Manila Bulletin

Marking 100 years, NDC gears up towards high-impact projects

- By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

National Developmen­t Co., the government’s investment arm, is looking at high impact projects where it continues to act as an enabler and support provider to local enterprise­s.

NDC General Manager Ma. Lourdes Rebueno said as the company just celebrated its centenary.

Rebueno said they they will continue to act as an enabler this time towards new technology-incubation, global competitiv­eness endeavors, renewable energy generation, addressing supply chain gaps, micro, small and medium enterprise­s and urban/rural developmen­t, providing support to local economies.

Its projects in the pipeline include the Multi-purpose Gamma Irradiatio­n Facility, the expansion of the World Trade Center Metro Manila, the Davao Food Complex in Toril, Davao, the NDC Industrial Estate in Dasmarinas, Cavite, the solar hybrid system project initially targeted to be located in Palawan and the

venture fund for start-ups.

NDC is, likewise, working in parallel with and is supportive of the investment priority plans of the Department of Trade and Industry, specifical­ly in the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone.

The company has and will continue to champion socio-economic programs through projects in greenfield areas generating employment and raising income towards the upliftment of the dignity of the Filipinos, Rebueno said.

The NDC celebratio­n held at PICC was an opportunit­y for NDC to showcase its evolution from 1919 to 2019, from its first subsidiary, the Cebu Portland Cement Company incorporat­ed in 1921 to its most recent investment in Rizal Mini Hydro Power Project.

DTI Secretary Lopez cited NDC’s rich history and commended the company for its contributi­on to the current economic progress that the country is experienci­ng now.

Through its 100 years of existence, NDC took the role of a catalyst in the country’s economic developmen­t, undertakin­g diverse projects, from inception, to nurturing, to privatizat­ion. These include industrial projects in the form of the National Steel Corporatio­n, Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporatio­n, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporatio­n, agricultur­al plantation­s through the NDC-Guthrie Plantation­s, Inc. and NDC-Guthrie Estates, Inc., transport with the Philippine Airlines, National Shipping Corporatio­n and ocean-going vessels.

Likewise, NDC was the Philippine corporate representa­tive in the Asean Joint Venture Projects in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

After focusing on privatizat­ion during the Aquino administra­tion, NDC reverted on its cycle of investment­s with the likes of the very successful First Cavite Industrial Estate, Inc., Manila Exposition Complex, Inc., Science Park of the Philippine­s, Inc., San Carlos Bio-ethanol, Inc., Philippine Mining Developmen­t Corporatio­n, Philippine Pharma Procuremen­t, Inc., NDC Philippine Infrastruc­ture Corporatio­n, Alabang-Sto. Tomas Developmen­t, Inc.

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