RDC: 1st Calabarzon Business Conference

Calabarzon residents to more than double within 2050 stated during latest Business Conference.

The recently concluded 2022 Calabarzon Business Conference last April 28, has been a great success for local and international businesses and investors. Would the Calabarzon region strengthen its leadership as the manufacturing and industrial hub of the Philippines? That was the lead question of the well attended virtual event. The conference was spearheaded by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) along with other EU Chambers from France, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and the Nordic Countries.

Some of the speakers included NEDA Region IV-A Regional Director Mr. Luis Banua; the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry(PCCI)-South Luzon, Area Vice President Sallie Lacson; PCCI Regional Governor Mr. Romeo Race; Asian Development Bank Country Director Philippines, Mr. Kelly Bird; Science Park of the Philippines, Inc. (SPPI) President Mr.Richard Osmond; Italpinas Chairman/ CEO Mr. Romolo Nati; Havitas Developments Corporation Chairman & Co-Founder, Mr. Alejandro Mañalac; Bright Night Power Country Head Philippines, Mr. Michael Yamazoe, and with a special virtual appearance and comment of Arch. Jun Palafox.

Calabarzon region is strategically situated south of Metro Manila and it is known as the industrial powerhouse of the Philippines. This region has a big supply base of semi-processed industrial raw materials and industrial components coming from its 31 world-class industrial estates and economic zones (ecozones). Major automotive assemblers in the Philippines are located in this region, particularly in the province of Laguna which is also called “the Detroit City of the Philippines''. Calabarzon has a huge number of human resources available for the manufacturing and services industries. Furthermore, this region will continue to be the hub of manufacturing, e-services, and logistics in the Asia-Pacific Region that is significant to the global economy also thanks to its port & container facilities in Batangas City.

The main topics discussed during the event were the economic growth of Calabarzon which exceeds most other regions of the country, as Neda underlined, and major infrastructure projects, partially funded by ADB, are equipping the region with strategic assets in the transport & logistics sector. As a consequence, property and land development are a particularly interesting opportunity which real estate developers like IDC and Havitas have grasped successfully. In addition Arch. Jun Palafox has disclosed the results of his recent study in which he predicts that the residents of Calabarzon will grow from 16 to 37 million by 2050. This astonishing information is at the same time the greatest opportunity for many companies, investors and professionals to engage business in this particularly flourishing part of the Philippines. Arch. Palafox underlines that this population growth translates into 21 cities or 84 towns. As Italpinas Development Corporation builds Miramonti Residences in Sto Tomas, Batangas so Havitas does in Tagaytay and many other investors and developers are flocking into the area to take advantage of this economic boom. SPPI President Richard Osmond, who definitely has a feel for all the incoming locators of the area being part of the biggest industrial park development company of the Philippines, vouches blindly for his industrial park’s location, eco-awareness and safety, being flood-free and in a protected environment.  

Thanks to this event and the inter-chamber relationships more European businesses will be interested to explore opportunities in the region. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines has an important ro…