NDC brandishes 5 key investments
These projects are navigated by NDC in coordination with the different agencies of the government and the private sector
Daily TribuneThese projects are navigated by NDC in coordination with the different agencies of the government and the private sector
The National Development Corp., a state-owned holding firm revealed that despite a challenging year, it has facilitated five key investments backed by streamlining and capacity-building initiatives.
In a year-end message, Undersecretary Antonilo DC. Mauricio, general manager of NDC, said the key investment projects that NDC jumpstarted in 2023 are the Philippine Innovation Hub or iHub, the Vaccine Manufacturing Plant; the Kacific Broadband Satellite group; the Davao Thermo Biotech Corp., and Cyclion.
"These projects are navigated by NDC in coordination with the different agencies of the government and the private sector. NDC's unique charter allows it to act as a vehicle for investment in multiple sectors, with the advantage of entering into agency-to-agency agreements," he said.
iHub formed
The Philippine Innovation Hub or iHub, with its headquarters located on the Ground floor of the NDC Building in Salcedo Village, Makati, is also the headquarters of the Startup Venture Fund, the Philippine E-Commerce Platform, and the upcoming Philippine AI Research Center.
The endeavor has already signed knowledge partnerships with 12 organizations in 2023, and also serves as a co-working space and event space for start-ups, partners and stakeholders.
Liaising closely with the National Innovation Council, the iHub is NDC's tangible investment in the Philippine digital transformation agenda and will establish a registry of innovation projects for better synergies between the private and public sectors.
NDC aims to be the first government agency to be ISO-certified for Innovation Management.
The SVF's first investment is in SolX, a deep tech electricity utilization startup that was endorsed by the Philippines' Energy Regulatory Commission.
Vaccine manufacturing plant
A Filipino vaccine distribution company that has been supported by the Asian Development Bank and KKR, Glovax has been applying for government support since 2014.
It has partnered with technology partner LG Lifesciences of Korea and Eubiologics to construct the Philippines' first vaccine manufacturing facility and laboratory in Taysan, Batangas.
"This project is urgently needed for vaccine self-sufficiency, providing cheaper vaccines to the poor, and preparing for the next pandemic," Mauricio said.
Kacific Broadband Satellite Group is a Singapore-based company that has already invested more than $35m in the Philippines, providing broadband satellite access to unserved and underserved areas through contracts with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and other agencies.
Mauricio said that this as the Philippines is aiming to secure the connectivity demands of the country by investing in the Kacific group itself, thus gaining an advantage over countries competing for the same bandwidth over the next decade.
The NDC investment in the Kacific group will allow NDC to pre-purchase frequency blocks from Kacific at a lower price, which in turn will be sold at lower-than-market prices to Philippine buyers, especially the government, over the next six years.
Davao Thermo Biotech Corp.
Meanwhile, Mauricio said the Davao Thermo Biotech Corp. is a pioneering composting facility started in Davao in 2015 by Dr. Bo Puentespina, from the family that owns Malagos farms, known worldwide for its cheese and chocolates.
They partnered with Kyowa Kako, the number 1 composting technology company in Japan.
"NDC's investment in DTBC is aimed at expanding the plant and creating a franchise model to replicate this in other parts of the country," he said.
A pioneer waste-to-energy company from Australia that converts biowaste to green fuel, Cyclion is a novel system that uses a mega-cyclone type of machine to process garbage without incineration.
The later stage uses algae to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and also produces clean water as a by-product.