization Division to produce activated carbon; and the De-Husking Division to produce coco coir for fiber mats and coco peat for soil conditioner.

The proposed Sorsogon Business and Leisure Park is a 20 hectare reclamation area linking the 3-hectare Pinaculan Island to the Sorsogon Pier in Sorsogon Bay, forming part of the expansion area of the Sorsogon City’s central business district. The area shall have a rock causeway and seawall, complete with wide and well-paved roads, underground electrical and telephone systems and water supply. Low, medium and high density zones shall be identified for business establishments, plants and factories, including a central park.

This is located in Barangay Bucal-Bucalan along the national highway, about 15-20 minutes away by car from the center of the City. Already in place is a small rest area for travelers, complete with a mini-park and a small canteen with a view deck. The proposed development of the area involves the construction of a seafood trading and rest facility, complete with seafood stalls, bayside restaurants and cafes, and adequate parking space. The food stalls and restaurants will specialize in fresh blue crabs which Sorsogon is known for. Customers can have their pick of crabs and other seafood from the stalls and have them cooked at the adjacent restaurants or open air grill shops.

The proposed upgrading of the existing Sorsogon Airport located in Bacon District will mean Sorsogon residents, as well as visitors from Manila and other places, can already avail of direct flights without the necessity of going to the Legazpi Airport in Albay Province. It will also mean a big boost to the local tourism industry. At present, the existing airport can only accept light aircraft because of its short runway. The proposed upgrading and development will involve the extension and concreting of the runway, expansion of the apron, construction of a bigger terminal building, construction of access roads, removal of obstructions and other airport requirements. The airport is only 9 kilometers away from Sorsogon proper, compared to the Legazpi Airport which is one hour and half ride from Sorsogon.

The existing Fish Port of Pilar town also now serves as gateway to the island province of Masbate. At present, there are 15 passenger vessels and three cargo ships serving the routes to several towns in Masbate. These vessels have capacities of, from 25 to 100 passengers. The trip from Pilar to Masbate is only two hours compared to four hours if one were to take a boat from Bulan. This has spurred economic activities in the municipality. The proposed modernization of sea transport in Pilar entails the use of world class ferry boats and fast crafts. The local government of Pilar is seeking interested investors under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme for the acquisition of fast craft including improvement and development of port facilities.

The Sorsogon Provincial Government, in coordination with the Sorsogon City government envisions the setting up and construction of an Integrated Land Transportation Terminal that will house all passenger buses and jeepneys coming in and out of Sorsogon City proper. The identified site is Barangay Cabid-an along the diversion road. A terminal building will be constructed for ticket offices, passenger lounges, commercial stalls, restaurants or eateries, and quarters for drivers and other transport staff. This will cover an initial one hectare area including adequate space for the parking of buses and jeepneys.

The proposed sites for the seaports are in Banao, Bacon District and Castilla poblacion, which are both suitable for domestic and international use. Both sites are accessible by land and can serve as haven for ships at sea during bad weather conditions. The proposed development of the Bacon port includes the extension of the existing causeway, construction of a concrete ship berthing facility, and paving of the 500-meter approach road. For interested investors, the area is also suitable for shipbuilding. The Castilla seaport is situated 3 kilometers from the national highway and is envisioned as a support facility for the proposed Industrial Estate in Barangay San Rafael, Castilla.