To develop power plants, commercial, industrial projects

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Impressed by the warm welcome and support from local leaders in Bataan, a foreign group of investors decided to invest tens of billions of pesos in this industrial province.

The group of Tokyo-based investors led by Rio Li, founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Eneglobal Corp., based in Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo, Japan; Garry Carl S. Froa, chairman and CEO of Grun Architekten; Madam Erika Midori-Froa, Vice Pres., Grun Architekten; and Engr. Joel Esparragosa, Pres. Grun Architekten informed Bataan Governor Joet S. Garcia and Mayor Robin Tagle of Abucay town after the investors paid a courtesy call recently on the chief executive at The Bunker, the seat of the Provincial Capitol, and the mayor in nearby Abucay town that they have chosen the invest in Bataan due to the support the local leaders showed to them and the accessibility of Bataan with the six-lane expressway, access roads going to barangays and its prevailing peace and order situation.

The group of investors was actually “courted” and invited by this People’s Tonight correspondent, who is also a consultant to the governor, to invest in Bataan.

In their meeting, Gov. Garcia told the group of Li and Froa that various tax benefits could be availed by the investors, such as free tax for the first five years, and free importation taxes on equipment and vehicles, among others.

“Just simply register your company at the Freeport Area of Bataan, and then you can avail of these tax privileges,” the governor told the group of Li and Froa.

Garcia assured the group of his support to “fast-track” the implementation of their projects in Bataan.

Before the meeting with the governor, many meetings by Li’s group and this writer were held, and had conducted visitations in and around the province.

Bataan has been chosen for several years as a “most Business-friendly” in the Philippines, prompting other existing investors to expand their business operations here while some more foreign and local locators have poured in billions of new investments in the said province.

Noting that Bataan is a suitable place for investments due to tax benefits, among other incentives, its prevailing peace and order, widening roads, accessibility to Metro Manila which is only more than an hour by land, and Clark, which is 25 minutes drive away and Subic that can be reached in 15 minutes – Chairman Froa and his group decided to pour in their billions of investments in Bataan upon the invitation by this consultant.

Li and Froa assured the governor that they were bent on investing billions of pesos in waste-to-energy, solar farms, hospitals, housing, and other commercial establishments.

In his meeting, Li assured Garcia that his group in Tokyo has the financial capability to fund the billions of projects in Bataan.

After meeting with the governor, the group visited various parts of the province, such as Bagac, Abucay, Orion, and Dinalupihan.

Li and Froa thanked the governor and Tagle for their warm welcome and for giving them their time to talk with them.

“We will definitely invest in Bataan,” assured Li and Froa.