SMC invests P1B for Nueva Ecija warehouses, facilities

CABANATUAN CITY – Food and beverage giant San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is investing at least P1 billion for the establishment of 10 warehouses and a number of facilities in a five-hectare site in Barangay Sta. Arcadia, this city which could potentially generate 1,000 jobs.

Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara told The STAR that construction of the warehouses and facilities, which is apart from the P15-billion expansion plan for the next three years which was announced earlier by SMC chairman and chief executive officer Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., will generate at least 1,000 jobs and further perk up economic growth in this city, Nueva Ecija’s trade, commercial and educational center.

The site of the SMC expansion in this city is beside the proposed site of the SM mall in Sta. Arcadia.

Vergara said that each warehouse will have a land area of 5,000 square meters each. Site development is expected to commence soon, he said.

Aside from the fleet of warehouses, Vergara said SMC is also eyeing the development in the area of a meat processing plant, a canning factory, a cold storage plant and a dressing plant.

"The fact that San Miguel Corp. is putting up such a huge investment in Cabanatuan City is testament to the growing investor confidence in the city which is the offshoot of the investor-friendly atmosphere we have laid for them," he said.

He said that the city government is willing to provide tax incentives to interested investors. "There is no definite talks yet on the tax incentives but the city government is more than willing to provide them with tax exemptions if only to deliver the message to investors that they are welcome to invest in our city," Vergara said.

The expansion of SMC in this city comes on the heels of Cojuangco’s announcement that the conglomerate has earmarked P15 billion for domestic expansion of which a significant portion will be in the countryside.

Of this, P5 billion has been set aside for the development of feedmill plants in Bataan and Misamis Oriental, a broiler farm in Bulacan, hog farms in Bukidnon and pet food plant and a veterinary medicine facility in Tarlac.

Aside from this, SMC is also set to inaugurate its Pure Foods Hormel plant in Cavite and flour mill and flour bending facility in Batangas and the modernization of breweries in San Fernando City and Valenzuela.