PRIVATE investors from Japan are now eyeing the establishment of a "Japan Town" in Bacolod City to promote tourism, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Monday, February 20.
Benitez, who was part of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Japan last week, said it was a very fruitful trip to promote the city of Bacolod.
"It was more of a marketing effort. There are no specific contracts that we are looking at, but we would like to present ourselves on the possibility of future projects here in Bacolod City," he said.
The mayor noted that Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI) Chief Executive Officer Kevin Tan, an honorary mayor of Bacolod City, also opened up that he will allocate a three-hectare area at The Upper East to be developed as "Japan Town" in Bacolod.
Benitez said Tan is now finalizing the perspective and designs of the project.
He said it's also in coordination with the Japanese Embassy to materialize the project, adding that he already tasked Councilor Jason Villarosa, chairperson of the City Council committee on tourism, to communicate with the Embassy of Japan.
The mayor disclosed that some investors in the field of renewable energy and infrastructure projects from Japan also expressed their interest in investing in Bacolod.*