US Still Mindanao's Top Export Market

The United States is still the top export market of Mindanao.

Data from the Mindanao Economic Development Council shows that 25% of Mindanao's exported products go to the United States making it the island's top export market providing $378.65 million worth of export earnings to the island.

The top two export market of Mindanao is Japan which accounted for 20% of the island's export earnings. Mindanao registered a total of $309.19 million in export earnings from Japan for the first semester of the year.

Indonesia and Taiwan ranks as the 8th and 9th top destination of Mindanao's export products during the same period. The amount of products exported by Mindanao to Indonesia increased seven-fold from $4 million during the first six months of 2007 to $34 million during the said period this year. Mindanao's export to Taiwan on the other hand increased by almost 70% from $18 million during the first semester of 2007 to $31 million during the same period this year.

The other major export market of Mindanao are Netherlands, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran and Singapore.

P420M Davao Port Expansion Now 81.44% Complete

The P420.22 million Davao City Port project is already 81.44% completed and is expected to be fully complete by January 2009. This was the report made by Secretary Jesus Dureza during the 3rd National Government Infrastructure Forum held at the Marco Polo Hotel this morning.

Dureza said the rehabilitation of the quay is already completed and what remains to be done is the expansion of the port. The project, he said, started in August 2006.

The Davao Port Expansion project is only one among the many infrastructure projects for Mindanao being fast tracked by president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before her term ends in 2010.

“We only have 600 working days to ensure we complete what needs to be completed,” Mindanao Economic Development Council undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana, Sr. said.

Leyterana said infrastructure enhances the delivery of services, encourages the mobility of people and opens new areas of economic development. He said Mindanao has always been referred to as a strategic region with rich natural resources but “without infrastructure we can’t hope that these resources will be used for the benefit of Mindanao and the whole country.

A total of P993.09 million worthy of seaport projects, including the Davao City Port project and the Cagayan de Oro Port Development Project (worth P572.87 million) are actually expected to be completed simultaneously by January next year, Dureza said.

The upgrading and rehabilitation of the Cagayan de Oro port has been completed and the construction of a back up area for the newly constructed wharf is already 93.37% complete.
All these projects are being fast tracked through the Pro-Performance System which is committed not only to the delivery of priority infrastructure projects but also in ensuring that the projects are implemented with full transparency.