GenSan eyed as next trade hub

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) aims to attract investors to General Santos City, which is being positioned as the next trade and investment hub in Southern Philippines in the upcoming China - Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Expo (CAEXPO).

In a statement, the DTI said General Santos would put the city’s  trade and investment opportunities on  the spotlight in the 16th CAEXPO scheduled on  Sept.20 to 23 in Guangxi in China.

The local government of General Santos City will highlight the city’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors,  infrastructure projects, and eco-tourism sectors.

Multilateral lender Asian Development Bank recently chose General Santos as the Philippines’ pioneer city under the Green City Initiative which aims to develop an eco-friendly and livable metropolis through sustainable facilities and infrastructure projects.

Given opportunities in General Santos which serves as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines and the fastest-growing city in South-Central  Mindanao, General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said the local government would drum up investor interest in the city.

“We hope this participation will enable our city to attract more foreign investments and provide the much-needed boost to our growing industries that will lead to more local livelihood opportunities,” he said.

He said General Santos could serve as a transshipment hub in the Pacific and host major facilities such as feeder seaport, an international airport, and fish port.

The city is also a strategic location in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

 Trade Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman said General Santos’ strategic proximity to the BIMP-EAGA and its agricultural abundance also make it a good source of halal products.

 “We also want to highlight GenSan as a premier source of halal-certified products and a viable destination for neighboring Muslim countries in this exhibit in China and other Southeast Asian countries,” he said.

Considered as one of China’s biggest trade events, CAEXPO is being held every year to advance the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and regional trade cooperation.

Last year’s edition of CAEXPO had 2,700 exhibitors and 96,000 buyers and visitors from all over the world.