AFAB, Bataan host PIPP-TWG meeting, tour

“… the collaboration of all the IPAs is very significant in improving and developing the business environment of the Philippines, making it more attractive to foreign investors…”

MARIVELES, Bataan – The Authority of the Freeport Area Bataan (AFAB), in coordination with the provincial government of Bataan, recently hosted the meeting/planning of the Philippine Investments Promotion Plan (PIPP) Technical Working Group (TWG) and toured its members to the industrial areas and tourist sites of the freeport.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Felicitas Agoncillo-Reyes, who is the executive director of the Board of Investments (BOI)- Investment Promotion Group, headed the PIPP-TWG delegation.

Twenty-four representatives from 12 Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) joined the two-day event. The IPAs included BOI, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Subic Clark Alliance Development (SCAD), Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority (ZCSEZA), Regional BOI-ARMM, DTI- Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO).

AFAB Chairman and Administrator Deogracias G.P. Custodio welcomed the members of the PIPP-TWG. He said that the collaboration of all the IPAs is very significant in improving and developing the business environment of the Philippines, making it more attractive to foreign investors.

The TWG meeting focused on the investment updates of each IPAs, investment leads from PIPP-led roadshows, Japan and Dubai, proposed investment seminar in Seoul, Korea, and the CAEXPO 2015.

Mariveles Mayor Jesse Concepcion also welcomed the TWG and expressed support to PIPP’s projects. Representing the mayor, Councilor Ace Jello Concepcion joined the group during a meeting on their first day at the FAB.

Meanwhile, the PIPP-TWG met with Bataan Gov. Albert Raymond Garcia for a courtesy call. During the meeting, the governor thanked the delegation for visiting the province and helping the AFAB in its promotion projects. He stressed that he strongly supports all the promotion efforts of the TWG to attract more foreign investors to the Philippines.

After the meeting, the AFAB toured the TWG members to GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant and Desktop Bags Philippines, Inc. The PIPP-TWG delegation also enjoyed two of the most famous tourist sites in Bataan, the Camaya Coast and the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar.

Camaya Coast is a 354-hectare project located along the coast of Mariveles. It features residential houses and a private beach resort, which has beautiful coves and white sand. The pristine beach of Camaya Sands Resort and Leisure is well known across the country.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Heritage Resort, on the other hand, is a showcase of Filipino talent, ingenuity and craftsmanship. It takes pride in the history of the country. Located in Bagac, the open-air museum is a heritage park with a theme “Pride in the Past, Hope for the Future.” All properties at the park are restored architectural pieces of the 18th century taken from different parts of the country.

The PIPP is a blueprint for all IPAs to synchronize strategies in investment promotion. As a medium-term marketing development, the document lays down the strategies to achieve a world-class brand image for the country within the intertwined approaches of image building, investment generation and investment servicing.

The PIPP is powered by Team Investment Philippines, which is composed of all IPAs that are put together to broaden locational assistance and obtain the best capital returns for potential investors. The PIPP-TWG has clustered the 13 IPAs into the country’s investment areas of excellence, which are manufacturing and logistics, tourism and agri-processing.

The manufacturing and logistics area of excellence includes BCDA, CDC, SBMA, PEZA and AFAB, while the tourism hub is composed of Poro Point Management Corp., John Hay Management Corp., APECO, CEZA, Philippine Retirement Authority, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority and the Tourism Promotions Board. Meanwhile, the agri-processing team includes ZCSEZA, MinDA, Phividec Industrial Authority and the Regional BOI-ARMM.