On a roll
Business tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. is on a roll.
For one, his listed ports giant, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), is investing $800 million to build a container terminal in Batangas. The facility, in the first-class municipality of Bauan, is set to become the largest private marine terminal investment in the Philippines.
The infrastructure, in its full capacity, will be the second biggest of its kind next to the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).
Civil works on the port will start in the first quarter of 2025, with the first berth of the massive complex to be finished by the end of 2027.
ICTSI is a global port management company headquartered in Manila, operating 32 terminals in 19 countries, making it the world’s largest independent terminal operator in six continents.
The Bauan terminal, once completed, will boost logistics activities in the Southern Tagalog region, as the company also anticipates that it will play a crucial role in handling marine needs for renewable energy (RE) transition.
ICTSI decided to locate the plant in Bauan because of its proximity to nearby expressways. Just last year, San Miguel Corp. (SMC), operator of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, or STAR Tollway, and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the largest toll road developer and operator in the Philippines, signed a P72-billion agreement to put up the Cavite-Batangas Expressway and the Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway that would enhance connectivity to the new port terminal.
Just last April, ICTSI also received government approval to push through with the P11-billion upgrade to the Visayas Container Terminal (VCT) in Iloilo City.
Prior to that, ICTSI completed its Phase 3A expansion of its Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) in Melbourne, Australia.
The completed expansion has set an industry benchmark as the VICT is the only fully automated container terminal in the Southern Hemisphere.
No less than President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos were present, together with ICTSI chairman and president Ricky Razon, to unveil the plate marking the inauguration of the expansion in ceremonies at The Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne.
According to President Marcos, “This expansion that we are seeing today is a clear sign that Filipino companies can compete with some of the most advanced economies in the world. And in the case of VICT, they are in it for the long haul. We look forward to VICT’s continued success and growth.”
And the roll continues not just in ports. Just recently, EKR, as he is called, also opened his Solaire Resort North, the first and only five-star luxury integrated resort located in Quezon City, to serve customers and patrons in northern Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
This resort is his second under the Solaire brand, the first being the Forbes five star-rated Solaire Resort Entertainment City in Parañaque.
President Marcos and the First Lady once again led the inauguration of this new, high-end resort, together with EKR and wife Lizzy Razon, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman Alejandro Tengco, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.
In his remarks during the inauguration, President Marcos said that “It is our mission to let the entire world know that the Philippines is open for tourism, for business. I am certain that Solaire Resort North is with us in our desire to capitalize on this strength to further improve our position in the global hospitality sector.”
Mr. Marcos also said that “it is a truly bold and ambitious move that we must take to make the Philippines the perfect destination for tourism, relaxation and entertainment.”
My hats off to Ricky Razon and his companies on these milestone achievements. With government as an able partner in this country, particularly the PBBM administration, good business always means good economic sense and opportunities for all.
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Also on a roll is my beloved alma mater, the University of the Philippines College of Law, for winning the very prestigious 2024 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court competition held in Washington, DC.
The much-coveted Jessup Trophy is the oldest and largest world competition that tests the aptitude of students in their knowledge of international law. After days of grueling rounds and eliminations, the UP Law Jessup team emerged as the lone team from the Asia-Pacific region, which eventually culminated in a showdown with the team from the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella of Argentina.
The UP Law Jessup team is composed of law students Mary Regine Dadole, Pauline De Leon, Pauline Samantha Sagayo, Chinzen Viernes and Ignacio Lorenzo Villareal, with coach Professor Marianne Vitug and faculty advisor Professor Rommel Casis.
Of course, all these wouldn’t have been possible without the all-out support of UP Law dean Darlene Marie Berberabe and of the whole UP system led by its current president, Angelo Jimenez, himself a UP Law alumnus.
The university itself is also on a roll as it landed as the top Philippine university in this year’s world university rankings released by education information provider Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). UP now ranks 336th out of over 1,500 universities around the world, improving from last year’s 404th ranking.
My heartfelt congratulations to my beloved alma mater and may you continue to reap honor and excellence in this arena.
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