FedEx confirms return to PHL

FedEx Corp. on Wednesday confirmed plans to return its operations in the Philippines ten years after it closed its site in Subic, Zambales.

“Our planned operations in Clark will enable us to better serve our customers in the Philippines and are part of our ongoing expansion throughout the Asia Pacific region as our business continues to grow,” John Peterson, managing director of FedEx Express Philippines, said in a statement.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said FedEx’s first phase of operations in Clark, Pampanga will start in the second quarter of 2020, while a long-term and bigger site will be completed in 2024.

This time, the FedEx operations in the Philippines is going to be bigger in scale, the envoy said.

In 2009, FedEx closed its Asian hub in Subic as the logistics giant transferred its regional operations in Guangzhou, China.

Its return to the Philippines does not necessarily mean it is moving out of China.

“FedEx is not relocating and has no plans to relocate its Asia Pacific Hub,” Peterson said.

“FedEx is committed to the Asia Pacific region, including our customers and employees in both China and the Philippines, and we continue to consider opportunities and make strategic investments to expand our service, enhance our network and provide greater global connectivity,” he said.

The Philippine envoy said he hopes FedEx’s return “would be the magnet that will make other companies start looking at the Philippines.”

“Geographically, we are the best place to be located,” Romualdez said.

Peterson, however, said the claim that it is “moving out of China” is “unequivocally incorrect.”

In a separate statement issued by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Romualdez clarified that he “was taken out of context” and that “he was only highlighting the fact that the Philippines … has become an even more attractive investment destination for US companies in recent years.”

The BCDA, on the other hand, confirmed that it is in talks with FedEx on the company’s plan to locate in the Philippines.

“We have been talking to FedEx and as far as we know, this move is not because of any plans to move out of China, but rather, a part of its ongoing expansion throughout the Asia-Pacific region. We are not however at liberty to disclose any details of the ongoing talks at this time,” BCDA president and CEO Vince Dizon said.

“FedEx will be a welcome addition to the growing number of locators in Clark, signifying its position as a strong growth driver not just in Central Luzon but in the country as well,” Dizon said. —Ted Cordero/VDS,GMA News