PEZA investors generate 8,280 jobs in Baguio City

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — Dozens of foreign and local investors in the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) here has generated 8,280 jobs in this mountain resort city and Benguet the past several years, an indication that business is slowly growing amidst the global economic crisis that struck the country over the past two years.

Engineer Modesto Agyao, PEZA operations manager, said the number of available jobs required by the foreign and domestic locators is expected to increase before the end of the year due to the expected expansion of several businesses that require more labor.

The investors, he said, are recovering from the global financial crisis and onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng.” PEZA locators include call centers, semiconductor companies, garment factories, and aircraft parts manufacturers, among others.

Agyao added call centers in the zone are expected to hire 700 more workers in the coming days while MOOG Controls Corporation, an aircraft parts manufacturer, is also set to employ additional manpower to attend to their increasing demands after the developed countries like the United States, Japan and Australia have pronounced the global financial crisis is over and there is no way but move up in the economic ladder.

At the same time, he disclosed two local manufacturers, a silver craft producer and garments maker, have already signified their intention to register with PEZA in order to enhance their export products so that they could avail of the incentives which could help their companies grow and help in increasing employment opportunities for local residents.

Among the incentives granted to companies registered in the different economic zones nationwide include income tax holiday for four to eight years, payment of five-percent gross taxes to the national government and host communities, exemption from payment of import and export duties and lesser tax privileges for those engaged in the business for a longer period of time.

The Baguio-based PEZA has one of the best records in terms of collecting the fees due from its locators since the foreign and domestic investments have already established a bonding with their host communities, thus, they are not delinquent in their payments.