THE AirAsia group has expressed plans to establish a maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) facility in the Philippines, according to the Department of Finance (DoF).
The MRO facility is expected to create more jobs and “position the Philippines as a regional hub for aviation services,” the DoF said in a statement after Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto met with AirAsia Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Anthony Francis “Tony” Fernandes.
They discussed the strategic opportunities for the airline’s expansion in the Philippines, the department said.
Mr. Recto attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from January 20 to 24 as special envoy of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and head of the Philippine delegation.
In a separate post, the Finance chief also had a meeting with HCLSoftware’s Chief Revenue Officer Rajiv Shesh and Chief Product Officer Kalyan Kumar to discuss a potential partnership pushing the digitalization of the country.
HCLSoftware focuses on technology solutions, specializing in intelligent operations, data and analytics, and cybersecurity.
“The company expressed keen interest in supporting research and development initiatives and fostering local talent to cultivate a new generation of highly skilled tech professionals in the Philippines,” the DoF said.
The technology firm has committed to collaborating with the government in developing software technologies and sharing best practices.
On Jan. 24, the DoF said that Mr. Recto also met with Chairman of the Supervisory Board Karl Guha and CEO Steven van Rijswijk of the European bank ING to explore more partnership opportunities with the Philippines, particularly in leveraging artificial intelligence.
In 2025, ING will launch its use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the country, “making it the next country after the Netherlands and Germany to host live GenAI applications.”
Mr. Recto also had a meeting with HSBC CEO for Asia and the Middle East Surendra Rosha on the bank’s operations in the Philippines. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
