SPEECH
OF VICE PRESIDENT NOLI DE CASTRO
INAUGURATION OF TERMINAL 3
IGLO PHILIPPINES
OCTOBER 18, 2005
Good
morning.
I would like
to greet the officers and staff of Integrated Global
Low-temperature
Operations
or IGLO Philippines
for the inauguration of the new Terminal 3 Multi-Temperature Controlled
Facility. Congratulations to all of you
who worked hard to make this a reality.
IGLO’s
Expansion
I see your
continued expansion here at the Manggahan Light
Industrial Park
as an indication of two things: positive
experiences in the past and
confidence in the future.
I understand
that your first facility commenced operations in 2003 to support the
fast-growing food and beverage industry in the country.
Four months later, your second facility
started operating, thereby increasing your capacity to about 6,000
pallet
positions. Today, we mark the opening of
the third.
This, for
me, is a concrete expression of your confidence in our chilled and
frozen food
industry, as well as the potential of other organic products that
require
refrigeration to maintain quality and prolong shelf life.
Business and
the Economy
i have
always considered expansion projects like these as a manifestation of
support
for the future of the country.
i am aware
that the decision to invest and to expand takes time.
It is based on your assessment of the risks
and benefits of doing business in the philippines.
as members
of the business sector, your decisions have far-reaching implications
on the
rest of the country.
first,
you in the private sector have the ability to create jobs.
by investing in the country, and by expanding
your operations, you are also creating employment opportunities for our
people.
second,
you add to the life blood of our government through the payment of
taxes. by
paying the correct taxes in a timely manner, you are able to contribute
to the
provision by government of the appropriate economic, legal, and social
framework for your businesses.
and third,
your activities create ripple effects on the rest of the economy,
particularly
on ancillary and support industries. you
and i know that when one sector or industry experiences dynamic growth,
there
will also be positive effects on other sectors with strong
inter-industry
linkageS.
ALL THESE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED TIME AND AGAIN BY
GOVERNMENT. THAT IS WHY EVEN IN THE MEDIUM TERM PHILIPPINE
DEVELoPMENT PLAN, WE HAVE EXPLICITLY STATED THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS
THE ENGINE OF GROWTH OF OUR ECONOMY.
Looking at
the Future
it is true
that our country today is facing a lot of challenges.
some of
these challenges were brought about by external developments—such as
the
increasing prices of oil. there is
also
the threat of terrorism, a global issue that has recently been given
much
attention by our government. and
finally, there are concerns arising from our own domestic squabbles AS
WELL AS
differences in beliefs and political persuasions.
but despite
all the political noise, i am happy that there are businesses like iglo
who
have worked silently and contributed significantly to the development
of our
economic base.
I THANK YOU
FOR LOOKING BEYOND THE NOISE, AND FOR SEEING THE TRUE POTENTIAL OF OUR
COUNTRY
AND OUR PEOPLE.
I hope that
IGLO
Philippines
will
continue to be our partner in the development of THE PHILIPPINES. together, let us build a better future for
YOUR BUSINESSES, AND FOR OUR PEOPLE.
Thank you
and good afternoon.
©
Copyright
2005
Office of the Vice President (OVP) 
Management Information Services
Division (MISD). All rights reserved.
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