BIZ BUZZ: Foxconn on the prowl in LEC

It appears Taiwanese tech manufacturing titan Foxconn is getting a look not just at opportunities in the planned Pax Silica hub, but also at what else the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) has to offer.

During a recent visit to the Philippines, representatives of the Apple contract manufacturer—which the Philippine government has identified as a potential “anchor locator” for the planned 1,619-hectare (ha) artificial intelligence hub in New Clark City—also found their way to an already bustling industrial park down south in Batangas.

Foxconn representatives were among a delegation of international investors that visited the 600-ha First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) in Sto. Tomas on Sept. 11 as part of a program organized by the US Trade and Development Agency and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

There, the Lopez-led industrial estate got a chance to show off what it already has on the ground: infrastructure, support services, a skilled workforce and a network of suppliers serving companies across aerospace, electronics, motor vehicles, food and other advanced manufacturing industries.

The delegation also toured the facility of Collins Aerospace, one of FPIP’s aerospace locators and a major business unit of RTX Corp. The company manufactures aircraft interior products in Batangas for the global aerospace industry.

For FPIP, the visit was an opportunity to make its case in front of some of the world’s biggest companies.

“Investors don’t just need available land. They need an environment that already works,” FPIP vice president Ricky Carandang said. “We keep strengthening that environment, not just adding space, so it stays ready for whoever comes next.”

Nothing is set in stone, for now. Talks surrounding Foxconn and the Pax Silica site remain under wraps as the Philippines works to secure first a master lease agreement with Washington. And the Foxconn representatives’ stop at FPIP was merely part of a broader investor tour.