BAGUIO CITY – Semiconductor giant Texas Instruments Philippines Inc. (Tipi) may be losing because of the recession in the United States, but it may yet find a new lease on life – as a tourist destination.

The city council is studying a proposed resolution to open up the Baguio City Economic Zone, where Tipi and other factories operate, to industrial tourism in light of a crisis that is hurting its top manufacturers.

Tipi was the first American-led firm here to lay off employees when US officials acknowledged the recession last year.

“Giving the public an opportunity to see and learn how and where their very interesting products are used … these [ecozone manufacturers] would be able to attract technical tourists, which in [turn] would make the city of Baguio a global tourist destination,” said Councilor Perlita Chan-Rondez, the resolution’s sponsor.

The measure was drawn up late last year.

Rondez said people would be interested in seeing how Tipi and Moog Controls Phils operate.

“[Tipi] manufactures high performance chips used for networking and software application [as well as] the stack die used in 3G (third generation technology) phones,” the resolution said.

Moog, a subsidiary of the New York-based firm founded by inventor William Moog, should draw interest because it manufactures “precision control components and systems for commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles,” it said.

Both firms are highly secured and public access to its factories is restricted.

The council is urging Peza to “open up [BCEZ’s] doors … by showcasing their products and allowing guided and scheduled tours within their state-of-the-art company premises, as part of a newly-packaged industrial tour in the city of Baguio.”

The resolution is addressed to lawyer Dante Quindoza, BCEZ zone administrator, but his office has yet to issue a statement on the proposal.

The Department of Labor and Employment has recorded 411 layoffs and beneficiaries of early retirement packages at Tipi from December last year to January this year, said lawyer Ana Dione, DOLE Cordillera director.

A Tipi slowdown has serious consequences on local revenues.

The council measure said Tipi is the single biggest exporter in the city. It was the country’s top exporter in the electronics sector in the 1990s.

Electronics and semiconductors still comprise 70 percent of shipments, which are exported to other countries, according to the National Economic and Development Authority.