The establishment of a Greater Manila Bay Area is seen complementing the Luzon Economic Corridor , according to Dr. Cecilio Pedro, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII).
Pedro said FFCCCII is advocating for the development of the Greater Manila Bay area, inspired by the success of China’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a strategy to attract more investments and advanced technologies to the Philippines.The proposed Greater Manila Bay area involves the linkage between Bataan and Cavite, as well as Greater Manila and Bulacan.
During the Manila Forum for Philippines-China Relations held at the Conrad Hotel, Pedro said Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian proposed this initiative to Filipino-Chinese businessmen, seeing the in linking up Bataan and Cavite with new infrastructures, and recognized the economic opportunities in the areas in between, including Greater Manila and Bulacan.
The Luzon Economic Corridor aims to develop Clark, Subic, Manila and Batangas with high-impact infrastructure projects, including rail, port modernization, agribusiness, and clean energy and semiconductor supply chains and deployments.
To pursue the Greater Manila Bay Area, Pedro proposed partnership and strengthening of the economic cooperation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, fostering faster, sustainable, and high-tech economic growth for both regions.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, consisting of Hong Kong, Macao, and nine cities in Guangdong province, including the tech hub Shenzhen, boasts a $1.98-trillion GDP. This makes it one of the fastest-growing regions in China, surpassing the economies of South Korea and other nations.
