President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has appointed Frederick Go, vice chairman of Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corporation (LIPAD), to serve as head of the Office of Special Assistant to the President in Investments and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA).
With a rank of a Secretary, Go was appointed after the creation of said office with the issuance of Executive Order No. 49 on December 15, 2023, Malacanang announced on Monday.
Prior to his appointment, Go has been serving Presidential Adviser on investments and economy as well since January this year. Aside from his post in LIPAD, Go is also the president of Robinsons Land Inc., the development arm of the JG Summit, the holding firm of the Gokongweis. He is also the president of Universal Resorts and Hotels, Inc. which built Nustar Casino and Resort, a P25-billion, 5-star integrated resort complex in Cebu.
Go and his team at LIPAD is widely credited for the recognition of the Clark International Airport as one of the world’s most beautiful airports by the Prix Versailles, the World Architecture and Design Award at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Malacañang said that OSAPIEA “shall ensure effective integration, coordination and implementation of the various economic policies and programs of the government.” It will also “assist the President by providing him timely, relevant and strategic advice on economic matters and concerns, including among others, inflation, food security, and the increasing prices of key commodities.”
EO 49 gives Go chairmanship in the Economic Development Group, formerly known as the economic cluster in the Cabinet. Vice Chairs are secretaries of DOF and NEDA. It will also “supervise and monitor, on behalf of the President, the NEDA, DOF, DBM, DTI and their respective attached agencies such as the Board of Investments, PEZA and Securities and Exchange Commission to ensure effective and efficient implementation of their respective priority initiatives …”
Go, known also as Special Assistant of the President on Investments and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) will also serve as permanent representative of the Executive Secretary in the Fiscal Incentives and Review Board under EO 49.
Clark Investors and Locators Association President Frankie Villanueva is happy to note of Sec. Go’s appointment, saying that the latter has been helping the locators in Clark.
He is optimistic and said that “Sec. Go is from the private sector and he knows what we need.”
Aside from his multi role in the private sector, Go is recipient of many awards and recognitions. He was 2023 Person of the Year by the Rotary International District 3810, 2021 Property Man of the Year by the FIABCI Prix D’Excellence and 2020 Real Estate CEO of the Year for Southeast Asia by the Global Banking and Finance Review.
