THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recognized Bataan as the Most Business-Friendly Province 2023 in a ceremony held recently in Manila.
Bataan received the same award in 2018 and 2021, making it the third time for the province to be conferred the distinction.
Asked during the final judging via Zoom how the province maintains being business-friendly, Gov. Joet Garcia explained; “First and foremost, we institutionalized our Public-Private Partnership and Investment Center several years ago. We have a team of experts ready to accommodate all business inquiries at the provincial level. They help facilitate linkages, from big-ticket projects to small projects, to potential partners in order to set up their business in our province.”
The governor also said big-ticket infrastructure developments like the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, Coastal Road-Dike to Bulacan, and the Bataan Transshipment Hub, will be strategic for the province in positioning itself as an investment destination of choice in the Philippines.
“When it comes to our labor force, we have scholarship program which caters to 13,000 scholars. This is to make sure we have a supply of good and talented workforce,” Garcia pointed out.
He also said Bataan has a capacity-building program for barangays and encourages LGUs to use digital payments for government and business transactions throughout the peninsula.
“We awarded through PPP, out of P170 billion in pledges in 2022, P114 billion with Notice to Award, which translates to almost 70 percent conversion rate,” he added when asked about the status of 2022 PPP pledges.