Shipyard opens

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (September 4, 2008) – A consortium of the country's biggest fishing companies and local officials have inaugurated "the biggest and most modern" shipyard facility in General Santos City.

Signal Marine Shipyard, which formally opened Tuesday (September 2), is built in a five-hectare land in Cabu, Tambler and is now ready for operation.

The land is owned by San Andres Fishing Corporation (SAFI), one of the incorporators, with Marfenio Tan as Chief Executive Officer.

Tan said ship building, repairing, dry docking, and net fabrication can be done at Signal Marine Shipyard.

"This is proudly very Filipino-owned corporation," Tan added.

Sarangani Governor Migs Dominguez led the inaugural launching of the first slipway at the shipyard.

Two more slipways will be built here with 210-meter length that can carry a 3,000-gross tonnage vessel each.

"The message today is synergy brought about by trust from all of you," Governor Dominguez said. "The country today needs trust 'for a better Philippines'. Institutions have been destroyed and hardly our integrity is left."

"But what we want to assure you is that we, your young leaders, will remain to protect the last vestige of integrity left in this country, and that will be your local government units," the governor said.

"Two years ago during our Tuna Congress here in General Santos City, an impromptu and formal gathering was called by our dear leader (Tan)," said Francis Laurel, president of Frabelle Fishing Corporation. "This man proposed the idea of constructing the biggest and most modern shipyard facility in General Santos City."

With "this vision realized in today's celebration," Laurel said the people of Sarangani Province and General Santos City will "benefit from the project in terms of direct and indirect employment of 500 workers, plus the increase of trade and allied services in the area."

Laurel thanked local government units and the national agencies for allowing the facility to be a "welcome addition to the city's already booming businesses".

"As we celebrate our Tuna Festival this week, we hope to improve and sustain our fishing industry," said Mayor Pedro Acharon, Jr..

Acharon congratulated the incorporators and the investors who decided to invest here. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)