BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Megaworld plans to initially build 500 hotel rooms in Bacolod City in the next 5 to 10 years as it envisions the city as a major tourist destination in the Philippines, Kevin Andrew Tan, Megaworld chief strategy officer and Alliance Global Corporation executive vice president, said yesterday.
They are also looking at 100,000 Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) employees in the next 5 to 10 years as more BPO companies plan to expand or come in, Tan, an honorary son of Bacolod, said during the inauguration of The Upper East and unveiling of the township marker led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday at the former site of the Bacolod Murcia Milling Company (BMMC).
Tan said the BMMC played an important role in jumpstarting economic progress in Bacolod City. He was told that the father of First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos was instrumental in its success as he used to head the operations of the company.
“Today, we continue to honor this legacy as we develop this historic site to host Bacolod’s iconic central business district and once again become a catalyst for progress for Negrenses,” he said.
As a company, they have been in the business of investing in new next generation cities and provinces in the country for more than 33 years, Tan said.
Inspired by the President’s mandate for the creation of jobs and for the confidence he has brought to the business community, they are more than ever committed to pour in investments in areas across the country where they are present, he said.
Tan said that in Bacolod, they have invested a total of P45 billion where P38 billion is being allocated to develop The Upper East. This investment will allow them to generate more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs in Negros Occidental.
He said investor confidence is currently at an all-time high and that they are eager to bring their vision for The Upper East to fruition by strengthening their partnership with the Bacolod local government, he said.
Tan also thanked the President for his unwavering support to the BPO sector and the entire business community.*
