ALLHC sees benefits from higher US tariffs

MANILA, Philippines — AyalaLand Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC) is expecting to benefit from the higher tariffs imposed by the United States on most of its trade partners.

During the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting yesterday, ALLHC president and CEO Robert Lao said recent macroeconomic shift offer a potential advantage for the company.

“The enhanced attractiveness of the Philippines as an investment hub is expected to boost demand for its industrial parks, warehouses and cold storage facilities,” Lao said.

“Moreover, the Philippines’ competitive rates within ASEAN could make our sites a preferred location for manufacturers, directly benefiting ALLHC as they seek new operational sites,” he said.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump slapped a 17-percent reciprocal tariff on all Philippine goods.

The tariff is lower than those imposed on the country’s Southeast Asian neighbors with Cambodia at 49 percent, Vietnam at 46 percent, Thailand at 36 percent, Indonesia at 32 percent and Malaysia at 24 percent.

After several countries asked to negotiate with the US on the tariffs, Trump decided to temporarily pause most reciprocal tariffs, including those on the Philippines.

Trump authorized a 90-day pause and substantially lowered the reciprocal tariffs to 10 percent for most countries, including the Philippines.

“Through a dynamic approach, ALLHC will proactively adapt to the evolving requirements of these foreign and local clients, and navigate the shifting business climate,” Lao said.

Last month, ALLHC beefed up its footprint with the acquisition of two logistics parks in Pangasinan and Iloilo.

The two logistic parks mark ALLHC’s sixth and seventh additions to its Artico Cold Chain brand.

Lao said the move is a step forward to the company’s aspiration of nationwide presence in key regional growth hubs.

“The acquisitions immediately add over 11,000 new pallet positions, increasing the total cold storage capacity to 31,500 and over 15,000 square meters of dry storage, bringing the total dry storage gross leasable area to approximately 355,000 square meters,” he said.

For this year, ALLHC plans to augment growth by increasing its industrial park footprint with expansions for existing technoparks.

It likewise expects the warehouse leasing and cold storage segments to grow with the addition of new sites and facilities to the leasing portfo lio.