The
presence of President Benigno S. Aquino III, as well as 10 Cabinet Secretaries
during the opening of the 22nd Mindanao Business Conference at SMX
Convention Center in Davao City Thursday (Aug 8) spelled renewed confidence to
Mindanao after the series of bombing in Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) on July 26 in
Cotabato City on August 5 and Datu Piang, Maguindanao on August 7.
The
President, who arrived almost on time for his 10:30 AM keynote address to the
over 1,000 business and government delegates to the Minbizcon, did not waste
time and immediately addressed the top concerns of Mindanao today--peace and security
as well as the power problem.
“We
gather today at a turning point in the history of Mindanao—where this region’s
complete transformation from the Land of Promise to the Land of Promises
Fulfilled is close at hand,” Mr. Aquino said. However, he enumerated three
reasons why this promise has remained elusive to Mindanao: greed over land
which has led to the cycle of violence, lack of foresight which led to the
power problem and adherence to old solutions which led to the “vicious cycle of
impunity and corruption.”
peace and order
While
he proudly announced the milestones achieved by his administration in
addressing the peace and security issues in Mindanao including the signing of
the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the signing of the second
annex of the agreement last month, he also admitted the existence of
“challenges to our stability”. He was referring to the CDO bombing.
“This
is a desperate act by a small sector dead set against the attainment of peace
in Mindanao,” he said. The government, he added, have been working for a long
time to neutralize these elements and have had quite a few successes.
While
the President refused to reveal more information about the ongoing
investigation on the CDO and Cotabato bombings until he has conferred with his
security group, he took a hard stand against the culprits.
“To
those willing to partner with us for peace, we welcome you as brothers; but to
those who want to challenge the authority of the State, you will feel the full
brunt, depth, and might of the State’s response. You will not get in the way of
the peace and the stability that will help fulfill the potential of Mindanao.
During
the press conference held immediately after his Keynote Speech, Mr. Aquino said
the initial assessment of the security group on the bombings is that “three
small and loose groups have joined forces and are now desperate to block the
Mindanao peace process.”
He
said the country’s security groups have been tasked to implement a “hard stand”
against these threats. “We are a democratic country but we have many freedoms
that they can exploit,” he said.
“I
am calling on greater citizen involvement to act as force multiplier to our
security services,” he said, He said greater involvement from the people will
discourage terrorism.
power crisis
While
he admitted that some parts of Mindanao were experiencing eight-hour brownouts
a few months ago, he said the government did everything, from rehabilitating
existing power plants to purchasing or renting generator sets and setting up a
loan facility for electric cooperatives, to tide Mindanao over until 2015 when
the government will be able to address the power deficit.
“Right
now, we are on track to end the energy deficit by 2015—during which we foresee
Mindanao to already have a surplus,” he said. However, he chided those who are opposing
the generator sets, saying that they are either too expensive or harmful to the
environment now that it is the rainy season. “Come the dry season, will we
expect the litany of complaints about brownouts to resume?” he asked.
Mr.
Aquino blamed Mindanao’s power problems to “the years of complacency and
short-sightedness” which came as a result of the island having the best of both
worlds.
“As
much as we wanted to, we could not solve this problem overnight. 200 megawatts
of power cannot be bought in a corner hardware store. It takes a minimum of
three years to build a coal power plant, which is why the moment we stepped
into office, we worked to enact the structural changes necessary to attract
more investors in the power sector in Mindanao,” he said.
Sebastian
Angliongto, another pillar in Davao and Mindanao’s business sector, said he is
very confident that all the peace and security problems will be addressed in
due time. However, he said, Mindanao has many concerns including power which
should be addressed by the Aquino administration in preparation for the Asean
economic integration.
Former
Davao Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. President Joji Ilagan Bian said
Aquino’s presence in the Minbizcon is a boost to the confidence of Mindanao’s
business sector. She said most Presidents have attended the Conference during
their first year in office but Aquino failed to do that. However, she added, he
made up for it by being here during his third year.
“The
President addressed Mindanao’s economy, infrastructure problems and logistics
and these are very important issues for business people in Mindanao,” she said.
If you are doing business here in Mindanao, she added, then power is a very
serious concern and he has managed to focus on that. However, she said, “I
wished he also mentioned the aquaculture and marine industries since we are
very rich with this.”
