Photo by: The Freeport Area of Bataan
MARIVELES, BATAAN — The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) has officially expanded its leadership team with the appointment of Mr. Efren “Bondjong” Dominic E. Pascual Jr. to its Board of Directors. The strategic move comes as the freeport intensifies its campaign to attract high-value foreign direct investments and drive sustainable economic expansion in the region.
Director Pascual Jr. officially assumed his post following a formal oath-taking ceremony administered by Bataan Governor Jose Enrique “Joet” Garcia III. His entry into the policy-making body is viewed by industry observers as a timely boost to AFAB’s corporate governance framework and its ongoing ease-of-doing-business initiatives.
“The AFAB management and workforce welcome Director Pascual Jr. to the corporate board,” the agency stated in an official release. “We anticipate a highly productive and collaborative tenure that will reinforce our institutional commitment to transparency, regulatory efficiency, and proactive investment promotion.”
Photo by: The Freeport Area of Bataan
In his new capacity, Director Pascual Jr. will work alongside the board to steer the freeport’s fiscal and operational policies. A primary focus of his term will be leveraging local economic insights to enhance the investment climate of the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB). This involves optimizing industrial zones, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and strengthening investor relations to draw in global enterprises.
The appointment is directly aligned with AFAB’s long-term economic mandate: translating corporate investments into tangible local benefits. By bringing fresh strategic oversight to the board, AFAB aims to accelerate manufacturing and service-sector developments to hit its target of creating 10,000 new high-quality jobs and securing ₱15 billion in new investment pledges over the next fiscal year. These aggressive growth targets are designed to elevate local supply chains and boost economic output for both the province of Bataan and the national economy.