By Mar Supnad
FREEPORT AREA OF BATAAN -- Governor Abet S. Garcia has declared that the proposed transshipment hub project on this Freeport is now on the pipeline that will play a major role in shipping industry.
The sprawling Freeport Area of Bataan in Mariveles town (Mar Supnad / MANILA BULLETIN)
Gov. Garcia who was behind the creation of Bataan Freeport, said that this seaport project will not only decongest Manila ports but can become the gateway to South East Asian countries and the rest of the world, being located along the mouth of Manila Bay and Corregidor.
In an interview with Business Bulletin, Gov. Garcia said that FAB, being the only Freeport along Manila Bay, can become an alternate seaport of Metro Manila once the proposed transshipment hub project is pushed through.
“International cargo vessels can then drop their cargoes here since FAB has a sprawling coastal area for transshipment to various countries and this will make the cost of trade cheaper,” pointed out Garcia.
Garcia was the author and father of FAB law when he was a congressman, converting the defunct and bankrupt Philippine . Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) into FAB.
Since its creation, FAB has become successful and number one provider of jobs in this industrial province.
The establishment of Bataan Freeport has also drawn various investors-local and international- due to various benefits FAB is offering to them.
In support to the Bataan Freeport, the Rouvia Yacht Philippines, a Filipino owned company led by its president Naval Architect and Marine engineer Realito Rubia, has been attracting foreign markets for exclusively manufacturing state-of-the-art yacht whose clients are mostly international figures.
A native of Mariveles town, Engr Rubia is now getting in touch with Gov Garcia and FAB chairman and administrator Emmanuel Pineda and seeking their support for his expansion program to meet the growing demands of foreign traders which he said will make Bataan Freeport more conducive to shipping industry.
So with the Seafront Shipyard and Terminal port services, a private firm in Brgy Lucanin that plays a major role in shipping industry owned by the Ignacio family.
Engr Ronnie del Rosario, developer of Seafront, said that a massive expansion is now being implemented by Seafront to also meet the growing demand of the shipping industry.
One supportive of FAB’s success is hotelier businessman Goody Ilagan who successfully set up the Camaya beach resort and hotel in Mariveles town. Ilagan also operates Ferry boat services from Camaya to Mall of Asia (MOA) and the latest one is the ferry services from Orion port to MOA, making the province nearer to Manila as it travels one hour only.
“FAB, no doubt, will become the gateway to Asian countries due to its strategic location and deep sea level that is said to be deeper that Manila ports,” added Garcia.
Bataan Freeport will also play a major role on the so-called China silk road, a $900 billion scheme of China that some reports said can kindle a “new era of globalization”, that will benefit its neigbhoring countries, being adjacent to
China sea.
The Fastest Growing Freeport in the Philippines
FAB chairman and administrator Engr Pineda also said that “FAB’s efforts to meet the growing demands of a highly competitive global investment environment made the FAB the fastest growing Freeport in the country.”
He added that FAB prides itself for “its highly skilled manpower pool, capable of supporting operations in manufacturing, semiconductors and electronics, shipbuilding, logistics, BPO, energy and tourism.”