P1-B industrial park to rise in San Simon

By Franco G. Regala

SAN SIMON, Pampanga — An industrial park will soon rise in a 100-hectare lot covering the three barangays of this town and Mayor Leonora Wong said the development project promises to generate employment for 10,000 people in Central Luzon.

“Chinese businessmen have invested a total of P1 billion for this project. Half a billion was utilized for the purchase of the lot and the remaining half for the construction of the industrial park. Nagsimula na ang construction ng first phase some two weeks ago at the 18-hectare lot,” said Wong.

She said the second phase of the project — which sits on Barangays Dela Paz, San Pablo Propio, and San Isidro — will cover the remaining 82 hectare lot to be developed later this month.

“Once this becomes fully operational, 10,000 jobs will be up for grabs for the residents and all jobseekers not only here but elsewhere in the region or outside the region,’’ the mayor said.

Among the jobs needed are for welders, laborers, technical workers, drivers and supervisors.

Component city

A third class municipality with farming, fishing and poultry and swine raising as principal industries, San Simon is eyeing to be a component city given the thriving industrial businesses in the town and the steady rise in its annual income.

Wong said the municipality has presently 20 big industrial firms, 15 ‘medium’ industries and a lot of small enterprises.

“Before I took over the post here in 2010, our income was only P5-million. Now, and it is on records, we have an income of P60-million. From a third class municipality, we can now actually be considered first class on the basis of our funds alone,” she explained.

“Seventy percent of our income comes from industrial business. Local development is expanding and I think we deserve to become a component city so we could jumpstart development,” Wong said.