SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – A United States delegation eyeing potential business opportunities in the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) visited this special economic zone on Wednesday, July 8, and met with local government officials and industry leaders here.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said 25 delegates from the U.S. Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast regions joined the visit to Subic to will strengthen partnerships, expand business opportunities, and foster cooperation between U.S. and Philippine enterprises.

The delegates also visited Manila, Clark, and Corregidor under the mission facilitated by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in New York.

In Subic, delegates held discussions with Aliño, Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) President Benjamin Antonio III, and SBFCC Executive Director Donna May Tamayo, and Agila Subic Compass, Inc. General Manager Mark Glenn Millan.

The group also proceeded to tour the facilities of Agila Subic, which hosts the Hyundai shipbuilding complex at the Redondo Peninsula here, and that of Mabuhay Interflour, a flour milling company owned by the Interflour Group, which operates nine flour mills in Southeast Asia.

Officials from Worldwide Shipping & Logistics (WSL), who were part of the delegation, said the business engagements under the mission strengthened U.S.-Philippine economic cooperation and opened new opportunities for Filipino traders. The firm was represented in the mission by WSL Co-Founder Richelyn Toth and General Manager Sherilyn Mecinas.

The PTIC said that the main goal of the trip is to create stronger economic ties and encourage more US companies to invest in the country’s growing economy.

“The trip comes at a time when the Philippines is actively working to welcome international businesses and establish itself as a key partner for US companies looking to grow in Asia,” the PTIC said.

The trade mission followed the Philippines’ inclusion in the Washington-backed Pax Silica bloc, an initiative aimed at securing global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chains. ▲