11-B township in Tagum to boost Davao’s bid as BIMP-EAGA hub
DAVAO CITY – The development of a 11-billion township project in Tagum City, Davao del Norte is expected to boost the Davao Region’s bid to become Mindanao’s strategic hub in the BruneiIndonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Hijo Resources Corporation (HRC), which is owned by the Tuason family, will be developing the project.
HRC Executive Officer and President Rosanna Tuason-Fores described the township, which will be called Hijo Industrial Estates, as the company’s first mixed-use property development project, and a gateway to growth that will be “sustainable and inclusive.”
The 760-hectare township is poised to become the next hub for worldclass light to medium export-oriented industries, residential, commercial, and institutional establishments in the region.
“The industrial estate and the gateway to growth is not just about job creation, it is value creation. This here is the game changer: the move towards creating opportunities for growth and development right here, the right way at the heart of the Davao Gulf,” she said.
The project will include a worldclass Hijo International Ports Services (HIPS), a town center, a leisure and tourism estates, residential estates, industrial park and information and communications technology (ICT) campus.
She added the Hijo Industrial Estate will level up Mindanao’s rich natural resources and improve human capital that will support the growth of several communities in the region, with a potential to generate around 20,000 jobs.
“That gives us options, choices – opportunities in providing relevant global products outside of bananas, to serve not only ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), but to the global market,” she said.
She added the port component will allow for a more liberal exchange of goods, not only in the BIMP-EAGA but also in the greater ASEAN economic community.
The HRC’s Philippine Economic Zone Authority-accredited port, will be a joint business venture between HRC and International Container Terminal Services, Inc., and will be designed to handle containerized and break-bulk cargoes. It has also an initial capacity of 450,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and expandable to 650,000 TEUs.