MBC Chair gives PGMA an 8.5 rating

Mindanao’s business sector has given President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo a high passing rate if only for her contribution to the development of Mindanao’s infrastructure.

“If we are to rate her for her performance for the past nine years I would give her an 8 or an 8.5,” Mindanao Business Council chairperson Vicente Lao said yesterday even before the President could deliver her State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Lao said the President has been performing quite well in the areas of infrastructure, economy and human capital development.

“We never had a president who has very pronounced policies on human capital development and who has focused so much in solving the infrastructure problems of Mindanao,” he said.

Arroyo, he said, has given specific instructions that all infrastructure projects in Mindanao be completed before her term ends. Economy-wise, he added, Arroyo has also performed well considering that her administration has been unlucky with the global economic crisis.

Lao cited Arroyo’s scholarship programs for human resources development to prepare the Filipinos skills-wise. He said the President’s program ensured that even if the government can’t provide jobs for all its people, then they are properly trained for work abroad.

However, Lao cited the lack of livelihood opportunities for Mindanao. Without livelihood, he added, there will be no development and no peace at all. “People do not even know where to look for jobs,” he said.

This is the reason why it is hard for these people to appreciate what the government is doing for them, he added.

Arroyo stressed the completion of various infrastructure projects specifically in Mindanao during her term. She said the Davao International Airport has been completed during her administration

Investors Urged: Put Money In Mindanao Livelihood Projects

Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao urged investors attending the Mindanao Investment Conference which opened at the Marco Polo Hotel Tuesday day to put their money on livelihood projects for Mindanao even as he said no amount of economic growth can justify the increase in poverty incidence in the island.

Over 300 participants from the business and government sectors, peoples organizations and non government organizations joined the Investment Conference.

“We have the idea that the region’s economy is doing well but the increase in poverty incidence belies that,” Lao said. Mindanao, he added, is the second largest island but it lags behind in terms of economy as shown by the fact that 16 of the 23 poorest provinces in the country are in Mindanao.

Lao said Mindanao’s insurgency problem is caused by lack of opportunities in the region that is why these people have to do something else instead of making a living.

“Let us throw away the parochial concept of investment because it is no longer economically profitable to grow everything in your backyard,” he said. Instead he added, people should develop the networking concept and the value chain concept of supply and demand.

He said it would be more viable for the island to work as a whole network group where one product is produced by another area, using resources from another area and similar networking arrangements.

Lao also urged the community to help promote small and medium enterprises citing the SME’s role in Davao City’s economic turn-around.

“The 36,860 business permits issued by the city of Davao last year is evident of the SME’s role in promoting development,” Lao said. He said the conduct of the Mindanao Investment Conference will hopefully equip SME’s with inputs to manage their businesses

Mindanao Talk Show Kicks Off Nov. 19

A Mindanao talk show dubbed as "Talk Mindanao" will be launched on November 19, 2008 on Channels 15 and 28 of Sky Cable Network. The show, which will be aired from 1o p.m. to 11 p.m every Wednesday, will be seen in Davao City, General Santos City, Tagum and Zamboanga City.

The show is a good opportunity for Mindanaoans who want to know about the latest news and issues affecting the island including its economy, peace and order, business and other advocacy.

"We hope to highlight the different opportunities in Mindanao especially in investments," Mindanao Business Council chairman Vicente Lao said. On the other hand, Mindanao Economic Development Council Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana said that aside from providing vital information to businessmen "the show will also give various updates on peace and development to Mindanao's different stakeholders."

The newest talk show in and about Mindanao, which replaced the live interview program Mindanao Business Talk, will be managed jointly by Medco and MinBC.

Mining Industry At Center Stage During Davao Mining Summit

The mining industry is at center stage during the two day Mining Summit being held at the Watefront Insular Hotel from September 18-19, 2008. The top agenda during the summit is government bureaucracy vis a vis the approval of mining exploration permits. It is ironic that that the Philippines is known to have large areas with mineral deposits and yet it is not even included in the Top 50 List of countries with large mining investments.

Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao noted the prevailing "red tape" experienced by companies applying for their mining exploration permits. He said the government should look into this and should be less stringent in its regulations considering that a mining exploration application takes from five to ten years before it is even approved.

"The application for mining explorations should not take long because this stage is already a great risk to the investor since there is no guarantee that the site being explored would yield minerals," Lao said.

The MBC is advocating for responsible mining, he said, but said the government should give more support to the industry as it can contribute to the country's economy. He said environmental issues would not be disregarded if only the procedures are simplified and red tape is lessened if not eradicated.

GRP-Business Forum On MILF MOA Pushes Through Today

August 18 may be a holiday but the Mindanao Business Council considers it a regular working day by sponsoring a whole day Dialogue between the business sector and the government of the Republic of the Philippines . The Dialogue will focus on the Memorandum of Agreement that would have been signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front just this month had the Supreme Court not issued a TRO.

The MOA which was based on the Tripoli Agreement on Peace of 2001 between the MILF and the Philippine government has become controversial not only because of the Ancestral Domain Aspect but because it placed additional Mindanao territories under the MILF management sans consultation from the local government units concerned. The economic and political liberties that would have been given to the MILF as a result of the MOA has also stirred majority of the Filipinos since it would in effect create a separate republic.

Among those who will attended today's forum are Government of the Philippine Negotiating Panel-MILF(GPNP-MILF) chairman Secretary Rodolfo C. Garcia, National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Undersecretary Nabil Tan, Office of the Presidential Assistant of the Peace Process or OPAPP lawyer Jose Lorena, Mindanao Economic Development Council Chair Virgilio Leyterana, North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Pinol, Sultan Kudarat Vice Governor Donato Ligo as well as officials of other local governments in Mindanao.

The various business sector representatives from the Chambers of Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro City, Kidapawan City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato City and Midsayap will also be present during the Dialogue. Also expected to be present are Department of Agriculture Director Roger Chiu, Department of Agriculture Director Ricardo Calderon, Department of Trade and Industry Director Marizon Loreto, and Department of Justice's Atty. Antonio Arellano.