MARIVELES, Bataan – The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) officials led by newly-installed chairman and administrator, Engr. Emmanuel Pineda and the local officials led by Bataan Governor Albert Raymond S. Garcia joined the newest locator in the formal opening of Pietrucha Manufacturing Philippines Inc. plant at the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) here.
Jerzy Pietrucha, chief executive of Pietrucha Group, in a press briefing said his company chose the Philippines as part of the group’s long-term investment strategy to strengthen international exposure, particularly in the regions sensitive to climate change.
“We chose to invest here at the FAB because from our perspective, the technology that we brought is automated, therefore we consume more electricity and the price offered by the local power plant here is among the lowest in the country. And also (because) of the human capital which is present here, our company employs engineers,” Pietrucha told newsmen.
Human capital is a term popularized by Gary Becker, an economist from the University of Chicago and Jacob Mincer that refers to the stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value.
The launching of Pietrucha Manufacturing Philippines is the first Poland –Philippines investment joint venture in the civil engineering sector in the country facilitating a unique transfer of technology.
The plant will supply the markets of Southeast Asia with specialized technical profiles used in the civil engineering sector in flood prevention and protection projects and other land and water infrastructure investments.
Mayors from flood and landslide-prone municipalities, Jopet Inton of Hermosa and Atty. Ace Jello Concepcion of Mariveles, were also present at the formal launch along with Poland’s Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Joanna Wronecka, DTI Undersecretary for Industry Ceferino Rodolfo, Philippine Ambassador to Poland Patricia Ann Paez and other officials.
Design Science Incorporated owned by Roberto “Gabby” Tenchavez is the local partner of the Pietrucha Group. “We have a huge market here. The DPWH has pronounced around 30 billion pesos worth flood control projects and we plan to capture at least 10 percent or more of that market,” Tenchavez told 1Bataan.com.
Mayor Inton also reported that the Pietrucha Group officials recently inspected, along with other concerned municipal officials, the area of Almacen River in Hermosa for the possible use of their products in the near future.
The company manufactures vinyl sheet piling which is environment friendly, lightweight and extremely durable and advanced alternative to the traditional materials such as steel, concrete and wood. They are used to reinforce flood protection systems, construct flood walls, protects the banks of various water reservoir as well as to protect slopes, landslides and various excavation sites.
At present, Pietrucha said initially, the plant employs 20 employees mostly engineers and skilled workers from Mariveles and plans to hire more as their expansions push through.
