Four years after Tacloban was pummeled by ‘Yolanda’
TACLOBAN CITY- Four years after this city was devastated by super typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ Tacloban is now fast turning into a magnet for investors.
And with the coming in of investors to the city, not only the city government will earn additional sources of revenue but more importantly, generate employment to the locals and even those coming from its nearby areas, a city official said.
Based on the records of the City Business and Licensing Office (CBLO), out of the 7,172 establishments existing in the city, 1,315 of them are new investors.
This week, the Robinsons Mall will open for business its second branch in Tacloban, a testament that the economy of the city ravaged by Yolanda in 2013, has bounced back.
“Tacloban City is going up and is booming which is not only good for the city government but more so provide additional employment not only among its residents but even those coming from its nearby areas,” Corinne Cinco-Cadavis, head of the CBLO, said.
Cadavis said that next year, the Gaisano Mall, its third branch in Tacloban and one of the country’s biggest construction depots, will also open.
The official said that the coming in of these high-profile investments to the city is an indicator that they still have the confidence in Tacloban which saw its worst devastation since World War II when Yolanda pummeled it in 2013.
“We expect more investors to come in as we have received several inquiries from them, looking for locations,” Cadavis said.
She added that the coming in of big investors and so-called ‘brand names’ will also be a big advantage for the people of the city and nearby areas as they would no longer travel to Manila or Cebu.
New and bigger hotels are also sprouting in the city after it was devastated by Yolanda, Cadavis said.
“People are coming in to the city probably because they are curious what happened to us in 2013 and are surprised that we have recovered,” she said.
And as the city grows and expands, measures are now being undertaken by the city government under Mayor Cristina Romualdez, she added.
For one, needed infrastructures like wide roads are now being undertaken by the city government.
For her part, Mayor Romualdez had repeatedly said that she is doing her best to ensure that Tacloban will not only continue its hold as the region’s premier city but could compete with other cities in the country by attracting investors.
A sizeable portion in the northern part of the city has been identified by the city government as its economic zone where light and semi-light industries could be put up.
By: JOEY A. GABIETA
