The National Development Co. (NDC), the government’s investment arm under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said it has 18 projects with total investments worth P17.876 billion, including the proposed P7-billion investment for a vaccine manufacturing that is still awaiting go signal. Data presented by NDC General Manager Antonilo Mauricio during the Maharlika Wealth Fund hearing conducted by the Senate showed that of the 18 projects, ten projects are already ongoing, one has been approved by the NDC board, while seven others worth P12.288 billion that are still awaiting approval. The biggest among the seven pending projects is the proposed P7-billion vaccine project that NDC is planning to venture into following the COVID pandemic. In December last year, Filipino vaccine distributor Glovax Biotech Corp. said it secured the commitment of the DTI to spearhead the production of different vaccines locally including the Covid vaccine. Glovax CEO Giovanni Alingog said a bilateral Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Glovax Lifescience Corp. (GLC) and the NDC was being finalized as part of the tripartite MOU. Alingog noted that while there were six Philippine companies vying to put up the first ever vaccine plant, Glovax Biotech is the only company with a tripartite agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the NDC for a seed fund to jumpstart the project. Glovax has already presented its feasibility study to the NDC General Manager Mauricio.  Glovax’s parent company Glovax Lifescience Corp. Glovax plans to ground break in February 2023. Alingog also said they are in talks with other potential foreign investors such as USAID, Development Finance Corp. (DFC), International Finance Corp. (IFC), and IIX of Singapore. Aside from the vaccine project, other NDC big projects for approval include the P1.55 billion integrated palm oil plantation and mill project and the P1.237 billion Manila HealthTek Inc. (internationalization of commercialized diagnostic kits). NDC has also a proposed P1-billion bamboo agro-industrial economic zone project; P100 million center for artificial intelligence research; P51-million solar hybrid project; and P30-million e-commerce platform project. It has ongoing projects in the industrial estate development areas such as the Science Park of the Philippines, Inc., NDC Industrial Estate and Leyte Industrial Development Estate. It has one project in the field of innovation under Startup Venture Fund. The agency has also invested in the area of meetings, incentives, conference and exhibition through the Manila Exposition Center Inc. or the World Trade Center.  In the energy sector, NDC has investments in San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. (fuel ethanol distillery and co-generation plant) and the Rizal Hydropower plant. In food and agriculture, NDC has investments in the Davao Food Terminal Center. It has also investments in mining through the Philippine Mining Development Corp. and Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. Its Gamma Irradiation facility has already be approved by the NDC.