BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan confirmed that officials of some Thailand-based companies will be visiting the city next year to study the possibility of putting up their operations in the Loakan-based Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) within the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area.
The city executive revealed that Thailand Ambassador to the Philippines Tanathip Upraising told him during their recent meeting that officials of some Thailand-based companies have signified interest in visiting the city next year to assess the business environment for possible future operations in the city or within the BLISTT area.
“The meeting with the Thai ambassador was fruitful as he committed the visits of officials of some Thailand-based companies to our city anytime next year to study the possibility of setting up business either in the city or in suitable places within the BLISTT that will help generate jobs for our constituents and improve the economic activities and sources of livelihood for our people,” Domogan stressed.
He explained the planned expansion of operation of Thailand-based companies in the city will definitely be a huge economic driver not only for the local economy but also for the country’s foreign direct investments.
However, the mayor did not divulge the names of the companies that intend to invest in the city although he added communication between him and the Thai ambassador is open to further the matter once the officials of the companies have made a decision to come to the city by early next year.
According to him, the partnership of the local government and the Thai embassy was enhanced by the Philippines-Thailand Cultural Organization (PTCO) headed by Minda Pama, wife of former University of the Cordilleras (UC) president Ricardo Pama, whose group was instrumental in bringing to the city the Thailand embassy officials and a 51-member Thai delegation who spent several days going around the country’s Summer Capital.
The mayor said the visiting Thai officials and the members of the delegation were impressed on the city’s unique weather condition and the hospitality accorded them by the city officials and their hosts which convinced them to come back in the future either for a business trip or spend a vacation.
Domogan expressed optimism that the visit of the officials of Thailand-based companies to the city next year will be successful so that the Philippines-Thailand relationship will be further strengthened aside from enhancing socio-cultural and economic ties among the cities of both countries towards the realization of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community.
By Dexter A. See