Walt Disney, 2 other US firms eye expansion in PH

LOS ANGELES, California – Walt Disney and two other US companies are interested in investing or expanding operations in the Philippines.

President Aquino obtained the renewed business interest in his separate meetings with top executive of the three firms during his visit to Los Angeles.

“All three companies signified to the President their top-of-mind preference for the Philippines as an investment venue and source of high-quality talent and for Philippine organizations as business partners,” Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.

Coloma said Walt Disney International chair Andy Bird informed the President about the possibilities of tapping into the “robust talent pool of creative Filipinos” for its animation department.

Among the Filipinos cited by Bird were Ronnie del Carmen (co-director of Pixar’s Inside Out), Bobby Pontillas (one of the animators for Disney’s Frozen), Armand Serrano (Visual Development artist for Walt Disney Animation Studio who worked on Mulan, Tarzan, and Big Hero 6, among others), and Gini Santos (one of the animators for Pixar’s The Incredibles).

Bird also told the President about Walt Disney’s commercial partnerships with big Philippine corporations such as the SM Group and Globe Telecoms, according to Coloma.

The two other companies interested to expand investments are Western Digital Corporation (WDC) and AECOM Enterprise Growth Solutions.

Coloma said President Aquino thanked WDC for employing over 10,000 Filipinos in operations back home in the fields of manufacturing, engineering, information technology, finance, site operations, human resources, and supply chain management.

“Stephen Milligan, WDC chief executive officer, told the President that since 1994, their company has been a highly satisfied locator in the country’s export zones, on account of the excellent support provided by the Philippine Export Zone Authority headed by Director- General Lilia de Lima,” Coloma said.