ARMM welcomes power, agri-business investors

• Source: http://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/10/armm-welcomes-power-agri-business-investors/
• Friday, November 11, 2016

By Antonio L. Colina IV

Davao City — A top official of the Bangsamoro Develop Agency (BDA) said that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) welcomes investors as he acknowledged that the private sector is the “real engine of change”.

BDA chairman Saffrullah M. Dipatuan said in an interview he hopes to see more investors from power and agribusiness coming to the five-province ARMM after the crafting of a final peace pact between government (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“The real engine of growth is the private sector. The government can only provide the basic fundamentals for growth and development,” he said.

To further the agribusiness growth, he revealed plans to develop the Polloc Port in Parang, Maguindanao into an international seaport to accommodate international shipping lines that will trigger development in the Bangsamoro area.

Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Jesus Dureza urged businessmen to consider investing in less developed areas and provide opportunities for the people there.

“This should send a strong message to many businessmen, if you invest in affected areas you also get the benefits when the peace comes,” he said.

Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) chair Abul Khayr Dancal Alonto bannered the Mindanao Development Corridors program that is geared towards making tbe island a competitive player in the Brunei, Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia Philippines – East Asean Growth Area, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the larger world economy.

Alonto, who chairs one of the factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said that because every single peso invested in Mindanao is an investment in peace and progress, he is optimistic that “this is an exciting time for Mindanao” where the country’s president is from.