Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Co., a homegrown global engineering firm, is ramping up its workforce by more than double to some 7,000 skilled workers as new contracts usher its return to the Philippine heavy industry construction market.
AG&P said in a statement it had been awarded major contracts that would be implemented over a two-year period and which would create 5,000 jobs in the country including those for engineers, welders, painters, cutters, fitters, electrical and instrumentation experts.
“AG&P expects to play a significant role in the Philippines’ new era of infrastructure and development and is already participating in major projects as a main, general or electro-mechanical contractor,” said Alexander Gamboa, AG&P vice president for business development in the Philippines.
AG&P also has local teams across Southeast Asia, North Asia, Australia, North America, Latin America and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
“These major awards (for local projects) will create excellent opportunities for local Filipino workers to obtain world-class skills, professional training and hands-on experience while providing a significant contribution to the Philippine economy,” Gamboa said.
“They will be trained to deliver international standards of quality, with the technical capability to build, erect, install and maintain these complex facilities,” he added.
Started in 1900, AG&P said it built 90 percent of the country’s prewar bridges and the first lubricating oil refinery in the country.
Earlier, AG&P chair Jose Leviste said AG&P intended to play a significant part in delivering innovative solutions for the next phase of the country’s growth and development, with a focus on energy and industrial infrastructure.