Monday, July 20, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES [ BusinessWorld Online ]
AN EXPORTERS’ group will invest P3.7 million to put up a showroom in Pampanga, as part of a sales push for locally made wares like furniture, home decor, handicrafts and food products, the Clark Development Corp. said in a statement late last week.
The Pampanga chapter of the Confederation of Philippine Exporters, Inc. (Philexport) has signed a 15-year lease agreement with the state agency for a 1,543-square meter space along C.M. Recto Highway, the statement read.
“Central Luzon, specifically Pampanga, is the home to the country’s finest furniture makers, whose products found their niche in equally finest stores [sic] in the world,” CDC President Benigno R. Ricafort said in the statement.
But the absence of a show-room for hotel owners and other buyers to scout for merchandise “is a lost opportunity for local traders,” he added.
“[It] would be a boost to our ailing exports and assist manufac-turers in riding this tide of reces-sion and uncompetitiveness out.”
Official data show that export sales in the first five months have tumbled to $13.814 billion, down 34.52% from year-ago levels.
It was unclear when the show-room will be completed. Philex-port chapter President Randolph G. Viray could not be immediately reached to elaborate.
A similar P100-million “pro-duct depot” in Metro Manila for exporters and enterprises partici-pating under the Trade depart-ment’s One Town, One Product program is being planned, the department had said earlier.
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