Homegrown talent Saturnino “Ning” Mejia, the newly appointed general manager of the National Development Co. (NDC), the investment arm of the government under the Department of Trade and Industry, vowed to revive the old mandate of the agency to pursue few but big and impactful investments in the manufacturing sector, away from startups or innovation projects.
Following his appointment by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., Mejia was officially sworn in by DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque as the new General Manager of the National Development Company on December 16, 2024. Mejia replaced Antonilo DC. Mauricio who has moved on to pursue other interests in the private sector.
“We will go back to the old NDC model of big industry and manufacturing, and tone down on startups or innovation. NDC is not for startups,” said Mejia. He echoed the desire of Board of Investments Managing Head Ceferino Domingo for NDC to undertake one or two big, impactful projects.
He also vowed to leverage its huge landholdings or the Laurel-Langley lands that NDC inherited from the multinational partners. During the late President Marcos era, NDC invested in catalyst manufacturing industries, such as fertilizer, steel, mining, economic zones, copper smelting, among others. The former president, father of the sitting President Bong Bong, dreamed of an industrialized Philippines by investing in these pioneering industries and become a big player in the global value chain. Unfortunately, these projects, which were later on sold to the private sector, did not progress nor achieve the desired goals.
Mejia started his government career at NDC as Senior Manager II in 1999. He has been serving the NDC for a long 25 years. Prior to his appointment as General Manager, Mejia served as the NDC’s Assistant General Manager of the Special Projects Group for 25 years. He oversaw functions related to the development of new businesses in joint ventures with NDC via equity investments.
The Special Projects Group is responsible for project evaluation, due diligence and detailed analysis of the viability, technical feasibility, and economic and social desirability of various projects.
With extensive experience in joint ventures, corporate finance, project evaluation and management, feasibility studies, public-private partnerships, and macroeconomic analysis, Mejia helped promote investments in areas such as renewable energy, industrial estate development, and health and technology innovations.
He holds a Master of Science in Policy Science (Monbusho Scholarship Grant) from the International Graduate School of Policy Science, Saitama University, Japan, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.
On November 30, 1936, NDC was made a state-owned company via Commonwealth Act 182 which also gave its present name. It was mandated to function as the government’s investment arm. NDC has developed, financed and implemented pioneering projects vital to the sustainability of the government’s structural reforms and economic policies.
