Key electronics locators at the Subic Bay freeport Wistron Infocomm and Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. were among the companies that had to downsize operations due to the pandemic, which in total displaced 8,129 workers of locators in the economic zone.
“COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease 2019) adversely affected business activities in the freeport… the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) was not spared from this, “ said Karen Magno, SBMA manager at the general membership meeting of the Semiconductor and Electronic Industries of the Philippines Inc. yesterday.
Magno said SBMA’s export and import revenues dropped 14 percent to P3.2 billion in 2020 from P3.72 billion in 2019.
She said 209 companies in Subic are still not operating and 11 are not allowed to operate. Some 1,173 locators are operational.
At the end of 2020, 2,265 workers were terminated; 4,138 were asked to go on forced leave while 3,642 had to go on a work- from- home arrangement.
Wistron Infocomm (formerly Acer), a Subic pioneer, downsized operations during the pandemic. The company, which manufactures laptops, had invested $23 million in the freeport and has 450 workers.
Magno said Japanese electronics firm Nidec Subic Philippines Corp. also had to downsize its operation now with 350 workers and actual investment reached $291 million.
The company in 2019 added an activity to its operations the manufacture of industrial robotic gears so big, it’s not just about manufacturing.
