Atty. Custodio shows the photos to locators displayed at the exhibit in the AFAB administration building.
Photo by Ric Gonzales
MARIVELES, Bataan – At least 6,000 workers will be hired at the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) as two firms will start their operations early next year.
Deogracias Custodio, chairman and administrator of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), made the announcement during the launch of FAB’s photo exhibit here last week.
The photo exhibit, entitled “Respecting the Past, Building the Future,” and the FAB sportsfest joined by AFAB workers and locators were the culmination of the month-long celebration commemorating the turning of the freeport into an authority.
In 2009, Second District Rep. Albert S. Garcia worked for the passage of Republic Act 9728, the law creating the FAB and the AFAB.
Custodio disclosed that two firms under the Lhuen Thai Garments Co. will start their operations at the FAB where there are at least 12,500 workers. He added that there are 52 registered firms at the FAB, 45 of which are now operating.
Custodio also said the one of the new firms produces bags for computers and laptops, and the other is involved in garments.
He added that the FAB has a historical past as it’s the first-ever freeport zone declared by the government in the country during the tenure of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
Garcia earlier said he had worked for the creation of the law to push for progress not just in the FAB but in the entire province.
Custodio named Slazenger as one of the two firms. He said Lhuen Thai will also be engaged in cotton fabric mill, water treatment facility, cotton knit facility, cotton knit factory, and wash facility in the area.
Under the law pushed and sponsored by Garcia, the investors will get to enjoy the incentives the FAB offers such as Income Tax Holiday (ITH) from four years to eight years; 5 percent tax in lieu of local and national taxes after ITH period; duty free importation of capital equipment, raw materials, consumer goods and personal items; exemption from wharfage dues, export taxes, imposts and fees; domestic sales allowance of up to 30 percent of total sales; and special visas for investors.
The new investors operating at the freeport are One Source Petroleum Marketing Co., Lewisberg Warehousing and Logistics, North Binghamton Solutions Corp., Off-Road Adventure and Classic Automotive Restorers Inc., Good Sail Trading Inc., Greenville River Manufacturing Corp., Half-Moon Bay Duty Free Inc., Twenty Oaks Marketplace Corp., Executive Heights Bed and Breakfast, Clarkes Point Industrial Corp., Trans-Am Waste and Rags Philippines Inc., South Charnwoods Industrial Corp., and Kinetix Industries Corp.
