BAGUIO CITY – The John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), a subsidiary of the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), is eyeing to reach the 7,000 mark of generated jobs by locaters and other establishments within the 247-hectare John Hay Economic Zone (JSEZ) within the year to help sustain the availability of quality jobs for qualified residents.
JHMC vice president and chief operating officer Jane Theresa G. Tabalingcos claimed jobs generated inside the special economic zone increased by an average of 10 percent over the past several years because of the significantly reduced lean tourism months, thus, business activities inside the former American rest and recreation center have drastically improved through the years.
She reported that as of August 2018, jobs inside the zone exceeded the 6,000 mark amidst the recent onslaught of Typhoon Ompong and they are confident that more jobs will be created as the peak tourism and Christmas season is just around the corner.
From the previous 6-month lean tourism season in the city, the JHMC official admitted that because of the significantly reduced travel time from Metro Manila and the lowlands to the city and vice versa because of the operation of the 88-kilomweter Tarlac-Pangsinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), people have an easier time coming up to the city indicated in the number of cars parked round the camp and the volume of people inside the different establishments in the city starting Friday nights.
Tabalingcos disclosed the major generator of jobs inside the economic zone are the two existing business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, although tourism establishments are not behind in providing employment to qualified residents in the city thus there is a consistent increase in the number of jobs available in the different locators and establishments operating in the zone.
John Hay Business Club (JHBC) president Maria Teresa M. Pantaleon claimed that the group which was established to strengthen the bond among businesses inside the economic zone has already 80 members from the locators and establishments operating in the zone that represents 80 percent of the total number of businesses inside the camp.
Pantaleon claimed that to become a member of the business group, the owner of the establishment must be actively doing business inside the zone and with a membership fee of P2,500, he or she can become a bonafide member of the group entitled to direct and indirect benefits provided by the JHMC and the organization.
Tabalingcos refused to comment on the possibility of having more locators and establishments operating inside the zone, saying that part of the corporation’s long-term development plan is to attract more investors to establish their operations inside the zone to be entitled to benefits that will allow them to generate more employment opportunities for qualified residents in the different parts of the city.
JHMC is the designated overseer of the areas that were not leased to the Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo) to maximize the spaces that could be leased for business activities even outside the declared economic zone.
By HENT
