MANILA, Philippines -- The 500-strong Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines Inc. (KCCP) has condemned the “seeming trial by publicity” against Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Ltd. Over the “above-board and legal” construction of two condominium buildings inside the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales.

“It is highly uncalled for to say that Hanjin has disregarded environmental laws by constructing the two condominium buildings. As such, the KCCP condemns the reports which have implied that Hanjin has had no regard for the environment and calls for a balanced and objective reporting,” said KCCP president Jae Jang in a statement, a copy of which was furnished INQUIRER.net.

He warned that the publicity attacks against Hanjin would “dampen” foreign investors’ attitude toward investing in the Philippines.

“Where a foreign investor complies with all the required governmental processes and permits and yet is made vulnerable to attacks and accusations of law breaking, who would dare to venture an investment in the Philippines?” he said, speaking for the KCCP.

Jang said he believed that the four-day media campaign against Hanjin starting April 5 “betrays the real situation” of the Philippine investment climate which was that “the sanctity and stability of contracts are not protected.”

“In view of the frequency and negative imputations in the said reports, the Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines Inc. raises its concerns regarding the seeming trial by publicity of Hanjin, undertaken without due process and protection,” he said.

Jang noted that Hanjin’s entry into Subic has been cited as a “big investment for the Philippines economically.” He said that Hanjin’s total investment in Subic was $1.65 billion, has generated some 10,000 jobs for Filipinos and was projected to generate another 10,000 jobs when the operation of the biggest ship-building facility in the country would be in full swing.

The KCCP official said Hanjin invested in the country at the invitation of the Philippine government and the chamber was “alarmed” that the company was now being tagged “as a brazen violator of public order and is exposed to unwarranted attacks and clouds of suspicion, without proper verification.”

Jang contended that permits required for the construction of the two condominium buildings that would house Hanjin’s Korean officers observed the procedures and processes of concerned government agencies and were thus “legal and in order.”

He said even the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) confirmed that Hanjin had secured all the necessary environmental compliance certificates and construction and building permits before construction started.

“Hanjin has never harmed or disturbed the environment of the Subic Bay. As admitted in the reports, the said construction area has long been cleared of trees, even prior to the construction of the two buildings,” he said, explaining that the area had been used as the former Subic Naval Base’s ammunition storage facility.

Jang argued that if the issue had been environment protection, questions regarding the controversial condominium buildings should have been made at the onset of the building activities, not toward its conclusion.

“We ask the question: Why is the issue raised only now, when the buildings are already 95-percent completed? If the environmental implications of the construction are pressing and urgent, why wait over a year before raising it? The protests against it could have been raised from day 1,” he said.

Jang also pointed out that while the condominium buildings would house Koreans in the near future, they could house Filpinos later as the Koreans who would live there would be tasked to train and educate Filipinos to be world-class shipbuilders.

The chamber president appealed to all concerned parties to “adopt an unbiased and non-partisan approach” to the issue, especially as Hanjin “is seriously considering an investment for a larger [shipbuilding facility] in Mindanao.”

“We implore the concerned parties to immediately clear this issue in the most efficient manner, without creating any more damage to the Hanjin Heavy Industries…In all instances, Hanjin never violated any Philippine law and rule or regulation. The KCCP assures that Hanjin will always undertake activities which are beneficial not only to itself, but also to the Philippine economy and the Filipinos in general,” he said.

The KCCP claimed that Korea was the biggest foreign direct investor in the Philippines in 2006, putting in P53 billion that year.