SIXTEENTH CONGRESS )
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES)
Second Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIV!
House Bill No,_ 4786

Introduced by REP. BEN P, EVARDONE
Lone District, Eastern Samar

EXPLANATORY NOTE,

The Philippine Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena at Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-
hectare tourism enterprise zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria,Bulacan, Philippines. With a
minimum capacity of 55,000 seats, it is the world's largest indoor arena. It is the
Centerpiece of the many centennial projects of the iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) for their grand
celebration (on July 27, 2014)."

The Arena has been built on a 99,200 square meters of land and has a dome of
36,000 square metres. The roof spans some 160 meters and contains 9,000 tons of steel
Work. The arena is 62 meters in height, or about fifteen stories high and founded on pile
construction. For earthquake loads, about a third of the dead load of the building was
designed. Its landscape covers a series of outdoor plazas, gardens and performance venues
that form the setting for the development, including: The North and South Arrival Plazas, The
Promontory Plaza, The Great Stairs, and Ciudad de Victoria Plaza, all related to each other
with two cross axes (N-S and E-W) intersecting at the Promontory Plaza?

The arena will not only hold major church gatherings, it will also operate as a multi
use sports and concert’ venue, capable of holding a range of events
from boxing and basketball to live music performances. There is clear “line of sight” for every
seat from each tier, even for various arena configurations such as church ceremonies,
international boxing, tennis, concerts or indoor gymnastics. The overall vision of the
masterplan will eventually see inclusion of shopping centers, a hospital and large
scale residential developments.® Truly, the Philippine Arena is, by and large. a gift to
Philippine Tourism and to the Filipino people.

Hence, this bill seeks to declare the Philippine Arena as a tourism enterprise under
existing laws, and to exempt it from the payment of application and similar fees and other
requirements. It also proposes the grant of appropriate and available fiscal and non-fiscal
incentives and benefits similarly enjoyed by registered tourism enterprises (RTE), made
retroactive to the initial phase of the Arena’s construction,

Under current laws, fiscal incentives that may possibly be enjoyed by registered
fourism enterprises include 6-year income tax exemptions and/or holidays; net operating
loss carry-over incentive; payment five percent (5%) of the gross income taxation in lieu of
all other national and local taxes, license fees, imposts and assessments; 100-percent tax
and customs duties exemption from importation of capital investments and equipments;

j Accessed July 23, 2014: http:/en.wikipedia ora/wiki/Philippine Arena

Accessed July 23, 2014: htto://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/Philippine Arena

httoi/en. wikipedia oraiwiki/Philippine Arena
Accessed July 23, 2014: htto://en.wikipedia.ora/wiki/Philippine Arena



transportation equipment and spare parts tax and customs duties exemption; social
responsibility incentive. Non-fiscal incentives include employment of foreign national; Special
investor's resident visa incentive; foreign currency transactions incentives like repatriation of
investments, remittance of foreign exchange, incentives involving foreign loans and
contracts; non-requisition of investments; lease and ownership of land.

Hence, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

BE EVARDONE


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS )
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
House Bitt No, 4.786

—— ed
Introduced by REP. BEN P, EVARDONE,
Lone District, Eastern Samar
aE EERIE REESE nd

AN ACT
DECLARING THE PHILIPPINE ARENA IN CIUDAD DE VICTORIA, BOCAUE
AND SANTA MARIA, BULACAN AS A TOURISM ENTERPRISE, GRANTING
INCENTIVES AND BENEFITS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. The Philippine Arena and its premises located in Ciudad de Victoria, Bocaue
and Santa Maria, Province of Bulacan is hereby declared a tourism enterprise. As such, it shall be
exempt from payment of application fees and related charges and allowed to enjoy appropriate
incentives and benefits similarly enjoyed by registered tourism enterprises under existing laws, rules
and regulations: PROVIDED, that the Arena shall enjoy appropriate fiscal and/or non-fiscal

incentives available from its initial phase of construction,

SECTION 2. Upon the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Tourism (DOT), in

coordination with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and other

concemed agencies, shall immediately take steps to facilitate and assist in the formulation and
implement of a tourism development plan for the Philippine Arena and incorporate the same in the

Department of Tourism’s (DOT) overall tourism development program for the ensuing calendar year.

SECTION 3. The DOT, in coordination with TIEZA and other concerned agencies shall
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the proper implementation of this Act.

SECTION 4. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, which are inconsistent with this Act

are hereby deemed repeated or modified accordingly

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect within fifteen (15) days following its complete

publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.

Approved,