BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – Despite the strained relations between the Philippines and Taiwan over the shooting of a suspected Taiwanese poacher in Philippine waters, a Taiwanese garment firm is set to invest P360 million in Clark Freeport, Pampanga.
The MSK Group Work Inc. will establish a garment factory in the Freeport, the third in Central Luzon after the Subic Freeport and Luisita Industrial Park.
“This (business) expansion is expected to generate 1,360 careers for the first three years of operation. Among MSK operations is Bestelment Industrial Ltd., which supplies belt buckles and leather goods’ metal hardware to international brands such as Nike, Coach, Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger,†Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president Arthur Tugade said.
“Among the commitments given by the firm was the repairing of the damaged slope projection along Creekside Road which costs about P50 million and shouldering the construction of road that would lead to the site,†he added.
MSK also agreed, as part of its corporate social responsibility, to train Aetas and employ them afterwards.
The plan to build a garment factory in Freeport was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Tugade and MSK Group Work Inc. president Simon Su last Thursday. The CDC board of directors approved the firm’s business expansion last May 10.
Palace clarifies ban of 15 Taiwan products
Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday clarified that the ban on 15 contaminated food products from Taiwan has nothing to do with the diplomatic tiff over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the ban on the food products was part of the job of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that monitors and regulates the flow of food and medicines in the country.
“The FDA is not singling out Taiwan… It is their (FDA) mandate to inspect the products entering our country and we know that we should not consume the products disallowed by the FDA,†Valte said in an interview with radio dzRB.
The FDA banned 15 food products from Taiwan after it found that these are contaminated with maleic acid, a substance used to create synthetic which is used in making plastic products, automotive parts and pipes.
The FDA said that long-term consumption of high levels of maleic acid could endanger the kidney.
The banned products are Hong Tapioca Starch, Redman Black Tapioca Pearl, Sun Right Indica Rice Powder, Top 1 Tapioca Pearls, Tea World Tapioca Starch Ball, Unbranded Starch Ball, Ding Long Tapioca Pearls, Sun Chi Noodles, T & M Resources Corp Tapioca Pearls, Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (White), Pure Tea Tapioca Pearls (Black), Full Free Green Tea Tapioca Ball, Full Free Yam Tapioca Ball, Long Kow Vegetarian Instant Rice Noodle, and Long Kow Rice Noodle with Thick Soup. – With Alexis Romero