Guico’s Ardor: The Making of a Best Guv

By Mortz C. Ortigoza 

Aside from concluding a mega contract of US$503 million (P27.6 billion) with solar panel giant’s the consortium CSFirst Green Agri-Industrial Development Inc. and others, Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico, III braces to sign on a proverbial dotted lines the entry in the province of one of the biggest business process outsourcing (BPO) entities in the country and San Miguel Holdings Corporation that submitted to him last May 2 its unsolicited proposal for the construction of the Pangasinan East-West Expressway (PEWEX).

Compared to his predecessors, Guico - who just warmed his seat as the top political honcho - is probably the most zealous chief executive in looking and hailing foreign and local investors to put shop in the huge province to generate employment to his constituents.

INCUMBENT Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico, III (top left photo and clockwise), former Pangasinan Governors Amado “Pogi” Espino, III, Oscar Orbos, Victor Agbayani and Amado Espino, Jr. 

"They wanted to meet me again but we have to talk with the business sector in the province because we have conduct an inventory of the available real estate, leasable spaces, buildings, that they are looking for,” Guico, a former mayor and congressman, cited on the interest of the BPO outfit in the province.

I wrote earlier that 2^nd District Congressman Mark Cojuangco offered his district as hub of a BPO.

He wanted Barangay Estanza in Lingayen transformed into a 184 hectares’ eco-park that would create employment to the residents of the towns of Binmaley, Labrador, Bugallon, Aguilar, Mangatarem and Basista.

“Iyan iyong binabalak ni Governor na eco-park sa Barangay Estanza 184 hectares po iyon na e-developed,” the solon disclosed.

He explained that buildings will be built in that village to host the lucrative earning BPO and Call Centers to cater to their customers overseas. 

 VISION AND AGGRESSIVENESS

Unlike Central and Southern Luzon that abound with special economic zones that host foreign investors because of the tax perks offered by the national government, Pangasinan needs the economic vision and aggressiveness of Guico to invite more business people.

When he was the Mayor of Binalonan in the middle of the 2020s, the young Guico already brought the vaunted Sumi-North Wiring Systems Corporation (SNPW) in his town where his family leased to them their twenty - hectare land converted to an economic zone.
 SNPW is the world’s renowned supplier of wiring harness, related components, and several electronic products to the automotive and office equipment industries.

In the ground breaking ceremony held in September 16, 2020 that this writer attended, SNPW President Takeshi Morikawa told guests from the local government unit (LGU) of Binalonan and the private sectors that the corporation would hire 13,000 individuals after the completion of the three phases of its construction.

Guico told this writer before that the brass of the SNPW agreed with him that the workers will be sourced pro - rata among the residents of the 212 villages in the one city and eight towns 5th Congressional District.

If he could persuade more foreign investors who could ride now on the amended Public Service Acts (PSA) that offered 100 percent ownership in telecommunications, domestic shipping, railways and subways, airlines, expressways, tollways, and transport network vehicles services, it will bode well for the standard of living of the Pangasinenses.

 The amended PSA – signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in March 21, 2022 - could spike competition in the market which could lead to lower prices and higher quality goods and services. The general welfare thus benefited for its dynamics.

 With all those industrial developments that need to be exploited at the fullest, he could be the Best Governor of this northern region where his predecessors contented themselves to improve the stocks of the people primordially on the limited agriculture wealth of Pangasinan.

THE ECONOMICS OF THE EXPRESSWAY

With San Miguel Holdings Corporation submitting its proposal to construct the 171.5 kilometers PWEx, it's an advantage for the people of Pangasinan to see more tourists coming to its pristine beaches.

More people means more monies.

Manaoag Mayor Ming Rosario told me before that his town is blessed because livelihood is already there in his pilgrimage town.

Vacant lots around the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag converted to parking space at P70 per car (30 vehicles a day multiplies by P70 equals to a whopping P2,100), restaurants, vendors selling the local delicacies from other towns and hawkers peddle religiuous symbols benefit on the influx of these human traffic.

If Guico can draw more investors in the mammoth province, the working men and women of Pangasinan would no longer go to the special zones in Central and Southern Luzon and those private enterprises in Metro Manila to look for jobs.

If the lanes of the 171.5 kilometers PEWEx can be compared to the four lanes’ 49. 1 km highway of Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), that would be a P6.8 billon investment, Pangasinenses would be benefiting on the spade works alone if based on the analysis of Economist Thomas P. Keane who authored The Economic Importance of the National Highway System.

On the hypothetical assessment and computation of this writer of the P6.8 billion or U.S 121.4 million (171.5 kilometers of the four lanes highway from the three phases and the kilometers from Rosales to Lingayen at P20 million per kilometer), there would be 988 full-time equivalent jobs per P6.8 billion invested in highway construction. In addition, research shows that this same sum of investment supports approximately 2,462 full-time equivalent jobs in the supply sectors and 1,750 positions in the general economy. Therefore, total employment supported per P6.8 billion highway investment is equal to more than 5,200 jobs. These estimates refer to "gross" job creation, meaning that the employment impacts of alternative investments have not been considered in this broad level of analysis.

 READ MY OTHER BLOG:

The Lethal, Costly Weapons of a Cobra

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

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I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.