Bataan Technology Park

While doing my research for my project for my "International Environment of Business" class, I searched Google for information on the Philippines. Most of what I found were geared toward tourists, but I found a page that talked about business developments going on in the Philippines. I read somewhere that the Subic Bay area is still in the process of being converted from a US military base to an industrial area, mostly for manufacturing companies because it is a major shipping port. Then I found out that the same government agency responsible for developing Subic is also in charge of developing the new Bataan Technology Park in Morong, Bataan.

So, Marlon accompanied me there. The mini-bus climbed up the mountain within an hour, passing the gate to the nuclear power plant, nipa huts, and rice fields. The bus maneuvered around hairpin bends, slow tricycles, dogs lying on the asphalt, goats crossing the street, and people walking in the middle of the road. Few vehicles come up this way. The road is paved, but was still bumpy. Tip: Sit near the front of the bus for less bounce. Also, the bus seats are made too small, even for small-statured Filipinos. The left side seats can accommodate two and half people, and the right side seats can accommodate one and a half people. And no matter where you sit, hang on for your life, because any one of the bumps can throw you off your seat. From Bagac to Morong, our fare was PhP60 for both of us.

The bus conductor told us where to get a tricycle to get to the TechnoPark. The trike was driven by a very young man, probably still in his early teens. It was still a long way to the gate. At the gate, we were stopped and I had to explain to the guard (a "Benitez, JA") what my reason was to go there. Then, via a two-way radio, he had to ask for permission from someone inside to let us in. The person on the other end kept asking a lot of questions -- what my purpose what, whom I was there to meet, where I'm from, what company I'm with, what vehicle I was in. After about fifteen minutes or so, we were finally allowed in and directed towards a group of buildings, where we signed in again and told to wait for Mr. Celso.

While waiting, I chatted with a woman there and she said that the complex used to be a refugee center for the IndoChinese, and they have renovated some of the old buildings. When Mr. Celso arrived, I explained my purpose and I asked him more questions. They lease parcels of land for PhP180k/hectare/year and the lease lasts for 25 years and is renewable. He asked what type of business I was planning to start and he said that "U.N. Avenue" is the planned commercial area. He would have an engineer take us there for a tour and he'd have the application papers ready when we get back.

However, after another long wait, the engineer hadn't returned from lunch and they weren't sure when he would be back. It also turned out that Mr. Celso had emailed the main office for the documents, and was still waiting for their reply. So I said we would just ride the tricycle (which waited for us) down U.N. Avenue to see the area, and asked Mr. Celso to just email the forms to me as well.

Tip: A business card, particularly one with a foreign address, opens people up. The guard relaxed when I handed him one of my cards, and Mr. Celso smiled when I gave him one to ask him to email me the forms.