‘You Can’t Save 80 Million Filipinos But You Can Build Me A Park’ launched
Two decades ago, Balamban was a quaint and small municipality west of Cebu City with no industry or employment opportunities. Livelihood was based mainly on small time agriculture and individual fishing for survival. This changed when a major developer recognized the industrial potential of the coastal geography and the available labor force.
The Balamban community on the western coast of Cebu saw the creation of the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP) — a 268-hectare estate that was established with a joint effort between the Aboitiz Group and Tsuneishi Holdings Inc. of Japan known as the Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc.(CIPDI). The estate is ideal for medium to heavy industries, particularly fitted for ship-building and allied activities.
This history is documented in You Can’t Save 80 Million Filipinos But You Can Build Me A Park co-authored by Mathias “Bube” Mendezona and the late Roberto “Bobby” Aboitiz and recently launched at the Casa Gorodo, Cebu City.
The book narrates in detail the authors’ experiences and thoughts and those of other key figures in the pioneering days of its development. Mendezona vividly describes his unforgettable experience of working with one of the most influential families in the Philippines, the Aboitiz clan, and with the Japanese business partner, Tsuneishi, which would in time become one of the biggest ship-building sites in the region.
The book also serves as a personal memoir relating to the difficulties and challenges of establishing a greenfields industry into a competitive global role player in the shipping industry.
The CIPDI, always mindful of maintaining the sense of space and blending totally different building styles, also staunchly supports sustainable development for its stakeholders. Paramount to its pursuit of world-class competency is the protection of the environment and addressing the social needs of surrounding communities.