THE Puerto Princesa city government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are organizing an investment forum in Manila on Sept. 25 to promote business opportunities in the Palawan capital.
The Puerto Princesa City Business Forum aims to present business opportunities in the city, the city government unit said in a statement.
The forum venue is the Sofitel Plaza Manila.
Puerto Princesa is located within the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia- Malaysia- Philippines (BIMP)-East ASEAN growth area (EAGA), and has an international airport and seaport, and has embraced public-private partnership modes of investment.
Puerto Princesa was 23rd among all local governments in the 2018 Competitiveness Index, rising from 89th in 2014.
The city is also a tourist destination hosting a UNESCO World Heritage site , the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
The forum’s keynote speaker is Jeffrey T. Ng, president of Astoria Hotel and Resorts (AHR), a major investor in the city.
The company has invested P1.5 billion in Astoria Palawan, which features villa-style accommodation, food and beverage outlets, and a waterpark.
Another speaker is Arthur G. Gindap, a senior vice president and business unit general manager at Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), who will discuss the city’s potential as a meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) destination.
In an e-mail, Mr. Gindap said: “Robinsons Hotels and Resorts has plans to upgrade its existing Go Hotels property into a full service Summit Hotel with convention facilities that can accommodate up to 800 persons.”
Go Hotels is RLC’s chain of budget hotels. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
