Pinas ibentang alternative manufacturing hub

UMAASA ang isang lady solon na makikita ng mga foreign investors ang Pilipinas bilang alternatibo sa pag-alis nito sa China.

Ayon kay Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera kailangang gumawa ang gobyerno ng agresibong hakbang upang makalikha ng mga trabaho sa bansa.

“The government should take a more aggressive approach to convince firms seeking to move out of China that the Philippines is a good alternative for them given our unique competitive advantage, highly-skilled manpower and improved ease of doing business,” ani Herrera.

Inanunsyo ng mga kompanya na nakabase sa Amerika at Europa na babawasan nito ang kanilang manufacturing activity sa China. Ang Japan ay nag-alok naman ng subsidy sa mga kompanya na aalis sa China at babalik sa kanilang bansa.

“This is a golden opportunity for the Philippines to up its game in securing more foreign direct investment projects to shore up the economy battered by a two-month community quarantine to contain the spread of COVID-19,” dagdag pa ni Herrera.

Sinabi ni Herrera na mayroong 40,000 hektaryang lupa sa Bulacan na maaaring magamit ng para pagtayuan ng mga manufacturing facilities.

“It has its own source of power and water, near the power grid, and has existing access roads,” dagdag pa ni Herrera. “An executive order or a presidential proclamation can be put in place for opportunities like this.”

Ayon sa Department of Labor and Employment posibleng umabot sa 5 milyon ang mawalan ng trabaho dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic.

Para mas maenganyo ang mga negosyante, iminungkahi ni Herrera sa Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) ang pagbibigay ng insentibo sa mga ito.

“We have to make sure we are competitive and allow PEZA and the executive department to offer concessions if need be,” dagdag pa ni Herrera. “They have to be flexible enough that when attracting companies they can go on a trade mission, and offer land, infrastructure and leeway on taxes and fees.”