Taiwanese big firms eye investments in Aurora ecozone

CASIGURAN, Aurora, July 19, 2011-Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) president and chief executive Robbie Mathay told newsmen that four major Taiwanese companies with diversified business interests are investing in agribusiness, mariculture and port construction here.

Mathay identified the Taiwanese big firms as the Chinabond International Co. Ltd, TP Color Corporation, Great Sun Optoelectronic and Philippine Kingford, Inc., saying that the firm representatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding with APECO officials last Monday.

Mr. Roberto K. Mathay, APECO President and CEO finalizes
the details of the agreement with Mr. Chen Chung-Lu, Chairman of TP Colors Corporation

The four firms affirmed in the recent signing rites their commitment to help develop Aurora ecozone into a leading global transhipment and investment hub in the Pacific region.  During the signing, Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that these taiwanese firm investments recognize the ecozone’s enormous potential for business expansion.

Angara and his son, Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, authored Republic Act 9490 creating the APECO, saying that it spans 1,000 hectares of land in the town of Casiguran with a custom-designed seaport and airport that will drive economic activity in agro-industries, mariculture and ecotourism.

“The entry of the four (4) firms is a strong vote of confidence on APECO, adding that they are pioneering Public-Private Partnership (PPPs) in an ecozone that will engineer sustainable rural development across the country’s eastern side,” Angara said, noting that infrastructure development and investment inflow have always tilted to the western side of the country and that the ecozone provides a long-overdue opportunity for the provinces along the country’s eastern seaboard to benefit from development.

Mr. Roberto K. Mathay, APECO President and CEO; 

Mr. Norberto Ferreras of Aurora Grains Inc. 

and Dr. Eusebio Angara, President of Aurora State College of Technology 

with Mr. Jimmy MA , General Manager of China Bond International Inc.

 

“Even Northeast and Central Luzon will gain from positive spillover effects such as income and job creation and the Aurora Ecozone’s economic activities would also benefit the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino,” Angara added.

Since the 1980’s, Chinabond has been in the mining industry but is now venturing into organic rice production in APECO which aims to improve the quality and yield of local rice varieties in the province. “They are also looking into further investments in hog raising, feed processing and hydroelectric power generation,” Angara furthered.

TP Color Corporation is in the mining industry which is set to expand into a port construction and operation. Its’ initial plan is to establish a port facility in APECO then later on venture into the aquaculture business.

Philippine Kingford is a company that specializes in tuna export, ship repair and freight forwarding where they choose APECO as the site for its expansion into milkfish and grouper production for which it will build its own facility inside the ecozone.

Mr. Roberto K. Mathay, APECO President and CEO (in orange) with

 (L-R) Department of Agriculture’s Consultant for Fisheries

Mr. Malcolm Sarmiento, Atty. Gau Pronove of Eco Market Solution, 

Mr. Jimmy Ma, General Manager of ChinaBond International;

 Mrs. Cheng Yeh-Hsin, General Manager of TP Colors Corporation;

 Mr. Chen Chung-Lu, Chairman of  TP Colors Corporation, 

Mr. Kuo –Kai Liao, Chairman of Great Sun Optoelectronics;

 Mr. Joseph Chiu, President of Philippine Kingford Inc. and

 Chairman of the Board, Taiwan Chamber of Commerce &

Industry in the Philippines, Inc.; Mr. Chi-Ming Chen,

General Manager of Great Sun Optoelectronics

Great Sun Optoelectronic is a highly diversified company engaged in construction, trading, manufacturing computer and TV monitors and providing medical services. It will invest in an aquaculture facility for milkfish and grouper breeding, as well as a coconut processing plant.

“These investors are capitalizing on the competitive advantages of the province in agriculture and mariculture-related industries,” Mathay said, explaining that they are aware that the province is among the few provinces in the country that is rich in natural resources.

“We are committed to harnessing these for development in sustainable ways for the benefit of the province,” he added, explaining that the Aurora ecozone is being primed as the country’s premier Gateway to the Pacific owing to its strategic location where its accessibility to Manila and to other logistic and investment hubs in Luzon via land, water and air makes it ideal for the inflow of commerce, trade and industry. (Jason de Asis)