MARIVELES—To provide better transportation for the increasing number of workers in the local industries, the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (Afab) and the local governments of Mariveles and Bataan are convincing transportation firms to start operations in the industrial town.
“Aside from housing programs for the workers, we are also looking into developing a reliable transport system for the FAB with the help of the Mariveles and Bataan government,” said Engr. Emmanuel Pineda, Afab deputy administrator for operations.
“Mariveles Mayor Ace Jello Concepcion and the municipal Sangguniang Bayan are helping us find transportation firms that will service night shift workers in the FAB. Hopefully, the number of public utility vehicles and buses running from Mariveles to the City of Balanga will double as the FAB continues to expand,” Pineda added.
Meanwhile, Concepcion said he was committed to helping the Afab provide better transportation services. “In the new business concept, the inclusion of a dependable and reliable transport system is an important factor to achieve growth,” the mayor said.
The municipal mayor and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board have discussed the granting of permits to operate at least 10 mini-buses to ply the FAB-Balanga City route.
The initiative to provide better transportation assistance program is part of the Afab’s commitment to build a world-class freeport that meets all the needs and demands of locators.
The Mariveles municipal government and the provincial government of Bataan began discussions on a transportation program after the Afab reported that there were already 30,172 workers in the freeport as of August this year. The figure is 17 percent higher than the 25,803 workers in 2015. In the FAB’s first six years of operation, the number of workers increased by 136 percent from only 12,777 in 2010.
The deputy administrator said the AFAB expects the number of workers to double in the next six years as more investors prepare to start their operations. While foreign locators express interest in establishing firms in the freeport, the Philippines’ largest food conglomerate San Miguel Corp. is also set to establish a 500-hectare industrial park.
“We have to prepare for the continuous expansion of the FAB. This will also help it lure more investors and convince employees, not only in Bataan but also in Central Luzon, to work in the freeport,” Pineda noted.
The FAB is tagged as the emerging economic dragon of the country. It is also known as one of the fashion manufacturing hubs of the Philippines, as it possesses a budding cluster of companies producing high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories, like bags and jewelry.