President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday emphasized the need for a more resilient local supply chain amid challenges disrupting business operations and food supply.

President Marcos led the opening ceremony of the Maersk Optimus Distribution Center in Calamba, Laguna, where he underscored the importance of logistics centers in ensuring supply chain continuity, especially in the post-pandemic landscape.

“The lessons learned from the pandemic are that those supply chains have to be robust, and when such tragedy such as the pandemic hits us, that we still have the capability to move people and goods around,” he said.

The President highlighted the Maersk facility as one of the essential nodes in the supply chain.

“Everything that we receive in our homes, all the deliveries that we receive in our businesses have to go through a facility like this so that – they are organized as you can see – the goods that need to be moved on to their final destination,” he said.

The P4.8 billion Maersk Optimus Distribution Center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and is expected to serve as a fulfillment center catering to the CALABARZON Region.

It is also projected to support import and export activities, further strengthening the region’s logistics capabilities. | PND