As soon as Timothy's family were taken care of, they promptly head towards the Raffles Place where the meeting will be held.

The black BMW slid quietly through the streets of downtown Singapore, gliding past mirrored towers and perfectly trimmed greenery.

Timothy sat at the back beside Hana, who was reviewing files on her tablet. The car's digital dashboard displayed their destination, Raffles Place.

Hana glanced up briefly. "Fifteen minutes until the meeting," she said. "The executives are already waiting for our arrival."

Timothy nodded. "Good."

The car slowed as it entered the circular driveway of a tall, silver-glass skyscraper, the TG Mobility Singapore Headquarters, nestled among the towers of Raffles Place. Uniformed security guards greeted them with polite bows before opening the doors.

Timothy and Hana stepped out and entered the lobby.

"Good morning, Mr. Guerrero, Ms. Seo," said a receptionist, bowing slightly.

"The executives are waiting in the boardroom. Please, this way."

Timothy nodded and motioned for Hana to follow. As they entered the elevator, they waited patiently as it took them to their desired floor. While at it, Timothy looked at his reflection and swept his hand over his hair, making himself look good.

The elevator doors slid open with a muted tone, revealing a sleek corridor lined with glass panels and a dark marble floor that reflected the warm ceiling lights. The TG Mobility logo gleamed proudly at the entrance of the executive boardroom.

A young assistant stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Good morning, Mr. Guerrero, Ms. Seo. The board is assembled and waiting for you."

"Thank you," Timothy said, and together, they entered.

The boardroom stretched wide and minimalist, floor-to-ceiling windows offered a commanding view of Marina Bay, the cityscape glittering under the late-morning sun. A long carbon-black table dominated the center, surrounded by eight leather chairs. At the far end, four figures stood as Timothy and Hana approached.

Akira Sato, the CTO, was the first to greet them.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Guerrero," he said in a firm, accented tone.

Next was Mei Ling Tan, the CFO. "Mr. Guerrero. Welcome back to Singapore."

"It's good to be back, it's been like so long since I last saw you guys," Timothy said.

Beside her stood Angela Cruz. "How was home Mr. Guerrero? I believed the Filipino people are purchasing more and more TG cars."

"Yes you can see them a lot in the streets," Timothy replied, chuckling.

Angela laughed, and beside her, Robert Vaughn, the COO, stood with his arms crossed. "Mr. Guerrero," he said gruffly, shaking his hand.

"Mr. Vaughn."

The group settled into their seats as Hana connected her tablet to the boardroom display. The TG Mobility logo faded into a presentation screen showcasing Expansion Phase.

"Now let's get started on the meeting," Timothy said. "As you all know, the demand for our cars is increasing so drastically that the Subic Gigafactory wouldn't meet such demand. Therefore, it is imperative that we increase our output to meet the demands. How so? Well, by opening a new gigafactories. I believe you guys made contact with the government of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia for their desire that our company invest in them"

He looked at Robert. "That would be you, Mr. Vaughn. You have the floor, please explain to us the prospect of building gigafactories in their country."

Robert adjusted the touchscreen on the table, and the display shifted to a new slide, a regional map of Southeast Asia marked with four bright red pins: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

He leaned forward, resting both hands on the edge of the table. "Alright," he began , "here's the big picture. We're not building four gigafactories, that'd be overkill. What we're creating is a regional supply chain ecosystem. Each country fills a very specific role in production, cost efficiency, and logistics."

He tapped the first pin.

"Thailand — Rayong."

A photo of an industrial estate appeared beside the map.

"This is where we build the main gigafactory. It's a full-scale EV production facility with an annual capacity of 500,000 units. Rayong's already home to Toyota and BYD's manufacturing networks, which gives us access to existing suppliers and a trained automotive workforce. The Thai government's EV incentive program slashes import duties and provides tax holidays for up to eight years."

He swiped to the next slide.

"Indonesia — Bekasi and Batang."

"Indonesia's not for cars, it's for batteries," Robert explained. "We'll build a battery cell and pack plant capable of 20 gigawatt-hours per year. Indonesia's nickel reserves are the largest in the world, and with new local refining laws, producing our own lithium–nickel cells here will cut our material costs by nearly 30%. Instead of importing battery cells, we'll assemble and ship them straight to Subic and Rayong."

Timothy nodded slightly. "Local sourcing and reduced shipping costs, smart."

"Exactly," Robert replied, switching to the next slide.

"Vietnam — Haiphong."

"This one's a final assembly and component hub. Vietnam's workforce is skilled in electronics and precision assembly, especially around Haiphong and Hanoi. We'll handle production of smaller EV components, infotainment systems, modules, and sensor boards, before final assembly for 300,000 units per year. The logistics network from Haiphong gives us direct export lanes to northern ASEAN and southern China."

Angela, the CMO, interjected with interest. "So, we can push the TG Mobility brand deeper into China without crossing the political barriers?"

"Exactly," Robert confirmed. "Vietnam's proximity gives us a backdoor into the southern Chinese EV market while staying under ASEAN trade agreements."

He tapped the final red pin on the map.

"Malaysia — Johor Bahru."

"This won't be a car plant," Robert said, turning to Timothy. "It's a charging-equipment and power electronics facility, inverters, charging docks, transformers, and smart-grid components. Johor's just across from Singapore, which means easy port access and regional distribution. This plant will support ASEAN's EV infrastructure, not just our cars."

Mei Ling spoke up, eyes on the numbers displayed on the bottom corner of the screen. "Strategically distributed production, minimized tariffs under the ASEAN Free Trade Area, and diversified currency exposure. Financially, this model reduces regional risk by 40%."

Akira Sato nodded. "And technologically, it keeps our supply chain secure. Battery tech stays in-house, and the regional hubs let us scale without depending on a single site."

Wait, you must be wondering? Why don't Timothy just build all of those in the Philippines instead of spreading them out in other countries? Isn't he stupid?

Well there is a reason for that. One of which is taxes and bureaucracy.

Building multiple gigafactories in the Philippines sounds patriotic, but in reality, it's economically impractical. The Philippines has some of the highest corporate and import tax rates in Southeast Asia, coupled with lengthy permit processing and unstable policy consistency. Every expansion requires wading through layers of government paperwork, and even with Timothy's influence, time was still money.

There is also a tariff structure as well.

Exporting cars from the Philippines to other ASEAN nations is expensive and inefficient. Every unit shipped from Subic or Batangas carries heavy logistics costs, import duties, freight charges, and additional tariffs that make TG Mobility vehicles less competitive once they reach foreign markets. Despite ASEAN's free-trade agreements, not every country applies full exemptions, especially for finished automobiles. These extra expenses can raise prices by as much as 15 to 25 percent, eroding the company's profit margins.

That's why Timothy's strategy wasn't about abandoning the Philippines, it was about localizing production across the region. By building gigafactories and assembly hubs inside each major market, TG Mobility could avoid cross-border tariffs entirely. A car built in Thailand could be sold within mainland Southeast Asia at a lower cost. Battery cells produced in Indonesia could be delivered directly to Rayong or Subic without import taxes. And Vietnam's assembly hub would allow faster distribution into northern ASEAN and China without the heavy shipping markups.

But if Timothy was going to build those facilities? Then what of the Philippine gigafactory?

The answer is simple, the Philippines remains the heart of TG Mobility. Subic isn't just another production site; it's the company's command and innovation center, the birthplace of every TG car design, prototype, and new platform. While Thailand and the others focus on mass production, Subic will evolve into a research, engineering, and export hub.

During the construction of those new plants, the Philippines will continue to export vehicles to neighboring ASEAN markets to sustain demand. But once the regional ecosystem is complete, Subic's role will shift toward developing new models, testing future EV technologies, and serving as the strategic headquarters that synchronizes all operations across Asia, the brain of TG Mobility's regional empire.

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