CHAPTER 58: THIS IS THE START!

December 20th, 2024. Raffles Place – Ms. Lim’s Office

It was ten in the morning, and Timothy sat at the long conference table. Today was important. For the first time, he would meet the full executive team of TG Mobility Holdings.

The door opened.

Dr. Akira Sato came in first, dressed in a gray suit. He gave Timothy a small nod and sat down quietly.

Next was Robert Vaughn. Broad, tall, and serious, he carried a notepad in hand and immediately sat with his arms crossed.

Then came Mei Ling Tan, calm and professional with her folder of documents. She greeted Timothy politely before taking her seat.

Angela Cruz followed. She looked approachable, smiling as she entered, her cream blazer making her stand out.

Last came Seo Hana. She wore a lavender blouse and black skirt, holding a tablet and notebook. She sat beside Timothy, right on his side, ready to take notes.

Timothy glanced at them all. These were no longer just names on paper—they were his executives. His team.

Ms. Lim spoke first. "Everyone, this is the first official meeting of TG Mobility Holdings. Mr. Guerrero will open the session."

All eyes turned to Timothy.

He cleared his throat. "Good morning. Thank you for being here. You already know why I brought you together. TG Mobility Holdings is not just another setup. I am sure you are aware of the vast capital of this company right?"

All of them nodded, aware of the financial standing of the company.

"I could have spent it all to live a lavish life without worrying about running out of money. However, I have an ambition and that is to use that money to start a business, and that business is the automotive industry. My vision for this company is it to become the top automotive in the world rivaling the established giants. The world is shifting, ladies and gentlemen. Countries around the world are pushing for green energy solutions. I believe my technology that I have shown to you will be the vital piece to achieve the goal of every nation around the world."

He paused as his gaze swept on them.

"Now my task for you, my executives, is to prepare a plan to build a gigafactory in the Philippines, preferably in Subic. Not only a gigafactory but a lithium refinery plant, cathode and anode plant, data centers... we are going to build the first EV manufacturing infrastructure in the Philippines. I want to know how much it would cost us, the potential partners to construct it."

Dr. Akira Sato was the first to respond. He adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly. "For a facility of that scale, battery plant, vehicle assembly, and supporting plants, we are easily looking at three to four billion U.S. dollars in capital expenditure. And that is only for the initial build. We also need to secure long-term contracts for lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other rare materials. Without a steady supply, even the most advanced gigafactory will fail."

Robert Vaughn leaned forward. "Construction alone will take at least three years, even if we move fast. Subic is a good location—deep-water port, wide roads, freeport incentives—but the manpower and equipment will have to be mobilized quickly. We’ll need thousands of workers and several major contractors."

"Tesla built a gigafactory in China in just 168 days, I want it completed in one year," Timothy said, looking at Robert who was the Chief Operating Officer. "You worked with them right?"

"I did, and one year huh? You are truly an ambitious individual, Mr. Guerrero. Anyways, a year of construction of a gigafactory. Well, it’s feasible so long as we have the support of the government."

"They will support it," Angela, the Chief Marketing Officer, interjected. "A company investing at least four billion dollars, and what’s more the founder being a Filipino, it will be the biggest story in the country. The government won’t ignore this. They’ll race to claim credit for supporting you."

Mei Ling Tan nodded in agreement. "Angela is right. The Philippines will bend rules for this project. The key is to frame it as a national achievement. Once we do that, both local and foreign investors will pour in. I can already see financial institutions offering low-interest loans just to be associated with us."

"Loans? But we have an eight billion dollar capital," Timothy tilted his head to the side. "I don’t want loans."

"Loans are not bad, Mr. Guerrero," Tan replied. "Even if you have the capital, leveraging outside funds gives you more breathing room. It also spreads the risk. If we use only your money, all the burden is on you. But if we involve banks and institutions, they’ll have a stake in making sure this project succeeds."

Timothy tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. "So you’re saying let them share the risk while we keep control?"

"Exactly," Tan said with a slight nod. "We don’t need to take on large debt, just enough to involve them. It will make governments and financiers more cooperative. They’ll see us not as a private project, but as a shared investment in the Philippines’ future."

"That makes sense," Timothy admitted. "Okay include it in the presentation."

"Understood," Tan replied.

Dr. Sato cleared his throat. "Aside from financing, we must move quickly on technology licensing. If we want to produce in a year, we need machinery orders placed within the next two months. The equipment alone will take months to ship and install."

"I’ll start contacting suppliers this week," Robert added. "Japan, Korea, Germany—we’ll need all of them."

"Good," Timothy grinned, seemingly satisfied with the potential of his executives.

"Mr. Guerrero, if I may," Angela chimed. "You are going to set up a subsidiary under the mobility holdings, is that correct?"

"Yes, the TG Motor Philippines, it’s going to be the operational headquarters. All the EV cars manufactured in that plant will then be exported to our Asean neighbors, the European Union, United States, East Asia...basically everyone. Why do you have a problem with our model?"

"I just wanted to raise it because setting up a subsidiary means we’ll need another set of executives—country-level leadership, HR, legal, compliance, plant directors. TG Mobility Holdings is your umbrella, but TG Motors Philippines will need people on the ground making daily decisions."

"That’s the intention," Timothy said and flickered his gaze to Hana. "Hana, as my secretary, you are to set up a meeting between me and the top headhunting firm in the Philippines to locate the executives that we need to run the TG Motors Philippines."

Hana took down notes and acknowledged. "Yes Mr. Guerrero. Do you have a preferred date?"

Timothy hummed in thought then answered. "I want you to set it up after Christmas, and you are going to the Philippines to accompany me."

"Understood."

"Okay, you ladies and gentlemen know each of your roles. I want a detailed presentation by the first day of the year. Good luck!"