The provincial government through its Investment and Promotion Office (PIPO) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently gathered concerned municipal and city officers to identify potential investment projects geared towards the promotion of Pampanga as an ideal investment destination and investor-friendly area.
Dubbed investment forum, the one-day event is in line with Governor Lilia G. Pineda’s thrust of promoting the province as an ideal destination for business and investments, thus stated PIPO Head Rommel Pineda.
He said that tourism officers of various towns in the province including the cities of Angeles and San Fernando participated in the activity as they too are advocates of investments and tourism destinations.
DTI Head Leonila Baluyut said that the forum aimed to come up with a list of potential investment projects in each of the municipalities of Pampanga including the two cities as these will be presented to both local and foreign investors during the regional and Luzon area conferences.
Baluyut shared that during the Luzon Investment Conference (LICON) last year, the province was only able to present one investment proposal – the Porac-Pinatubo eco- tourism park accommodation facilities which eventually gained P10 million investment.
“Given the economic and tourism potentials of Pampanga, we are very much confident that we could come up with more investment proposals,” Baluyut stated.
She further suggested that the investment and promotion officers organize working committees in their respective municipalities and cities so they could come up with well-thought out and carefully studied project proposals.
“We have a lot of things to promote, so as early as now, we would like to gather and identify projects for promotion to investors,” Baluyut stressed as she enjoined the participants to think beyond what they have at present in their localities.
Baluyut also lauded the support of the Pineda administration in the promotion of business and investment development in the province.
DTI Specialist Lydia Rivera said that the provincial government, PIPO and the DTI work hand in hand to promote the province as an ideal destination for investors through the conduct of business conferences, business matching with prospective investors and investment missions.
She explained that during the LICON, 51 investment project proposals were submitted by eight regions to both local and foreign investors in attendance. It was during this conference that the investment proposal from Porac town was able to secure the nod of investors.
The proposals varied from agribusiness, agriculture, energy, fishery, to housing, industrial park and infrastructure.
She likewise suggested that each municipality create a working committee which would prepare and package the investment proposal for submission to PIPO and DTI not later than September this year. (Erlinda T. Yutuc, Pampanga PIO)
