Korean e-vehicle maker eyes Bacolod City for new factory
KOREAN manufacturer Tai San Hitech Co. is considering Bacolod City as site for an electronic vehicle plant, the local government announced following a visit by the company’s top executives earlier this week.
Bacolod officials led by Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia met with Tai San Hitech President Sung-Jin Kwon, Vice President Tae-Soo Jeong, and their Manila-based partner Min Soo Kim on Feb. 22 to discuss the city’s guidelines and perks for investors.
“It is so encouraging because this is coming at the right time when we are transitioning from a very tight COVID society. This will be a big thing for us and this is going to bridge the city to a post-COVID situation,” Mr. Leonardia said in a statement.
The City Development Council has been updating the local Investment Promotion Program in line with the plan for recovery from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is my first time in Bacolod and I immediately felt that this city is very active… Bacolod is growing and developing into the future,” Mr. Kwon is quoted as saying.
“I’m expecting that our electric tricycles will be successful here,” he added.
Tai San Hitech, headquartered in Daegu, South Korea, manufactures motors, e-bicycles, and three- and four-wheeled e-vehicles, according to the company’s website.
The company delegation also met with officials of Central Negros Electric Cooperative, the city’s electricity distributor, and Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp.
Meanwhile, the mayor also reiterated his call on the public to continue observing minimum health protocols such as wearing of face mask and distancing even as the city recorded no new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Feb. 21 and 22.
“The virus is still here, but we need to learn how to live with it… and adjust to it accordingly and cautiously,” Mr. Leonardia said.
As of Feb. 22, the city had 367 COVID-19 active cases out of the 27,774 recorded since the start of the pandemic, based on data from the Department of Health-Western Visayas regional office.
The city with about 590,000 residents has fully vaccinated its target population, according to the city health office. — MSJ
