MINBIZTALK

THE POWER OF THE BARANGAYS

2010-10-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

There is so much frenzy and campaigning now in all of the barangays in the country. Why is the position of the Barangay kapitan and Kagawads so hotly contested? Do you know that there are quite a number who would kill for this position. In the past, I had never participated in the barangay elections and so many of my friends and colleagues too; not knowing that these kapitan and kagawads play a very critical role during the national and local elections. They can make a Mayor or even a President win or lose in their barangays. These people are the ones who get and deliver the votes of their areas. When I run for congress in the last elections; it is always the kapitans that you go to first when you enter their area as a sign of respect to their position. Most of the kapitans that I met were courteous and really helped me get around but of course delivering the votes was another issue.

So it is no wonder why so many local officials from the Congressmen down to the Mayors and their Councilor support the campaign of kapitans and kagawad candidates who can help them get the votes in future elections. I know that this electoral process must be “non political” and so national and particularly local officials. However this is not the reality on the ground and we all know that.

The barangay system is what makes the Philippines the community oriented country of the world. The core LGU (Local Government Unit) of the Philippines is the barangay and they are governed by the Kapitan and kagawads (council) who are elected into office every three years by popular vote of the registered voters.

Barangays are further subdivided into smaller areas called Puroks or Zone. A sitio is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. As of today , there are around 48,000 barangays all over the country.

Powers of Barangay
What are the powers of the barangay? The 1991 Local Government Code is one of the landmark legislations ever passed in Philippine Congress during Pres. Cory Aquino's term. Basically, this decentralization law has three features: it devolves power, authority, and growth (in a grand effort to restore democracy lost during the Marcos years).  

Decentralization among different levels of local gov’t units (LGUs) from provincial to barangay varies to certain degrees. On the whole, the barangays implement municipal ordinances.

The Code also gave the following responsibilities to the barangays. These Barangays are responsible to provide  support services for agricultural through a distribution system for agricultural and fishery inputs and the operation of agri and fishery produce collection and buying stations; and health and social welfare services, through the maintenance of barangay health and daycare centrers. These will also include service and facilities related to general hygiene and sanitation, and solid/ garbage waste collection. They are also tasked to administer the barangay court. They are on top of the maintenance of barangay roads, bridges and water supply systems and infrastructure facilities such as multi-purpose halls, pavements, plaza, sports complex; satellite public market. Their power may also include maintenance of barangay peace and order from doing though they are not allowd to carry fire arms.

Sources of Revenues of Barangays

Where do barangays get their revenues or sources of income? They have   the power to collect collect taxes and this includes  : taxes on stores or retailers with fixed businesses with gross sales receipts of P50,000 or less  ; service fees or charges for services rendered in connection to regulation or use of barangay owned properties such as dryers;   fee for issuance of barangay clearance for any business located or  conducted within the barangay ; fees for commercial breeding of fighting cocks  cockfights and cockpits  ; places of recreation with admission fess  ; billboards and signboards   and community tax (P5.00)
Local governments have their shares in the national internal revenue taxes, representing 40 per cent of the total internal revenue collections, based on the third preceding year . However, there is at present a bill pending in congress to increase these shares to 50 per cent. The regional distribution of the Internal Revenue Allotment to local governments is as follows: Provinces (23 per cent), Cities (23 per cent), Municipalities (34 per cent) and Barangays (20 per cent).

The barangay share is 15 per cent of the total Real Property collection in cities and municipalities. The barangay likewise are empowered to receive contributions from the private sectors, financial institutions and the like.

The Barangay Elections is Important
Knowing all of these; it is very important that we should all go out and vote on Monday, October 25 since this is the barangay election. The leader of this smallest political unit in the communities that we live in is as important as the leader of our city. So let us all go out and vote!

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE MINDANAO ECONOMY

2010-10-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Late post

The recently concluded Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) held last Sept. 12-14, 2010 at Cagayan de Oro City had a huge turn-out of businessmen and women from all over Mindanao. The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Board headed by President Francis Chua, Atty Mike Varela, Sergio Ortiz Luis, Donald Dee and Ed Lacson; together with the new Cabinet Secretaries came in full force to support Mindanao. Edwin Capili, the current Vice President for PCCI Mindanao ably chaired the whole event showcasing his own brand of leadership in enabling Mindanao to sustain its vibrant economy. My congratulations to Edwin together with the current Regional Governors of PCCI Mindanao.

This is an indication that PCCI Mindanao is still the only business organization that can truly boast of a real business constituency representing all the regions of Mindanao and thus is the only real voice of business.

At the end of every MinBizCon; it has been a tradition to present a set of Mindanao resolutions which was a result of a series of round table discussions and consultations all over Mindanao. These are the important points which we think government must prioritize in order to boost businesses in Mindanao.

The success of businesses and investments is largely dependent on the policy environment of both the national and local government. Businessmen may have the capital to invest but if the environment is not conducive for doing so; then you will have very little economic movement.

The most important resolution that was brought forward was the immediate formulation of a comprehensive energy plan for Mindanao to address the energy crisis. This will call for various measures that will not only provide alternative sources of power; but also address the growing concerns on the rising cost of electricity and reforms in the energy sector.

In hindsight, I am glad to know that the new Mindanao Authority Chair Lou Antonino had made this her priority agenda. This will really affect our desire in Davao to be the call center and Business Process Outsourcing center (BPO) in Mindanao. The lifeblood of BPO is a steady supply of power and skilled manpower.

Our Mindanao will always remain an agriculture based economy and so there is a need to prioritize this sector by addressing the perennial concerns on lack of access to financing and technical support and more investments in post harvest facilities. It seems that the support given to the agriculture has not been sufficient enough despite the huge budget allocation. With all the talks about the re-alignment of budget in agriculture for other purposes; it is not a wonder why we always have the same concerns year in and year out. I hope that the new leadership will be able to fill in this glut the soonest.

Mining has always been a controversial issue that will always spark a debate. But the Mindanao business community is fully supportive of responsible mining and this can only be attained through the strengthening of multi sectoral partnerships in the area where there is an investment in mining. There is a call to clarify the role of government in the protection of environment and management of natural resources and also to streamline the processes and procedures in getting permits and other needed clearances.

A resolution to further develop an integrated transport logistics from shipping to road network for the efficient movement of the Mindanao’s product from one island to the other was also presented.

We continue our advocacy for the capacity building of the micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSME’s) since they are still the backbone of the economic momentum of businesses in the countryside. There are many smaller provinces and cities in Mindanao that do not have a single multi- national or big corporations doing business in their areas; so economy is really locally funded from the small businesses. The Magna Carta for MSME’s has not yet been fully implemented until today, particularly on its provisions of credit allocations by lending institutions.

Education has always been a significant part of the Mindanao business agenda, The call is for the development of a comprehensive approach to human resource through quality literacy and cognitive and practical skills integrated with ethical and social resources for a competitive workforce. The technical vocational sector is also asked to integrate Information, communication technology (ICT) and English courses in their curriculum to meet the current and future demands of the BPO businesses in Mindanao.

Tourism is one of Mindanao’s key drivers and so there is a need to maximize the potential of Mindanao tourism industry through implementation of needed infrastructure and encourage stronger community engagement in the promotion of tourism.

In one unified voice, we are all calling for a renewed focus on peace and order as key to Mindanao development. The GRP-MILF negotiations must be continued towards achieving lasting peace in the island.

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I arrived in the Davao International airport yesterday straight from Nagoya from attending the APEC Women Entrepreneurship Summit and I was confronted with the arrogance of one of the Customs people. There was this lady customs officer without a name plate and was not wearing any uniform who was so rude and kept on asking irrelevant and intimidationg questions as if everyone was a suspect of mis-declaring what was inside their luggages. I really pity the overseas workers and the Japanese tourists who were ahead of me. This came as a surprise to me because this was the first time that I had my baggages cleared in the Davao Custom. I am used to getting down in Manila everytime I am out of the country which is almost every month. The Custom personnel in Manila whether at the PAL terminal or at the Terminal 1 NAIA old airport are all so very courteous. This is a great stumbling block to our efforts to develop tourism here in our city and I hope the the Customs Directors will look into this.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

A Different Kind of Invasion

2010-09-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took the time off to visit Paris after we were sure that my daughter, Nikkie was perfectly adjusted in her new school in Switzerland. It would also be a good time to do the usual R & R/ rest and recreation and take time off from my busy schedule.

While in Paris we were invited to dinner by a classmate of mine from the University of the Philippines (UP) who now works in the Sales Department of the plush Four Seasons Hotel in France. Dinner was a get together of former classmates from UP who are now staying in Paris happily married or enjoying a successful management career in the big hotels there. Seeing my classmates in such high management positions was indeed over whelming. Our conversations ranged from where our classmates now and what are they doing; the government of P-Noy and the UP people we knew who are now members of his government team and to Mindanao affairs. One of my friend who works in a food distribution company in Paris said that Halal food is very popular now in Europe. That really caught me off guard!
What Halal? Popular in France? Halal is not even so popular here in Mindanao. How many of us look for halal food in restaurants or in groceries or in the markets?

In my advocacy with our Muslim businessmen especially those in agriculture and food; I would always encourage them to look into the opportunities of halal food and I would cite that our neighbors with big Muslim population is a huge market. Never did I think that halal food would be popular also in France.

Halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines. According to these guidelines gathered from the Qu'ran, Muslim followers cannot consume the following: pork or pork by products animals that were dead prior to slaughtering animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah blood and blood by products alcohol carnivorous animals birds of prey land animals without external ears these prohibited foods and ingredients are called haram, meaning forbidden in Arabic. Halal is One of the Most Humane Methods of Animal Slaughter Muslims are taught through the Qu'ran that all animals should be treated with respect and well cared for. The goal is to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure. When an animal is slaughtered, the jugular vein is cut and the blood is allowed to drain from the animal. Remember, Muslims are prohibited from consuming animal.

France has the largest population of Muslims in Europe, about six million and the market for halal is twice the volume of the market for organic food which is also a hit in Europe. Halal market is growing nearly 10 percent a year and is estimated to reach about $ 5 .7 billion this year.

Halal foods are not only found in the usual small neighborhood stores but are now already found in french food industries, supermarkets and even restaurants. There are a good number of restaurants that serve Halal in traditional French dishes like boeuf carottes and cervelas de volaille; cans of foie gras; and bottles of Night Orient, an alcohol-free champagne made from grape pressings.

This is a far cry from the situation here in Mindanao where we seldom could halal food in our groceries or even halal good in fine restaurants

I visited a major French supermarket and I found an entire aisle devoted to halal food products, including chicken sausage, paella and lasagna. My friend told me that one supermarket chain called Auchan, carries a total of over 100 certified-halal cured meat products, along halal frozen goods and precooked halal meals.

Évian (the bottled water) has even placed a halal stamp on some of its bottles to reassure its Muslim clientele that the bottles had never been in close contact with alcohol, which would render the water haram, or unclean.

Our businessmen in the ARMM should pursue now with greater aggressiveness their capacity to produce Halal products that are internationally accepted . There should also be a move to introduce halal menus in our restaurants all over Mindanao not only as a support to our Muslim brothers but as well as for its health benefits.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

The Business of Hospitality

2010-09-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

In the Philippines, the term hospitality courses has not really gained wide acceptance as compared to the term hotel and restaurant management courses. Many of us still wonder why in the world are people now start using hospitality as a term closely related to tourism.

For one whose main business is focused in the delivery of many levels of hospitality education; there are times that I laugh because people would always relate the term to hospitality girls (a word which has a rather not-so-good connotation in Filipino culture since it means women whose occupation is to entertain the opposite sex) or even at times to the hospital /health business.

I take time to tell people; most especially our students and their parents to use hospitality course instead of the usual Hotel and Restaurant Management / terminology since this is a more acceptable term in the international and global arena .
Hospitality management studies provides focus on management and operations of hotels, restaurants, food establishments and service institutions, cruise ships, resorts, amusement parks, conventions and events , country clubs and may also include travel and tourism. The now growing Culinary Course or Chefs’ education is also part of the Hospitality program.

There are hotels and restaurants of all classes and standards all over the world and so you can just imagine the need for highly skilled hospitality managers and workers. In fact in the Philippines alone; you can see many hospitality schools and training centers sprouting left and right all over the metropolis.

A career in hospitality is very promising all over the global market. People think that graduates of this course can only work in hotels and restaurants. Industries such as casinos, theme parks, airlines, entertainment businesses, travel and tour agencies. Airlines, canteens, institutional food service centers may also be a good source of employment. This course is also ideal for those who wants to put up their own hotel. restaurant and catering businesses.

All these and more are included in the category of hospitality. As you can see, most of these are what you may call the “essentials” in the realm of tourism. And for sure, you know how important tourism is in whatever place or country you may be. Thus, you can expect that an industry like this could definitely bloom even in the coming years.

However, it is not only tourists that these jobs serve. Even locals alike are served too. For sure locals also dine in restaurants and go to casinos and even stay in hotel during the holidays and the week ends. This factor makes the whole industry more stable. Even if it’s not the peak season of tourists, locals are still there to keep the industry alive and kicking!

I am now writing this article sipping cappuccino and enjoying the view of Lake Geneva here in Montreux Switzerland which is the home of the two best hospitality schools in the world – Glion and Hotel Institute de Montreux (HIM) which is a subsidiary of the Swiss International Hotel School of Management .My youngest daughter Nicole will be starting her Post Graduate Course in Hospitality Management in HIM and will stay here for the next six(6) months. I took time out from my busy business schedule to bring my daughter here and help her get settled in her new school. I feel as if I am again brining my daughter to her first pre school where just like any mother – you take the time to check the school; talk to the teachers; get a look at the classrooms and the facilities making sure that you made the right choice.

I also took it as an opportunity to network and forge possible linkages with HIM and work for a cross accreditation of my schools; the Joji Ilagan College of Business and Tourism (JIB) and the Institute of International Culinary and Entrepreneurship (ICHEF) in Davao City and the International School of Hotel and Tourism Mgt (IS-HTM) which will soon open in the bustling city of Gen Santos next year. Today, students in all of my school are given the opportunity to gain Australian qualifications, credentials and diploma through our partnership with TAFE New Southwales Southwestern Sydney Institute (TAFE NSW SWSI) and the Australian Trade College North Brisbane in Australia. The Australia qualification is recognized all over the world and so our students have better access to international careers and employment. It would be great to bring the Swiss qualifications to the students of Davao City, This may seemed to be an ambitious endeavor; but I am crossing my fingers that it can be done. It took me two(2) years and four (4) visits to the TAFE Australia before the educational agreement between our schools was signed. Nothing is impossible with perseverance and patience.

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I am saddened by the sudden death of Mindanao Times Foodie Columnist, Noel Castro whom I had the pleasure of meeting a month ago. He interviewed me for a feature of ICHEF and we immediately found a common ground which is food. I personally took him for a tour around ICHEF where he met our students and Chef Mike Oberle in one of our kitchens. We even tasted the wonderful pasta that they made with the different sauces and he was all praises for our students. I invited Noel again to visit our Chefs’ Kitchen Student Training Restaurant where I ask his comments/recommendations about the menu that our students prepared. In an email from him that I received here in Switzerland, he shared with me so many ideas and I emailed him back that I am so excited to be back in Davao already and have coffee with him. I opened my email last night when I came back in my hotel room and there I got the message from my office that Noel had passed away. My prayers and condolences to his family. I thank God for the joy of knowing Noel even for just a brief moment!

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

INVESTING WISELY AMIDST THE GLOBAL CRISIS

2010-07-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Rumors of an impending global crisis always makes businessmen jittery and uneasy. Earlier this year the markets were affected by the fears of a European crisis. I remembered at that time, my British friend urged us to pay our Tumble Tots (British Pre School Franchise) royalty earlier than the due date since the pound was weaker and that it would be advantageous for us to do this. We made some quick computations and paid the royalty earlier as what my friend suggested. True enough, we were able to saved a significant amount which we used to re paint our building.

This is what I call good timing – really good timing. Many of my friends in Manila who were well diversified in their trust portfolios also enjoyed positive returns.

A good number of financial experts says that these types of investments are more stable than shares of stocks. This is because your money or investment is being managed by professional fund managers who make it their business to make your money grow. And by consolidating your money with other investors; you now have greater access to a wide range of assets. This way you diversify your investments and you spread your risks.

But nothing in life is free. You have to pay a fee for the professional managers to invest your money in bonds, stocks and other instruments to get the returns consistent with the fund’s stated objectives. The minimum investment will depend on the requirement of the Fund Managers. I know that it can be as low as USD 1,000.00 or P 50,000.00. Your money may reach double digit figures. It would be good to know that (just like in any ordinary investments ) there are corresponding risks and capital may be lost also.

But their popularity had grown these past years. I know of many young businessmen who are putting their money in various trust portfolios. Personally, I think it is called “Trust” because it is really a question of trust. How much do you trust your chosen fund managers to handle your hard earned or extra money? Do you trust their promises that they can make your money earn higher than putting it in the bank?

We had often been confronted with nothing but depressing news for the Philippines. Yesterday, there was big fire in Quezon City and the firemen lamented that they could not do so much because there was no adequate supply of water. On the other hand, when I opened the TV to listen to the news; I saw people lining up for water. Today, on my way home from a meeting, I heard over the radio that there are more people who are hungry now than last year.

So it is really a refreshing news to know that single country funds like Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia performed very well in the trust market. For instance the JF Philippines and Indonesia USD funds achieved 23.5 % and 22.4 % respectively.
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MEETING FRIENDS. I was walking at Eastwood City to go to Citibank and I was surprised to see Jason Magnaye and Bert Barriga at Cybermall having coffee. Bert called me and it is always a pleasant surprise to see colleagues in Manila. I am glad to know that Jason is now the new Investment and Promotions Director for Davao. He is young and his dynamism would be good for the city. Bert who is now the top man of the ICT (information, communication, technology) has his hands full promoting Davao as an ICT hub for BPO‘s ( Business Process Outsourcing). Congratulations to Bert and to the ICT advocates because Davao is now the top city for BPO investments.

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AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS DELEGATES. I received an invitation for a cocktail at the Traders Hotel in Manila hosted by the Philippine Australia Business Council (where I used to sit as a member of the board) for the CCIAP (Chamber of Commerce and Industry Australia Philippines) delegates last Tuesday, 20th of July 2010. Unfortunately I was not able to attend due to an important previous commitment which was on the same day and time. I would had wanted to attend that because I do business with Australia where two(2) of my schools; the Joji Ilagan Foundation and the International Culinary and Hospitality have educational cooperation agreement with Australian schools . There were ten (10) delegates from Queensland representing various businesses: Mrs. Connie da Cunha - President, CCIAP;Mrs. Adriana Shepard - Partner, Adna Living Water ;Mr. Allan Shepard - Senior Lecturer, Griffith University;Mrs. Gina Luck - Managing Director and Owner Luxe Care Collection Pty Ltd ‘;Mr. Jachin Navarro - Managing Director, Navarro Enterprises Pty Ltd; Mrs. Kay Ganley - CEO, Charlton Brown; Mrs. Luz Sheppard - Director and Owner, LD Sheppard & Associates Pty Ltd;Mr. Peter Shepard - Partner, Adna Living Water; Mr. Wayne Harrison - Managing Director, Australian Immigration Visas and Australian Trades; Mr. Manuel Paneda - Principal, Mell Accounting Plus . Let me know if you are interested to touch base with any of the delegates

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CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) will be holding a Chamber Management Workshop on Friday, July 23, 2010 at the Apo View Hotel and these will be attended by the Officers of the Chambers of Commerce of Region 11; Davao del Norte (Tagum and Compostela) , Davao del Sur (Digos)and Davao Oriental (Mati). Mr. Cris Frianiza, the Executive Director of PCCC together with Mr. Edwin Capili- PCCI Vice President for Mindanao will be heading the team who will visit Davao.

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HUMAN RESOURCE SUMMIT.The Mindanao Technical Vocational Schools Association will be holding its annual Human Resource and Skills Development (HRSD) Summit in Butuan City on Aug. 11, 12, 13, 2010. The new TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva ( son of Eddie Villanueva and former member of Congress as party list representative) is expected to attend the event.

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“The key is not to prioritize what is on the schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~Stephen Covey

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation (www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

WILL THERE BE A POWER CRISIS IN MINDANAO?

2009-09-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Each and every businessman who recently attended the 18th Mindanao Business Conference in Koronadal City last week expressed serious concern over the truthfulness as to whether there will be a power crisis in Mindanao. The Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed this in a statement and further revealed that if the government and companies concerned will not provide a solution by the end of the year, the problem might get worst.

Certainly, there is a shortage and the critical period has been known to the government especially from the DOE’s point of view as early as 2007. The critical period had already started this year and we are facing an uncertain situation. The officials of the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) admitted that Mindanao is inevitably headed towards a crisis of very serious proportions. Mindanao’s major cities—Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Butuan and Zamboanga will experience darkness, if no concrete actions to avert the power crisis will be done.

You can just image what will happen to cities like Davao, Cagayan and Zamboanga who have been heavily selling their cities as the future “ICT (information Communication Technology) Hubs for BPO’s (Business Process Outsourcing). BPO businesses thrive best in areas where there is assurance and permanence of sufficient power supply. What will happen to the tuna canneries in Gen. Santos and to the sardine plants in Dipolog without continuous supply of power?

The entire Mindanao will expect to have long hours of brownout if the power crisis cannot be averted on time. Power supply is crucial to the existence of businesses and investments in the island. We will all suffer tremendous losses; more so with the small and medium sized businessmen who may not be able to afford the cost of expensive generators. This scenario may further result to scaling down of enterprise activities which can lead to unemployment and eventually an increase in poverty

Power Demand of Mindanao
The present demand of Mindanao’s five key cities is put at 484MW while the peak demand of power users is expected to hit an average of 5.76 percent in the next five years. A strategic approach as proposed by the DLPC presented a 13.1 percent reserve capacity in order to enable the Mindanao grid to supply the total power demand of the island. This approach is based on the theory that the grid must maintain a reserve capacity equivalent to the capacity of the biggest generating plant so that in the event that a single plant fails, there would still be enough to supply 100 percent of the requirement of the power users.

Moreover, the DLPC projects that the gap between the requirement and the reserve capacity of 13.1 percent will gradually deteriorate over the next five years. Mindanao is now feeling the crisis since the 13.1 percent power reserve during off peak to ensure continuous supply of power has already dropped to one percent.

Contradicting Statements

On the contrary, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) said that research shows there is no power crisis in Mindanao. In fact, the Philippine Energy Plan 2004-2014 report of the DOE indicated a total surplus power of about 373 megawatts for the Mindanao grid. The report also indicated that there is enough power supply for the deficits of both Western Mindanao (62MW) and Southern Mindanao (233MW) which comes from the surplus power of 670MW in Northern Mindanao. FDC also found out on its own research that there is, in fact, a low demand for energy because of the current economic turmoil that is being experienced on a global scale. Most industries are slowing down operations due to the slowing down economy, thereby reducing demand for power.

Action Agenda to Avert the Crisis

However, the government identified an immediate solution by putting up three new power plants but it would take about three years to get all of them done. Among the three projects are the Sibulan Hydro, which is currently being completed, the Mindanao 3 located at the peak of Mt. Apo which is almost done and the Kabulig Hydro which is experiencing some problems. Even if these guaranteed power plants are completed, they will still project a shortage of around 400 megawatts (MW). In addition to these three plants, the Conal Holdings Corporation, owned by the Alcantaras, has unveiled a $450 million coal-fired power plant in Sarangani Province to be up by 2013. This plant is expected to generate up to 200MW of power which would be enough to sustain the requirement.

There’s another theory that this looming power crisis is caused by “transmission constraints” which is already being addressed by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. And that, as of April 2008, there is a 382.1MW reserve which is enough to supply whatever imbalance that may occur in power supply and demand. We are being supplied with 1,933.4MW as total installed capacity of power generating plants in Mindanao while 1,682.1MW is the dependable capacity. Plus Hedcor Sibulan and Conol Holdings in Sarangani Province supply an additional capacity of 242MW. We actually have more than enough, if this is the case.

Clearly, power shortage is a looming threat. This is the time that business, government and the various groups of the civil society should work together to avert this crisis NOW before it is too late!

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

NEW AND VIABLE AGRI-BUSINESS VENTURES IN MINDANAO

2009-09-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

If you can notice, in almost all of my articles I always present the vastness and the great growth potential of the Agriculture& Fishery industry in Mindanao. If I remember it right, on my last article I presented the resolutions established by the Mindanao Technical Vocational Education and Training; and one of them is giving more emphasis and focus on developing the Agricultural Tech-Voc.

One of the main reasons why I am fond of sharing with you the agricultural prowess of the Mindanao region is obvious great potential of the industry to pull up our economic status. Mindanao’s climate is better than any other region in our country. We, in Mindanao do not experience typhoons. Another fact is that Mindanao is 474% percent larger than Central Luzon which is has the largest plain in the country and produces most of the country's rice supply, earning itself the nickname "Rice Bowl of the Philippines". If Mindanao’s Agriculture Industry is well developed, the scarcity of food in our country will be eliminated.

GOAT CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES
Business opportunities continue to grow in Southern Mindanao amid the spillover of the global financial crisis as businessmen continue to diversify and search for new investments. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Southern Mindanao slated a new investment opportunity in Davao del Sur -- goat rising.

Goat raising is now become a niche for enterprising entrepreneurs who want to try a relatively new but viable business ventur. And Davao City, our largest city and home to the majestic Mt. Apo, will soon become the goat capital of Southern Philippines and probably in the whole country.

Goats are very popular among Filipinos because they require low initial capital investment, fit the small hold farm conditions, and multiply fast. About 10 native goats can be fed on the feedstuffs sufficient for one cattle. And about 6-7 purebred dairy goats can be fed on the feedstuffs adequate for one dairy cow. Although a goat is small, it can produce as much as four liters of milk a day if it is purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional requirements.

Our neighboring countries in the East Asean Growth Area like Brunei also requires a high volume of goat meat for daily consumption.

If an investor is to engage in sale of breeders, investments include pure or upgraded Nubian, Toggenburg or Boer buck which costs P7,500 – P12,000/head plus native or upgraded does which cost P1,500 – P4,000/head. An investor could sell his produced upgraded breeders at P3,000 – P12,500/head.

For investors who desire to engage in the sale of goat meat, there is a need to invest in one upgrade Boer for every 25 does. Live goat for sale commands a price ranging from P120 – P180/kilo or minimum of P4,500/head.

To raise goat for commercial milk production, pure or upgraded goats of the Anglo Nubian or Saanen breed is recommended as breeder buck. Goat of this breed could produce 0.7 – 2 liters daily in 215 – 250 days of milking.

Goat-raising is highly profitable. With minimal capital investment of P67,250 for 25-doe level; P174,500 for 50-doe level; or P349,000 for 100-doe level, positive net income and return on investment (ROI) are realized, even as early as the first year. The ROI for five year is 67 percent from a 25-doe level operation under semi-confinement scheme and 60 percent from 50-doe and 100-doe level operations under pure confinement system. Payback period is two years.

As goat production requires low initial investment and small risks compared to other livestock, it is therefore an attractive undertaking among resource-poor families.

SEAWEEDS GALORE

Mindanao’s seaweed exports have almost doubled in 2008. From January to October 2008, exports of processed seaweeds reached 5,085 metric tons (MT) valued at US$12.6 million. This is a 92 percent increase in volume and 114 percent increase in value over exports for the same period in 2007

Eucheuma and kappaphycus seaweed varieties, which are grown in the Philippines, are used for the production of carrageenan, a thickening and stabilizing agent used worldwide in many processed foods and in products such as toothpaste, shampoo, paints, and pharmaceuticals.

Marine products of the many species of seaweed, the most commonly developed and cultured species in Zamboanga city is the EucheumaCottonii seaweed because of its numerous uses. It enjoys the heaviest demand in the market, both here and abroad. In addition, Eucheuma can be farmed commercially almost anywhere in the city’s coastal areas. Eucheuma seaweed has been commercially introduced in various method of propagation, after extensive experimentation. It was disclosed that eucheuma seaweeds grow faster on reefs than other areas which prove that seaweed farming is viable in this city. When the study of Eucheuma seaweeds propagation was initiated, its technical advancement was transferred to the private sectors, thus making the seaweed industry one of the leading ventures in the country today

The country produces most of the world’s carrageenan in 14 processing plants located in Cebu, Southern Luzon, and Zamboanga. And the top regional supplier of raw materials for these plants is Mindanao, which produces 75 percent of the country’s eucheuma and kappaphycus seaweeds, which mostly come from Zamboanga peninsula and Sulu archipelago.

The country’s processing plants alone need a minimum of 134,000 MT of dried seaweed annually, yet the total Philippine seaweed output decreased from 95,600 MT in 2004 to 74,650 MT in 2007 due to weather conditions. rising energy and transport costs, and other factors.

(JojiIlagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of JojiIlaganFoundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

NEW AND VIABLE AGRI-BUSINESS VENTURES IN MINDANAO

2009-09-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING…

2009-07-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

On July 06, 2009, United States Agency for International Development through their Growth with Equity in Mindanao Program will launch two of its projects that legitimize Mindanao in the Cyber-world Map. They would be launching WiMax and JEEP program which aims to help boost the BPO industry in Mindanao.

The BPO industry has been making its great leap and now being considered as one of the top economy-pushers just within the last few years which started around 2009.

Last week, my call center was invited to take part in a public hearing regarding an ordinance that would require all call centers in Davao City to provide special quarters for the use of their employees. The idea sounded generally nice but not generally wise.

Most of the call centers in Manila spare a room or two for ther employees comfort. The idea is for the employees’ use to rest and probably sleep since that they are working in wee hours of the day. Wonderful isn’t it? The companies try to find ways to holistically take good care of their employees.

But then, that is Manila. The quarters for them are more of a necessity rather than of a luxury. Call center agents based in Manila can come as far as Rizal, Laguna or Batagas. Going home right away after a long and tiring shift and sleeping at the comfort of your own room does sound very enticing but it won’t be that easy.

Let see how 24 hours spent is being used up. Working for a call center means that you have to be in the office for 9 hours, that 8 hours work plus 1 hour for your meal break. Consider someone who works in a call center in Ortigas who happens to live in Laguna. It would take them at least (note the word AT LEAST) 3 hours just to get to or from your work site. It would take roughly another 3 hours for the other two meals that you’ll have for the day. And about 2 hours max for you to dress up and get ready for to work. And since call centers are very strict with time you have to be on site at least 30 minutes before work.

Doing the math, 8 hours work plus 1 hour meal break plus 6 hours travel time plus 3 hours for lunch and dinner plus 2 hours personal care plus 30 mins. before shift is equal to 20.5 hours. This leaves you with 3.5 hours at most for your sleep every day.

So really, it is a necessity for them. However, here in Davao City the farthest can go up to Toril or Sasa or Tibungco which is at most, would take an hour. But most of the call center agents live within a 15 min travel radius from their work place. If I am the agent, I would think twice or thrice staying in the special quarters and sharing it with 3 or more strangers to sleep when I could go home within a matter of minutes.

Allocating special quarters may not also be cost-effective and wise. If the ordinance is enacted, I being an entrepreneur would allocate funds to build and maintain these special quarters. Building them and maintaining them can’t be covered up by petty cash funds. A special funding would really be needed.

My 200-seat call center is currently on the development stage. We are currently expanding our capacity to cater to more foreign clients needs. Allocating another room would be means losing at least 50 seats and consuming about a chunk for expenses on maintenance. And about only 2-3% of my employees would avail of this privilege. So if I spent Php 500,000 for the construction and maintenance of the special quarters for a year, only about 20 of my employees would be able to enjoy the quarters. But if I spent that amount and equally divide them to the number of employees we have and allocate it as salary raise, all of my employees would benefit and all of them would really appreciate what they received.

The ordinance would force the call centers particularly those operated by small entrepreneurs like me in Davao City to divert funds from much need employee benefits or facility/equipment upgrade to building and maintaining these special quarters.

I applaud the law makers of Davao City for such initiative to take care of the welfare of the BPO professionals within the city. But there is no necessity to regulate them .

To make matter worst, the proposed ordinance says that if there is no “napping quarters” found in the call centers, our business permit may be cancelled. These will just be an added cost to doing business and may even be another layer of bureaucracy that may just result to petty corruption.

We as entrepreneurs are always in a look out of better benefits that our employees would really appreciate. Dictating us what to give would not do any good for us or even for the employees.

It is always nice to benchmark things as we could see our pros and cons of every institution. Comparison also gives us the ideas and facts to check projects if it would be feasible or not. But then again, let us always remember everything is unique and what may be best for them may not be the best for us.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

RO-RO YOUR BOAT TO MINDANAO

2009-05-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Agricultural products is Mindanao’s top export top export commodity. In 4th quarter of 2008 the food export amounted to P 956,114,443.00 and growing at a rate of 22.28%.
In the recent meeting of the Export Development Council, where I sit representing Mindanao and the National Competitiveness Council with President Arroyo, the report of the council showed a slowdown or a decline in the export of agricultural commodities. The agriculture and food sector of Mindanao view this as an opportunity to re- focus their marketing strength to the local or domestic market. And this is where transportation and logistics will be very critical for us.
RORO(Roll On/Roll Off)ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers or railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels. RORO vessels have built-in ramps which allow the cargo to be efficiently "rolled on" and "rolled off" the vessel when in port. The RORO project was launched around 2003 aiming to help entrepreneurs for a faster transport of goods domestically.
I was one of those who strongly supported the RORO program because I believed that these system of routes calledthe Strong Republic Nautical Highway(SRNH) offers an efficient and shorter way to travel to Luzon ,Visayas and Mindanao regions plying the western seaboard.
In her 2007 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Arroyo identified the Ports of Balbagon and Guinsiliban of Camiguin for inclusion in the Central Nautical Highway, as these ports connect the SRNH to Mindanao.
Iloilo via Ivisan town is about 4-hour drive from Caticlan. One may drop by Roxas City (about 10 minute drive from Ivisan) to buy some fresh seafoods. When in Iloilo, one can drop by Guimaras Island to have a taste of Philippine's finest mangos before going further south to Bacolod, then to Dumaguete then finally board the RORO to the eastern part of Mindanao , Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte

Mambajao Port is the nearest RoRo point linking the Visayas to Mindanao via the port of Jagna in Bohol, while Guinsiliban Port connects Camiguin to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental to the mainland of Mindanao. The Benoni Port in Mahinog, also a RORO point and connects the province toMisamis Oriental via Balingoan Port.

The Central Nautical Highway of the SRNH includes Cagayan de Oro City to Balingaon, Misamis Oriental to Camiguin, Bohol to Cebu, Masbate and Camarines Sur towards Luzon.

Fish dealers from Zamboanga Cityprefer RO-RO ships over big conventional cargo ships due to faster ship turn-around time and more trips are available. RO-RO trips start as early as 5:00 am. In the afternoon, fish carriers can go back to Dapitan for thc next trip.

The port development in Dapitan is another great example of the cost efficiency of the RORO system. The grains bulk handling terminal within the port is poised to support the grains production (particularly corn) in the western part of Mindanao - mainly Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur. Together, these provinces produce about 500,000 metric tons of corn a year.

With this project, entrepreneurs can reduce their product price as much as 50% of the current export prices since the shipping is easier and much cheaper than the conventional shipping practices. Spoilage of perishable goods is also reduced due to their faster transportation.

A cargo truck drives off the ferry from Zamboanga City onto the roll-on, roll-off (RORO) landing at Lamitan Port in Basilan. After USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program upgraded the port and outfitted it with the RORO ramp, vessels calling at the port experienced faster turn-around rates, transport costs were reduced by about a third, and RORO traffic in the province more than tripled.
The southwestern Mindanao RO-RO connections consist of the following routes: Zamboanga City - Isabel (Basilan) ; Lamitan (Basilan) Z ; Siasi (Sulu) ; Bongao (Tawi-Tawi). Agricultural produce such as sugar, rice, bananas, marine products, and seaweeds, are shipped from TawiTawi, Sulu and Basilan to Zamboanga City. Majority of these cargoes go all the way to Visayan and Luzon markets via western nautical highway.

From a tourism perspective and for some one like me who loves to travel, the route allows you to hop from one island to another and enjoy the scenery in the comfort of your car. These can also promote domestic tourism.
Tourism professionals especially those from Mindanao should design better routes that would showcase breath-taking tourist spots without the hassle of worrying how to get to their destinations.
The project clearly gives entrepreneurs earn more and lose less. And maybe one day we can sing just like an old nursery rhyme with a twist “RO-RO-RO your boat, Gently down the Mindanaostream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Good Life is not just a dream.”

(JojiIlagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of JojiIlaganFoundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

FISH TALES FROM MINDANAO

2009-05-15T02:43:00.000-07:00

The Indonesian Consular Office here in Davao City invited me and other school owners to the Indonesia-Philippines Education Workshop which was held last May 12-14, 2009 . I was so glad that projects like this are held in the spirit of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA)

As of today, the Small & Medium Enterprise Development (SMED) cluster of the BIMP-EAGA plans to conduct a market research on agriculture and fishery-based products in response to current mandates from the leaders of BIMP-EAGA.

As the Mindanao Representative for the Export Development Council, I welcome this research and study that is being done. Mindanao accounts for 49% share of the total fish production of the country at 2,155,000 metric tons and with an average annual growth rate of 6%- 7%.

The conduct of the market studies has been identified as one of the priority actions during the 9th BIMP-EAGA SMED Cluster meeting held in Puerto Princesa recently.

The cluster has also considered facilitating business matching and market linking activities and other business development services to support project proponents of EAGA agriculture/fishery-based food products.

This initiative forms part of the overall plan to make the BIMP-EAGA the food basket of ASEAN. The SMED Cluster and the industry players are expected to formulate more specific objectives, which are based on the existing challenges or deliverables of a specific food product or project, while the value chain analysis will be used as a tool to effectively draw out potential projects.

The plan of having BIMP-EAGA as the food basket of ASEAN is very possible. Mindanao, specifically Gen. Santos – Tuna Capital of the Philippines, sets a very tangible proof of its realization. The abundant plains at the foot of Mount Apo in Davao, also stands as an example of the blessed natural resources found within the BIMP-EAGA region.

The study however might be costly due to the intensive research the cluster is tasked to do. We are eyeing the assistance of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) or the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) for the said study.

Meanwhile, the Palawan Economic Development Council (PEDCo) said here recently that they will look into trade opportunities for cashew nuts from Palawan. PEDCo has also requested the assistance of the SMED Cluster to assist in linking Palawan live fish traders with buyers from other parts of Malaysia and Brunei. It should be noted that Palawan’s role towards the development of EAGA is also very important because it is one of the BIMP-EAGA focus areas, along with Mindanao.

On the other hand the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., said at least two sectors of the local tuna industry -- fishing and cannery businesses -- stand to bear the brunt of Europe's regulation slated to take effect January 1, 2010, which will also apply to other countries.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has started consulting tuna industry players regarding Europe’s regulation aimed to stem illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the globe.

Under Europe's fisheries product policy, tuna fish producers are required to provide a catch certificate that details where the stocks were caught and the volume, or in other words the traceability of the supplies. The Tuna Businesses noted that it may become a non-tariff barrier on the Philippine side. Canned tuna producers, under the same policy, should also not accept stocks that have no catch certificate; otherwise the goods will not be accepted in Europe. Six of the country's seven tuna canneries are based in this city, dubbed the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines."

He also said that Europe's policy will also burden Filipino fishing vessel operators as they need to infuse more capital to upgrade their fleet to comply with the handling requirements imposed by the foreign market. Small players that won’t be to afford to upgrade their vessels may be forced to shut down their business permanently. EU’s policy is actually beneficial for all in a greater sense. However, in the view of small players in the fish catch industry, it may be too early to implement such policy.

This is a tough challenge for the Tuna sector of Mindanao and requires swift decisions and actions.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

WOMEN OF MINDANAO – MOVERS OF THE ECONOMY

2009-03-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

March is a celebration of women’s power and so I would want to give honor and recognition to the women of Mindanao who continue to be its greatest resource and treasure. These women play a very important role whether as guardians of peace or movers of business and investments in the region.

There are many women that I had met in my advocacy work for Mindanao. These women are so successful in running their own businesses but more significantly these are the women who went out of the comforts of their air-conditioned offices and the luxury of their homes ; and contributed their talents and skills in the community that they do business in and helped improved the investments in Mindanao.

In the business and the chambers of commerce arena, there is Elena U. Haw who is the current Vice President for Mindanao of the Philippince Chamber of Commerce and Industry and recently was considered as the point person for Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). Haw was part of the Philippine delegation who joined President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 5th BIMP-EAGA Leaders Summit late last month in Thailand. Elena had made it her passion to work for the development of small businesses particularly those in agriculture, corn and hog raising in South Cotabato where she is from.

Ann Pamintuan and Leny Castillo are outstanding business women in the furniture and handicraft sector. Both women spend all their energies honing their craft, looking for new markets, joining foreign trade exhibits and always manage to bring home the big orders assuring jobs for all of their workers and their families. Anne is also the only Asian featured in the International Design Yearbook 2002.

There is Davao hotelier, Mary Ann “Baby” Montemayor who steers the private sector in the promotion of tourism in Davao City. While Chair of the BIMP EAGA Tourism Council, Baby had inspired many women in the travel sector from all over Mindanao to think “ out of the box “ and not to be discouraged every time there are negative events that seems to hamper the growth of the sector. She continuously brings in innovative ideas as she tirelessly moves around ensuring that tourism is at its best anywhere in our island.

Ten Outstanding Women of the Nations (TOWNS) Awardee, Evelyn Abellera Magno is the first woman Rotary governor from Mindanao. Evelyn is the Chair of their family owned university in the city of Davao and as an educator, I personally had seen how she had touched the lives of many of her students, particularly those coming from the poorer communities. This woman is everywhere – from medical and dental missions, giving out assistance during disaster and calamities and to helping others find better opportunities in life.

Charita Puentespina, Sally Luenberger and Fanny Yuhico had transformed their love for orchids into a very lucrative business and in so doing had employed and also trained hundred of men and women to put up their own livelihood in flora and fauna.

Women are always trend-setters and we can easily spot them in the restaurants and food businesses in Davao City. I really admire the vision of Charito Lizada who set the trend in the “barbecue” business thirty (30) years ago. Following her footstep was her eldest daughter, Amylou Lizada Aarts who started the “ tapsilog” concept in the city and made it into a chain of eateries. The “lechon manok” was introduced to the city by another woman who seems to be always on the go and that is Lena Benedicto. The coffee shop business in the city was started by Larcy Gatchalian who made famous the “durian coffee” The businesses of these women were copied and imitated by many, but despite all the competitions they found fulfillment knowing that they had motivated many to follow the trend that they had set. At the end, what is important is that jobs were given to multitudes of people.

In the small town of Tandag, Surigao is where you will find Annie Ty, a businesswoman in construction and housing and who also happens to be the President of the Tandag Chamber of Commerce and the prime mover of the Red Cross. She plays a very important role in the development of investments and generation of jobs in such a far flung area.

Zamboanga del Norte is home to Rosa Lim who is the president of a rural bank and owns a sardines production plant and she plans to increase her production by 100% and export volume by 20% next year, thus giving more jobs to her workers, mostly women and their families. Lawyer and educator Marycel Engracia owns and operates a school in Zamboanga City and generously shares her expertise to many other technical schools in their region for them to improve their training delivery.

Mindanao’s top jeweler mother and daughter, Emilia and Eileen Sitjar established their own foundation that grants educational scholarships; likewise Emilia also is the head of the Divine Mercy Apostolate in Davao and has her hands full going around the different parishes doing works of mercy and propagating the devotion to the Divine Mercy.

These women had worked in partnership with many of the business organizations in Mindanao seeking ways and means to accelerate the economic momentum through the programs that they are implementing . Both Milalin Javellana of Philippine Australian Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF) and Myrna Lim of the Women in Education and Development of Cotabato City ensures that their development programs have a social component and responsibility to ease poverty in the area where they implement their projects in partnership with business groups.

There are many more of these kind of women who do business with a heart . They realize that more than making profits in their businesses; it is also their responsibility to nurture the community where they do their business.

These women are to be admired for their outmost creativity and their ability to make very quick decisions amidst an economic turmoil. Their capacity to survive is being constantly tested, more so when you do business in Mindanao. All of them will never allow anything to break their spirits and their will to succeed; and that is what makes Mindanao women different!

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council .Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

WOMEN OF MINDANAO- GUARDIANS OF PEACE (1ST OF 2 Parts)

2009-03-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the book launch of Joey Concepcion’s 55 inspiring stories of Women Entrepreneurs. I am very honored to be included in that book and I hope that our stories will motivate women to go into their own business. This is very timely because March is International Women’s Month.

It’s always great to see that women now are taking charge of their lives and successes. The saying “Behind every man’s success there is a woman” had now evolved to “Behind every success there is the woman”.

Mindanao women are active initiators and movers of peace and development in the island. Even as mothers who have to balance work and maintaining a harmonious family amidst an environment of sporadic conflict; these women have made their dent in Philippine history whether as politicians, pioneers, business persons or peace negotiators.

The Mindanao Commission on Women is composed of formidable and strong women exemplified by Chair Irene “Inday” Santiago, Co Chair, Margie Moran Floirendo and Comm. Patricia Sarenas . These women had consistently rallied for sustainable peace and had proven that women, most often, are better implementors and negotiators than men. They spearheaded movements on the ground such as the Peace Circles in barangays where each circle is composed of 12-25 women. These peace circles will provide avenues for sharing talents, blessings and works so that our communities may be places of healing and peace. Inday and the other Women Commissioners also initiated the LIGHT A CEASEFIRE CAMPAIGN and RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. Working together to guard our peace are other women groups such as the uslim Women Peace Advocates, indanao Young Women Leaders Forum and the Political Caucus of Women Leaders in Mindanao.
There is the first lady Mindanawan senator Santanina “Nina” Rasul, 75, who dreamt that Sulu would one day rise above the ashes left by the “burning of Jolo” in 1968, when military and the newly formed MNLF clashed. She surrounded herself in the world of ideas and books of her superintendent father to escape the bitter bangs of bullets around her. Many of the Tausugs had stopped schooling. But Rasul wanted learning for everyone so she taught the older people to write and read, later founding the Magbasa Kita (Let us Read) Foundation. In 1987, Cory Aquino urged her to run for Senator. As a politician, Rasul pushed for historic laws such as the Women in Nation-Building Act and women being allowed enrolment at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
One of the country’s Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS), Nurhaylah “Emily” Marohombsar, 70, who rose above the ranks of the largest island campus in the country , the Mindanao State University, to become its first lady president. Under her stint, Emily promoted MSU as a global university grounded on multi-culturalism. She then served her country by being the lone lady peace panel member in the GRP-MILF Peace Talks for government and the Constitutional Commission, created by government to study charter change.
Daughter of Senator Alauya Alonto and married to a pioneering revolutionary, Rashid Lucman of the Bangsamoro Liberation Organization (BMLO), the fiery Princess Tarhata Alonto-Lucman, now in her 80s, of Lanao is the first lady governor in Mindanao during the traumatic martial law period.
Amina Rasul, now in her 50s, was the first Chair of the National Youth Commission (NYC) in the 80s. Under her leadership, the NYC grew as an institution from a small agency with a budget pf P18 million to a highly regarded national policy oriented body with a budget of P140 million. After serving government, she is busily advancing a global view of Islam by promoting its democratic ideals, reaping recognition by being awarded MUSLIM DEMOCRAT OF THE YEAR by a Washington-based think-tank. She is editor of the Moro Times, the lone national news supplement on Muslims.
Civil society advocate Yasmin Busran-Lao, in her 40s, seeks gender justice for Muslim women by founding the lone institutional Muslim women NGO in the country, the Al-Mujadillah Development Foundation (AMDF) in Marawi City. For her work in uplifting the plight of the marginalized, she was recognized by the US Government by conferring on her the Ninoy Aquino Public Service Award.
These Mindanao Women are indeed a WOnderful MANifestation of God’s creation.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

THE MEDCO STORY

2009-01-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

The Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) was established on 19 March 1992 through Executive Order No. 512 signed by then President Corazon C. Aquino. The aim is to promote and coordinate the active participation of all sectors to effect the socio-economic development of Mindanao through a holistic and integrated approach. The council was placed under the supervision of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process.

It was also created to address the need to promote and strengthen interregional linkages, ensure the integrated viability of the programs and projects in Mindanao.

Medco was designated to work with the local government units, which will serve as frontline entities, to help realize the development of specific geographical areas.

The agency was likewise created to address the need to promote and strengthen interregional linkages to ensure the integrated viability of the programs and projects in Mindanao, with the local government units as frontline entities that will realize the development of specific geographical areas.

The Business Chambers of Commerce of Mindanao partnered with MEDCO in promoting investments and economic activities. I had also the opportunity to work closely with the first MEDCO Chair, Paul Dominguez and later on with Jess Dureza, who is now the legal Counsel of Malacanang in my economic advocacy work for Mindanao

The agency became a source of pride for Mindanawans. When ever I am invited to talk about investments and businesses; I would never fail to mention MEDCO and its role in enhancing trade and commerce; but more significantly is that it is only in Mindanao that you can find such a body whose mandate is to focus only in our islands’ economic development and poverty reduction.

On May 15, 2000, then President Joseph Estrada signed EO No. 244 mandating MEDCo to act as the official and permanent Philippine Coordinating Office (PCO) for Brunei Darussalam Indonesia the Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). It maintained the close ties among the members of BIMP-EAGA. And it did serve the purpose of its creation; the development of Mindanao.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed EO 757 on 13 October 2008, placing MEDCo under the oversight of the National Economic Development Authority as it aims to be aggressive with a more focused approach for the continuing economic growth of Mindanao.

Today, NEDA will now have general supervision over the agency in formulation of continuing and integrated socio-economic development plans, policies and programs as well as the exercise and implementation of its regular functions.

The transfer of MEDCo to the oversight of NEDA resulted to different reactions from Mindanao. Many were surprised about it and questioned the motive behind the change of set-up. Business sector claims that MEDCo would be more effective and relevant if they would not be placed under NEDA. History would show that MEDCO really served Mindanao very well.

MEDCo on the other hand, had been very successful on handling gigantic tasks which is not limited to project development and management. It also was able to source fund not only for its agency but its projects. Their staff is known to reach even the smallest and most remote town in Mindanao. Close consultations with people from the different regions of the island had been MEDCO’ s strength.

Over the years MEDCo maintained its credibility to the foreign funding agencies mainly due to the integrity of its staff and the projects it had launched. MEDCo certainly knew how to walk their talk.

They had maintained a valuable database of statistics vital to making critical decisions for economic development. Its database became the only source of information to gauge Mindanao’s growth. Anything about Mindanao can be responded to by this agency.

It is very hard to compare the projects of NEDA and MEDCo. But as it seems MEDCo had far out-run NEDA for a mile. MEDCo became a clearing house for Mindanao projects for development. It is effective and efficient in representing the country in the BIMP-EAGA and in other international bodies.

Currently, a house bill is pushed proposing to create the convert MEDCo into Mindanao Economic Development Agency. The bill aims for the consistency and continuity of policy support. "Historically, there’s no consistency of policy support. The consequences of that are the loss of time, energy... and continuity in terms of programs and projects," USEC. Leyretana, the current MEDCO Chair said.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

MINDANAO CLOSE TO THE HEARTS OF MIDDLE EAST

2008-11-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

The Mindanao Chambers of Commerce sent a full delegation of businessmen representing all the major cities and provinces of the island to the recently concluded 34^th Philippine Business Conference held in Manila Hotel. Perhaps, because of our distance from Manila; it is always with great anticipation that we look forward to hearing Pres. Arroyo’s speech during the closing ceremonies. And we would listen intently whether the President would drop a word or two about Mindanao. And for the past many years; she never fails to do so.

Shock Absorbers of the Economy

This year her speech focused on the measures being undertaken by the country to cushion the impact of the recession in the United States. She elaborated that the Philippines has a number of shock absorbers. Among them are our solid banking system; our projected expatriate inflows was 10% growth; but actual growth so far is 18%. Even if the American economy would sink, the expatriates in that part of the world are in sectors that are less sensitive to recession. These are the teachers, nurses, information technology related workers and caregivers.

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector will balance off the slow growth in merchandise exports. In addition, pump priming will happen in many sectors and industry; more so in agriculture, housing, infrastructure, lending support to small and medium sized businesses.

Middle East Relationship to Mindanao

Pres. Arroyo said that the “ Arab engine is up due to the past five years of costly oil. This is has led to the construction boom in the Middle East and a surge of remittances.

What really caught our attention was when she said “, In addition, the fact that the Philippines has a Mindanao close to the hearts of the Middle East, opens up opportunities not only for Mindanao but for the entire country.”

One of the markets that Mindanao has not fully developed is the Middle East, with its countries known not only for their “black gold” but also for their modern infrastructure facilities.

Opportunities for Mindanao

In recent years, the Middle East, most notably the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Dubai, has risen to greater heights in terms of investments. However, it was only recently though that Mindanao has slowly gained access to the Middle East markets.

Based on the report of the Bureau of Customs in Davao, the Middle East, in September, collectively brought about $5.763 million in goods from the region, the third among the top 10 countries that were destinations of exports from the region, next only to Japan and Malaysia.

For the Middle East, the bulk of its imports from the Davao Region during the period was fresh bananas with a value of $4.893 million with a volume of 17.758 million metric tons. The figure even excluded the banana imported by the United Arab Emirates which had a value of $447,521.

Even the controversial Iran rose to the fifth position with a value of $4.975 million, or 28.625 million metric tons of goods from the Davao Region, particularly fresh fruits like papaya and pineapple.

The figures would have been bigger had the figures from other regions were available. Nevertheless, the figures were already indicative that the Middle East markets have started taking notice of Mindanao as a big producer of products that its people need particularly as a supplier of food and fruits.

POSSIBLE INVESTMENTS FOR PEACE

Another notable development was the visit of a technical team from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia whose task was to find areas where they can invest. The seven member team, headed by Ahmed M. AlSadhan of the kingdom’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, arrived in Davao City late last month. They proceeded to Mati City, the capital of Davao Oriental, to discuss with Gov. Corazon N. Malanyaon the possibility of investing in rice and corn production. Gov. Malanyaon and Mati City Mayor Marie Michelle Denise Rabat gladly briefed the visitors about the province.

The development is one good start for people of Mindanao, particularly its leaders, to consider looking into intensifying trade between the island and the Middle East. People in Mindanao, particularly its local government and business leaders, should start discussing with leaders of the countries within the Middle East region on where they can invest to help the island fully develop its potentials.

Known for their help in achieving peace in Mindanao as most of these countries are members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). This is the body that has facilitated peace talks between the Moro rebel groups and the government. I believe they are also interested in helping Mindanao develop into one big producer of the products that they will need – from food, hand made toys, gifts and house wares, furniture’s and furnishings and even in the area of medical , cultural adventure and eco-tourism.

Middle East would be one of the best trading partners of Mindanao not only in business but more importantly in peace and development.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

MINDANAO BUSINESS: BULLISH AND UPBEAT (2ND of 2 Parts)

2008-09-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

The recently concluded 17^th Mindanao Business Conference in Dipolog City last August 28, 2008 which was participated by all of the chambers of commerce all over Mindanao was a resounding success. Prior to the conference there were talks of postponing the event due to the unfortunate events and conflicts between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government troops . But the leaders of the Mindanao business community decided to pushed through with the conference, since postponing it will give the impression that the entire island is in chaos and had been greatly affected by the negative news.

Many of the businessmen who chose to travel by land going to Dipolog saw the damage to the communities that were affected by the conflict. But generally, they said everything was peaceful and the military was in full control.

I took the early morning, August 27^th flight to Dipolog and I was surprised to see in the airport Dr. Charlie Feibel and Bob Barnes plus the whole Mindanao team of the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) of the USAID who went to the event in full force to support the business chambers. I came to know later that GEM is also assisting several public schools in that area by giving these schools computer units for their students through their CLICK program.

We were all impressed with the level of commitment manifested by the USAID in the development of Mindanao. In the opening ceremonies the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and USAID Mission Director, Jon D. Lindborg said “ We are with you; we are committed to the future of a peaceful Mindanao”.

Surge of Investments

Investment generation in Mindanao reached a total of P7.27 billion, Board of Investments (BOI) registered investments. This is 40% higher than last year’s P 5.159 billion. These were in the areas of meat production and processing, fruits and vegetables production, mining and property development. These had generated more than 3, 500 jobs. The highest growth in investment was in Region 12, which is where you find Gen. Santos City, Marbel and Saranggani; where investment infusion grew from P 439 million in 2006 to P 2.56 billion in 2007. The highest in equity contribution came from Region X1 which is the Davao region.

Business Support Infrastructures

Even the Super Mindanao Regions is now in full swing. There is the construction of 27 projects at the cost of P 70 billion for roads, seaports, airports, bridges, power and electrification. Once completed, this will bring in more businesses for many regions in the island.

There is also the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Social Fund that has built 1020 small scale community based infrastructure projects in Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan and Marawi. These just goes to show that there is more to war that is going on in ARMM and yet many would want to focus on the conflict rather than the positive developments in the area. These includes water systems, health facilities, schools, farm to market roads, micro wharfs, timber ports and bridges.

GEM will also initiate four highly visible projects in ARMM that will further enhance economic activities. These are the Sanga Sanga and the Jolo runaway improvement, Jolo water system, and Tawi-Tawi road improvement.

BIMP EAGA Partnership

The Brunei –Indonesian- Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area is expected also to boost investments in Mindanao. Today, the talks are focus on enhancing tourism and cultural linkages between Mindanao and the three (3) countries, harmonization of the customs and quarantine policies and joint investment undertakings.

No amount of conflict or negative events can dampen the entrepreneurial spirit of Mindanawans. We will continue on our efforts to ensure that our own businesses will keep on growing and expanding. Doing business in Mindanao is exciting, challenging and more importantly, profitable.

BUSINESS AS USUAL IN BASILAN

2008-07-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

For years, Basilan was considered a dangerous province in Mindanao because many have the perception that danger lurks in its every corner.

But then, organizers of the 4^th Zamboanga Peninsula Business Conference decided to hold these two day event, which took place last April 25-27, 2008 in the province with the main objective of highlighting both its investment and tourism potentials.

The event, considered the largest gathering of members of the business sector of Western Mindanao showed what the province has to offer for investment and tourism. There were over 102 participants coming from the chambers of commerce and industry of the cities of Dipolog, Zamboanga, Ozamiz, Pagadian and Basilan.

On its first day, a special session was conducted at the Isabela City Council Session Hall with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Philippine Chamber Development Institute as the main discussant on private-public sector partnership.

The opening ceremonies at the Juan S. Alano Compound's Julio Amphitheater was hosted by the city of Isabela where guests were treated to a banquet called “Pesong Kaam”, a Yakan term for welcome.

Main Business of the Day

Tackled during the summit of business men were sessions that discussed corporate social responsibility among companies, linkages between business and government; global trading and financial development for Mindanao. There were also representatives from Australian Aid’s Enterprise Challenge Fund and USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao who spoke about development oriented projects that the business sector can avail of.

The joint meeting of the of the Isabela City Small & Medium Enterprise Development Council (ICSMEDC) and the One Town, One Product Technical Working Group also took place with the desire of strengthening the partnership among government agencies and the city's private sector.

Yakan Crafts and Wares

The partnership with the Basilan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. and the Isabela City Tourism Office and the Department of Trade and Industry – Isabela City and the Alano Group of Companies led to the inauguration of the Isabela City Pasalubong Center . The center was a show room of Isabela City's products, specifically the Yakan crafts and weaves, bamboo appliances and furniture and hand-woven mats. These are used in home furnishings which are at times featured in architectural magazines. If you want to get them for a bargain price; its time to go to Isabela.

The Isabela City Exposition and the Annual Isabela City Agro-Industrial Fair was opened with City Mayor Cherrylyn Santos Akbar leading the event held at the Plaza Rizal. Supporting the trade exposition were the delegations from Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga delNorte, as well as local producers' associations and local craft and livelihood organizations showcasing their products.

The Business Students of Isabela

To highlight the important role of the young and future entrepreneurs , the 1st Zamboanga Peninsula-Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Business Camp for Business students of the different public and private tertiary educational institutions was held at the Juan S. Alano Memorial School, Inc.

The students were from the cities of Isabela and Lamitan, Zamboanga and Dipolog. The event also held a series of plenary sessions on entrepreneurship handled by the Nagdilaab Foundation Inc. – Asosasyon ng mga Nagkakaisang Kabataan tungo sa Pag-unlad at Kapayapaan and the Metro Basilan Junior Jaycees (MBJJCs).

Now who says life and business is dull in Basilan?

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August will be very busy month for the academe and the tourism industry of Mindanao. Davao City will be the host of the largest gathering of technical vocational schools, labor and business leaders all over the island. The 7^th Mindanao Human Resource and Skills Development Forum will be held on August 6-8, 2008 at the Mandaya Hotel. This years theme is “Beyong Borders. Meeting the Challenges of Change”. The main organizers is the Mindanao TVET Association and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

The biggest tourism and travel exposition; the 3^rd Mindanao Travel and Trade Expo will be on August 8-10,2008 at the Shoemart Entertainment Center. This year’s theme is “Barkadahan sa Octo-break” and this will be participated by the Local Government Units of Mindanao, the Department of Tourism Regional Offices and Travel and Tour Operators

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Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

SAILING THE BIMP EAGA SEAS

2008-07-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

The sea linkage between two trading points, or among several others, is very important considering that this is needed in hastening the movement of goods and products at a lower cost. Businessmen and traders will always want lower transportation cost.

I notice that while much has been taking place in the air linkages within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines (BIMP) East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) in an effort to facilitate tourism promotion, the sea linkage proposals have not improved that much despite the signing of two memoranda of agreement last year among the four countries.

INITIATIVES

Based on the report of the Mindanao Economic Development Council, as a result of the meeting in April in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei Darussalam, there was no significant movement in the sea linkages among the four countries.

However, the report mentioned some "flagship programs and projects" that the top officials of the four countries were considering,

Among others, the report cited the discussion on a proposal for a tariff reduction of the roll-on roll-off ship operation between Zamboanga and Sandakan, Malaysia. In that meeting, Philippine representatives wanted the Philippines and Malaysian governments to enter into a bilateral arrangements that will reduce port tariffs for their ports. For Malaysia, the agreement will be implemented in its Sandakan port.

The Philippines also requested that the ship be accommodated at a roll-on-roll off terminal.

SOLE LINKAGE and OTHER INITIATIVES

Today there is only the Zamboanga-Sandakan shipping route that is being served by two Zamboanga City-based companies, the Aleson Shipping Lines and the Sampaguita Shipping Lines.

The servicing of the General Santos City-Bitung, Indonesia route has been suspended.

The implementation of a memorandum of understanding on the "establishment and promoting efficient integrated sea linkages" was also one of the key points being explored. The officials for the four countries raised the issue of updating one another on the development of port facilities including the privatization of some of them. This is necessary because this will allow each of them to come up with their respective plans on sea linkages, taking into consideration the viability of using the ports of their trading partners.

The representative of the Asian Development Bank, the sub-regional advisor, was tasked to update the four countries on the pre-investment study that would identify the "shortfall in ports performance and capacity among the designated BIMP EAGA gateway ports and develop project priorities for bridging the performance and capacity gaps as mandated by the BIMP EAGA MoU on Sea Linkages."

There is so much has to be done to improve sea linkages and that it will take much time and political will for all the stakeholders , both government and private sector to make these sea linkages sustainable. Volume of traffic , both passengers and goods have to be present. More business activities have to be created.

I share the optimism of those who are involved in these endeavor , taking note of their efforts in promoting trade among the four countries.

As a leader of the Mindanao business sector, it is also my desire to see that every plan, big or small, finally takes shape to realize the dream of making the sub-region one big borderless economy.

FLYING THE EAGA SKIES

2008-06-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today, tourism is one of the key sectors that the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) is given much emphasis. Not only because it increases people and business mobility but it is one of the fastest means of ensuring that intra regional cooperation and linkages will actually happen on the ground.

The Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO) reported during the 14^th anniversary of the sub-regional group that several air linkages were being opened or on the discussion tables.

Among these linkages are the flights between Zamboanga and Sandakan which is being served by the Asian Spirit; and Malaysia’s Air Asia which flies from Kuching, Malaysia to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Several other airlines are also looking into possibly servicing other viable routes.

The attempt to establish air and sea linkages fits well into the desire of the four countries to intensify travel and tourism between and among them and encourage more business exchanges. But more importantly, the cost of travel must be reasonable and affordable for both business and tourism so that activities within the region will flourish.

There is a need for all the airlines to study their fare structure very carefully and to ensure competitiveness or else people from the regions will not be motivated to travel either for business or tourism. Budget fares can easily result to greater number of cultural and student exchanges; businessmen visiting theareas to explore what they can do together; more tourists shopping, eating and spending their money.

New Air Route

Just last week, Indonesia’s Wings Air, a subsidiary of Lion Air, has started its chartered flight between Davao City and Manado, a route that has been abandoned so many times because of very thin traffic.

This time the Indonesian government will exert efforts to help sustain the service by bringing in greater volume of goods from Manado, Indonesia. Indonesian Consul Gen. Lalu Malik Partawana who is based in Davao City informed us that his office will exert all efforts to support the new air route.

I am now in Bali, Indonesia enjoying the week with my family. I could had flown directly from Davao; if there was a much easier air routes and cheaper fares. But since there was none; we decided to fly from Singapore.

This is what I had discussed with the Consul when I visited him in his office in Davao City; that we should make the air linkages work this time; and this can be done by creating activities that would bring about movement of people from the Davao to Manado and other Indonesian cities and provinces. And rates of travel is a critical issue – it can be a deterrent if priced wrongly and a strong motivator if the cost is just right.

Fifth Freedom Rights

Load cargo has always been the problem in traveling in the sub-regional destinations. This is the factor that prompted the four countries to declare the implementation of the fifth freedom rights so that airline companies can service destinations within the sub-region outside of their assigned destination.

The four countries even approved the “multiple designation of airlines with no restriction on frequency and capacity” and the “adoption of sub-regional multilateral agreement on common airport tariffs,” hoping that this will trigger the travel intensity among the peoples of the sub-region and those that are visiting its beautiful tourist spots.

What Needs to be Done

Having been actively involved in the promotion of this sub-regional group in the past, I believe that air linkages are very much necessary if the four countries, or their designated areas in the sub-region. They can pushed budget airlines to look into servicing the routes between and among them. This will not only heighten the trade relations among the participants, but would even pave the way for them as a group to look for a bigger trading partner like China or Japan.

This is also very important to the tourism sector, especially now that the industry is looking into promoting itself as one big destination to tourists particularly Europeans who love to travel for days to several destinations. The linkages will serve as a come-on for these travelers to consider the BIMP countries as a single destination within the sub-region.

There is a need to massively promote successful partnerships or business ventures; initiatives and exchanges, cultural and educational linkages that is worth talking about. All of these must be brought up in the open so that the EAGA excitement will again be in everyone’s heart!

DAVAO LIGHT AND DABAWENYOS- FORMIDABLE PARTNERS

2008-06-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

While politicians and various sectors in Metro Manila are trading barbs over the high power rates, Davao City has been blessed with the best power utility. Davao Light and Power Company is the third largest privately-owned electric utility in the Philippines. It holds the franchise for distributing electric power to Davao City, the largest city in the world in terms of land area, as well as Panabo City and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.

In 2007, the company sold 1.331 billion kilowatt-hours to 247,341 customers with a peak demand of 245 megawatts (MW). And while these experts and politicians were trying to go deeper into the so-called systems losses, our power utility here is surprisingly registering systems loss below what the government allows. Based on the data obtained from the company, its systems loss was at 8.8 percent, way below the 9.5% percent that government allows.

Systems loss is defined as energy loss due to technical problems and to pilferage. Under the law, a power utility whose systems loss goes beyond 9.5% is restricted to pass it on to consumers.

Davao Light maintains a 54.7 MW standby diesel power plant, operated as needed to stabilize voltage as well as augment the power supply of its primary generating sources. It makes use of a fully functional automated mapping and facilities management (AM/FM) system to track the location of electric distribution assets in its 3,561 square kilometer franchise. Also in place is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, a facility that allows remote real-time data gathering and control of equipment in all power substations.

High-end computers, sophisticated software, and other devices are being used to speed up meter reading, streamline billing, provide efficient and prompt response to customer inquiries, generate management information, and analyze electrical grid information .

In anticipation for the increase in demand of power within its service areas, the company has also signed with sister company Hedcor Inc. an agreement that will allow it to buy power produced from the power plants of the latter in Sibulan, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur

and those that it will build in Suawan, Tamugan and Panigan in the hinterland of the city.

And until late last month, the main man behind the company was a young and energetic executive known for his humility and candidness. Luis Alfonso Y. Aboitiz, known to friends as “AL” who at the time of his death was at the helm of the company’s operations .

In the past when the power firm would petitioned for increases; Al would do the explaining himself instead of turning over the responsibility to his subordinates. Armed with his power point presentation, Al would patiently discuss the issues on hand to the business sector and leaders of progressive organizations . He would answer every question even those irrelevant ones.

Under his leadership, the company was also known as among the leaders in corporate social responsibility work, having done so many community-related activities from education, health and enterprise development for the people within its service area.

But one achievement that Al was always proud of is the city’s emergency system which is the Central 911 which was patterned after the US and Canada.

The project was conceptualized in collaboration with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte using the Electronic Computer Aided Dispatch system of the power utility in responding to distress calls . Today, 911 is Davao’s partner in saving lives.

His untimely death not only meant a lot to his family and his company but also to the city which has benefited from his leadership. This maybe late but this column extends its condolences to the family that Al left behind. He will be remembered well by all Dabawenyos.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

ALL IT TAKES IS POLITICAL WILL

2008-05-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

I always take pride in saying that it is only in Davao where you can literally say that the environment is smoke free and the new year celebration is noise-free.

Two of the most successfully implemented local laws in the city of Davao are the banning of firecrackers and pyrotechnics and the banning of smoking in public places.

Passed in 2002, the Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance was an improvisation of a previous ordinance of the city which banned smoking in passenger vehicles plying the city route.

In this five-year old ordinance, the city government specifically identifies where the smoking is banned. These places include passenger vehicles in the city; accommodation and entertainment establishments like restaurants, bars, movie houses, hotels and places where people meet; government offices; parks and other places “controlled exclusively for public purposes by government agencies.”

The ordinance also specifically orders business establishments to set up their smoking zones which must be air-conditioned, at most about ¼ of the total accommodation area of the establishment, must have an exhaust fan, and must be separate from where smoking is prohibited.

Fines and Punishments

Under the ordinance, violators face the fine of between P500 to P2,000 or an imprisonment of between one to six months or both, depending on the discretion of the court.

Those establishments found violating the ordinance face the danger of being closed down.

This particular ordinance was passed even before the national government could implement its version, the Tobacco Regulations Act of 2003, better known as Republic Act 9211.

Despite the strong support of the citizenry, there were also many establishments and vendors who raised howl over the implementation of the ordinance citing the negative impact it will have on their businesses. Even the tourism groups were not supportive of the ordinance at first reasoning that this would discourage tourists from visiting the city.

The city government did not waver and after a time , the Dabawenyos appreciated the benefits of such ordinance and learned to live with it.

Several local government units in the country and in foreign countries have emulated the city by passing their own anti-smoking ordinances. In several discussion groups, the city earned praises from the other local government units who saw that its implementation was really intended to protect the welfare of the residents.

A QUIET NEW YEAR

Also passed in 2002, the Ordinance No. 060-02 is an ordinance that prohibits “the manufacture, sale, distribution, possession or use of firecrackers or pyrotechnic devices and such other similar devices and the exploding of firecrackers and other similar explosives within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City.”

The ordinance came about after Mayor Rodrigo Duterte realized that firecracker explosion during holidays, particularly during the Yuletide season, caused not only injuries on reckless residents but also on hapless individuals and that the fire crackers can even cause fire in so some instances.

This prompted the mayor to ask the city council to eventually pass the ordinance complete with the penalty clause.

Under the provision, someone who commits the offense for the first time faces a P1,000 fine or an imprisonment of between 20 days to a month or both depending on the discretion of the court.

Second time offenders face a stiffer penalty of P3,000 fine or imprisonment of between one month to three months, or both. Recidivists, however, face a larger fine of P5,000 or imprisonment of between three to six months.

Since the passage of the ordinance, hospitals in the city have been free of injuries caused by firecracker explosion and that the Bureau of Fire Protection reported no fire due to pyrotechnics.

Last Yuletide season, however, about 100 city residents, most of them young boys, were arrested for firecracker blasts. The number was higher compared with the previous years since the start of the implementation of the ordinance in 2002.

The increase in number of arrested residents came about after Mayor Duterte dangled a P1,000 bounty for those who could identify anyone exploding firecrackers in their neighborhoods.

Last year, some local government units have expressed their desire to regulate firecracker explosions, some of them have even proposed of emulating the city by passing a similar law despite the opposition of some individuals who peddle these destructive explosives.

The city’s successes in these two and other ordinances have made it one of the most recognized local government units not just in the country but in the world.

All it really takes is strong and consistent political will and a constituency that respects the law.

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the island. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation , Phil. Call Centers Alliance, Mindanaeso Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

SULU’S RESPONSE TO GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

2008-05-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

From well-oiled automatic rifles and smoke grenades, the Tausogs in Luuk, Sulu are now arming themselves for a different kind of war – a battle for full stomach and patience – to win over the scourge of poverty where it breeds terrorism.

Security officials in the country has been alarmed by the reality of food shortage that triggered riots erupting worldwide and is now gauging the security implications of the crucial rice and food situation in the country.

The Tausogs in this island of more than half a million Muslims are armed not with weapons, but farm implements battling to save themselves from the looming food crisis the country is facing.

Luuk, which literally means, ”low elevation”, was established in 1918 when Maas Kamlon, a very famous Tausog warrior fought against the government. The province is among the poorest provinces in the country and registered with the lowest human development index. It lagged behind in terms of economic development and the people here lived in a lonely island of poverty but ironically in the midst of a vast ocean of natural resources.

Agricultural Revolution

The Tausugs are now in the midst of what they call an agricultural revolution and are planting hundred of hectares of farms with cassava, corn and vegetable.

People here are now conscious enough and know very well the consequences, that if eventually supplies of imported of rice will decrease and will come in trickles, they can always eat cassava as an alternative.

Because they consider cassava as their staple instead of rice, the farmers are able to slowly cushion the impact of the soaring rice prices.

The local government led by Mayor Abdurahman Arbison, together with his Father and the entire government, rallied the people to engage in livelihood projects by tilling their lands and planting them with cassava and other crops, Arbison said that in the advent of a global rice shortage, people in Sulu need not to worry anymore, as they can always go back to their staple which is cassava and since they have an abundance of it ; they can even export it if needed.

Aside from planting essentials, fisher folks at its coastal area here are also concentrating on lobsters (tiger) and groupers (lapu-lapu) culture at sea.

The only fishpond in Sulu is found in this coastal town; and employs people from Iloilo in the Visayas (Ilongos). They manned the fishpond and at the same time teach bangus culture to the locals.

Ilongo’s are known in the Visayas to be industrious and are experts in cultivating fresh water seafoods to include tilapia and sugpo(prawns), however, the Tausogs are not used to eat fresh water fish but is now learning and beginning to like it.

Developments in Sulu

Access roads to near by municipalities connecting to the center town are now under construction and are to be operational before the end of this year. Roads to this areas before it was concreted, were not accessible due to big holes, mud -like soil and boulders of rocks.

Leisure Park, a few hundred meters away from the Tanduh Batu Port which is also adjacent to more than a kilometer from the Boulevard by the Sea is nearing completion.

When operational the park’s centerpiece is a Water Fountain complete with colored light bulbs that will illuminate the rolling and sprouting water above 12 feet from the ground.

The lighted Boulevard by the Sea has a walkway in the side of the riff-raff shoulders to accommodate early morning joggers and sunset lovers who are expected to troop the area.

Opposite the boulevard will rise a Sports Complex complete with Basketball and Tennis Courts with many indoor games.

More commercial stalls around the area will be built in uniform models to accommodate goods and products to be sold at bottom low prices that will showcase native and indigenous products.

Sulu had hosted the visit of two heads of states, two (2) Philippine Presidents, Pres. Gloria Arroyo and Former Pres. Joseph Estrada ; and the son of the Great Libyan-Arab Jamahiriya Col. Muammar Khadafi.

Personally, Sulu is one of the areas in Mindanao that continues to attract me . I know so many business people that would really want to go and explore Sulu and see for themselves the economic progress that is now happening. Do it. Now is the time.

(My thanks to fellow MIndanaoan Mr. Ed General of MindaNews for the information in this column)

(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the island. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation , Phil. Call Centers Alliance, Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)

Strengthening the Mindanao Exporters

2006-08-31T00:20:00.000-07:00

Our local exporters are the country's main foreign exchange earning group next to the Overseas Filipino Workers. Each year, the country supplies the world with agro and marine products, home furnishings, merchandising, electronics, IT services, among others.

Mindanao’s total value of exports went up by 13% or posting a double-digit growth from US$338 million in first quarter of 2004 to US$382 million in first quarter of 2005. The said growth was attributed to increases in export values from Mindanao’s major export products particularly coconut oil, fresh pineapples, nickel ores and desiccated coconut.

Despite the robust figure, there are still many things to improve on, if we are to compete with our neighboring countries like Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. The export industry is keen on this, and it brought the local government units and the exporters together in the localized national export congress held in General Santos City.

There was a pre-congress that has introduced to the region the objectives of the localization effort and has led to the identification of regional concerns which the different line agencies have to respond to by submitting appropriate action plans to be implemented at specific time duration. The event focused on the issues of the priority exporting sectors which included the vegetable and fruit, resource-based sector, marine, and the Information communication and technology (ICT) sector.

Issues and Concerns

Key industry leaders have represented the region’s exporters in presenting the most pressing issues of the region. Critical issues that arose were lack of financing assistance to Small exporters; and the software piracy which is killing the ICT industry; infrastructure and telecommunications development, tariffs and taxes, and market penetration strategies.

The main issue that came up was financing, due to stringent requirements, high interest rates and lack of financial support for capital investments. This affects fruits, marine and other resource-based export sector.

Infrastructure came second, due to lack of post harvest facilities; inadequate processing and cold storage facilities; inadequate fish quality control laboratory; insufficient infrastructure and investments on telecommunications and internet cafés; limited entry of public telecomm services; and no ICT park accredited building to accommodate ICT related businesses.

Cost of doing business was also a major concern with high cost of freight charges; high cost of transportation and shipping; road blockades as landowners of private roads collect toll fees from the company trucks; and Stringent export and import documentation procedures. This affects the Fruits, Marine and aquamarine, Vegetables, other resource-based sector.

Product development and marketing were also mentioned, the challenges being: limited product concentration (need to diversify and adopt new technologies); need to improve quality; insufficient research and development programs in the region; improper post harvest. Lack of strong marketing organization or consolidator; narrow export market; weak branding or absence of brand or institutional packer for fresh and frozen tuna; lack of investment promotion and tax incentives; High Tariffs of the United States and the European Union (EU) on our canned tuna; Insufficient EU quota allocation for canned tuna; Expiry of EU TRQ regime; Implementation of EU GSP on canned tuna; Import ban on smoked tilapia in Japan.

Tuna concerns included the need to distinguish and establish the two classifications of tuna in the region, the canned and the fresh-chilled, which need to have separate rules and regulations given their difference. The Filipino tuna sector is also threatened by the foreign players who receive incentives such as tax free status while they sell to domestic market whereas the local tuna is priced with 35% tax.

On the IPO concern, several exporters were complaining on the tedious process of securing intellectual property rights from Manila and thus propose for IPO to establish a desk with the DTI offices. Exporters reported that it is often easier to patent products outside Philippines but this would not provide enough protection for them.

The insufficient support due to budget constraints of the Bureau of Fisheries was highlighted; as its budget is lumped together with the other bureaus of the Department of Agriculture. There is a need for the private sector to advocate for the BFAR to become a separate Department. BFAR was also criticized on their interpretation of the EU standards which causes the delays on the EU inspection. BFAR unfortunately was not represented in the congress.

The region also recommended for the fast tracking of the implementation of the project that would expand the Makar Wharf at Gen.Santos to enable the region to accommodate big foreign vessels and there would not be a need to bring some of their exports to Davao ports.

Secured Commitments

17 regional scorecards which includes commitments from DA, DOST, DENR, DTI, NEDA, BFAR, PCA, BOC, PPA, CHED, DEPED, DOTC, CICT, TESDA, DILG, DPWH, and NTC were secured during the open forum.

DTI plans to organize a financing forum for conduit organizations with the National Livelihood and Support Fund to facilitate access to financing thru information dissemination / forum.

To Intensify product promotion and marketing strategies DTI would spearhead the conduct of trade fairs, disseminate DTI-CITEM organized local and international trade fairs/missions, identify OFW associations to help promote and distribute region’s products, participate in national and international Food Expo (Japan and Taiwan) and conduct market dialogue/matching.

Related line agencies and TESDA would also work together at strengthening human resources of the region by way of trainings and technology demonstrations and transfer ; the use of educational mobile van to cater to remote areas.

For the ICT sector, web and data connection for internet access, and additional telephone systems would be provided to address the telecommunication development issues.

DTI and DOST would also assist in developing competitive products by tapping commercial attaches for market intelligence, providing testing/calibration services to clients and firms, and giving technical assistance like trainings.

So much work to do.. so many plans to accomplish …before we can truly make Mindanao the food basket of the Philippines .

The Mindanao Promise Can Be Delivered

2006-07-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am a Mindanawon. In my opinion, the phrase “Mindanao: Land of Promise” is not a cliché. It is a fact. Let me tell you about Mindanao.

Mindanao is a beautiful island. Situated in the southernmost section of the Philippine archipelago, Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines. With a land area of 102,043 square kilometers, it occupies one-third of the Philippines' total land area and is larger than a number of Asian countries like Taiwan or Singapore.
Mindanao is strategically located within the East ASEAN region, almost equidistant to the eastern sections of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. This key geographic location underscores its potential to be a major transshipment point and center of trade in the region.

Natural Richness
Mindanao is rich in natural resources. A third of our land is planted with the country’s major crops – 100% of national production of cacao, 91%of pineapples, 90% of cacao and over 50% of coconut, coffee and corn. And of course – the pomelos, mangosteen , rambutans , lanzones plus our own salad bar of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflowers, cabbages,etc. Our fruit basket of bananas account to US79.5 million of our exports; fresh pineapples at US 33.5 million and the tuna that we eat as sashimi at US 22.3 million.

So its no wonder that we contribute over 40 percent of the Philippines' food requirements and more than 30 percent to the national food trade

Mindanao is likewise endowed with rich mineral resources. Mindanao reportedly accounts for 80% of the national total deposits of copper, nickel, and gold. Currently, of the twenty-three major metallic projects operating in the Philippines, nine are in Mindanao (primarily in Surigao and Davao Oriental).Its metallic deposits include lead, zinc, ore, iron, copper, chromite, magnetite and gold. Gold mined in Mindanao accounts for nearly half of the national gold reserves. Its non-metallic mineral resources include marble, salt, sand, gravel, silica, clay, and limestone.

Cultural diversity and the island's natural beauty make Mindanao one of Asia's favored tourist destinations. White sand beaches, scenic volcanoes, vast orchid gardens, and various ethnic festivals are only some of its unique tourist attractions. Our tourism arrival was at 2 million from January-July 2005; hovering from 25%-25% increase in arrivals

Economy
Agriculture is the driving force behind Mindanao's economy. Close to a third of its land area is devoted to agriculture. More than one-third of the island's labor force is employed in the agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors. Mindanao accounts for over 40 percent of the Philippines' food requirements and contributes more than 30 percent to the national food trade. Mindanao's evenly distributed tropical climate makes it ideal for year-round crop production. If wisely harnessed, Mindanao's rich agricultural resources can serve as the Philippines' foundation for sustainable growth.

In the first quarter of 2005, Mindanao’s overall economic performance remained upbeat. Despite the uncontrollable hikes in oil and consumer prices, which brought down sectoral production from the rest of the country this period, Mindanao’s economy proved to withstand these pressures as exhibited by its key economic indicators. Notably significant indicators in trade and investments, and exports, among others, backed up the said performance.

The BOI and Phividec-registered investments reached P1.07 billion in 2005 posting a growth of 142% compared to its previous year’s performance; Exports sector in Mindanao exhibited a 13% growth rate; Cargo traffic growth reached 5.73% as well as a 1.99% increase in vessel traffic among the major ports in Mindanao; A stable labor force as employment rates reached 94.7% while keeping unemployment rate at 5.3%; and, Value of private building construction increased by 5.1% from P1.96 Billion in 1st Qtr. 2004 to P2.06Billion in 1st Qtr. 2005.

The banking sector likewise plays an important role in mobilizing the economic development of Mindanao. It has contributed in the development of many small and medium scale entrepreneurs, and serves as one of the safe places for deposits for the burgeoning income base of Mindanaons.

Over the last three years, the Mindanao banking sector has displayed modest increase in the number of banking offices. From the report generated by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO) there was a 2% increase in the number of banks operating Mindanao, from 877 in 2003 to 896 in 2004.

People
The primary asset of Mindanao is its people. Based on the year 2000 census, 18.1 million people or a quarter of the Philippines' total population reside in Mindanao. The island is home to some 27 indigenous cultural communities, as well as migrants from Luzon and the Visayas. Rather than an impediment, the pluralism of cultures in Mindanao is a major source of strength, particularly in trading with its multi-cultural neighbor countries in East ASEAN.

Mindanao has a relatively young albeit highly literate population. One-third of its population is aged 15 to 19 with a literacy rate of 90%. The island also boasts a versatile, adaptive and English-speaking work force. Generally, Mindanaoans are known for their positive outlook, pleasant disposition and warm hospitality.

Opportunities and Development Imperatives
Due to its rich natural resources which surpass those of Luzon and the Visayas, economic opportunities in Mindanao abound. With the recent revitalization of BIMP-EAGA of which Mindanao is an organic part, economic activities in the island are seen to further expand. However, Mindanao's resources must be judiciously managed to ensure their sustainability.
In its drive towards economic development through global trade competitiveness, Mindanao's leaders must not lose sight of social issues such as poverty and peace and security. These likewise need to be urgently addressed to ensure the island's sustainable development. Economic development programs should be undertaken hand in hand with programs targeted at alleviating poverty and installing conditions that would lead to long-term peace.
Jobs and Employment

We have a total labor force of 8.2 million; 95% are working or gainfully employed while the remaining 5% or 430,000 are unemployed. These are the seasonal workers in the farms and the plantations. Due to our robust agriculture based economy, our employment rate is higher by two (2) percentage points compared to the country’s 92.7%. Majority of our workers are in the agriculture sector; followed by services and manufacturing. This is mainly due to the bright and upbeat economic performance of the economy despite the hikes in oil and energy. As to be expected, the resiliency of Mindanao withstood the pressures of the environment

Mindanao, the troubled island
Amidst its beauty, Mindanao is a complex island with its own peculiarities and intricacies. To understand Mindanao is to go back to history and look at the facets that contributed to what it is today. Over the years, Mindanao has seen the light of day and the dark of night, with hostilities stalking its shadows, and region-wide poverty incidence scarring its beauty.

For many years now, Mindanao is beset by numerous problems on peace, infrastructure development and poverty. It is actually an irony that an island that holds so much promise of prosperity is home to millions of poor families, especially in the provinces of ARMM, CARAGA and Northern Mindanao.

The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), in its 2000 poverty incidence report, showed all regions in Mindanao had over 30 percent of poverty incidence. At the provincial level, Sulu (ARMM) was described as the poorest province in the Philippines, with the highest poverty incidence level of 63.2 percent. Tawi-Tawi had 56.5 percent. Maguindanao; 55.1 percent; Lanao del Sur, 55 percent; Sultan Kudarat, 54.3 percent; and Camiguin, 53.1 percent.

In the 2003 poverty report, CARAGA with 47.3 percent, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with 45.7 percent, and Western Mindanao (Region IX) with 44.1 percent, were still among the top 10 poorest provinces in the Philippines.

Hope Lives
Precisely because of this scenario that Mindanao has attracted numerous international development projects, to aid it in economic, social and political development. Majority of the country’s multi-lateral donor agency-projects are based in Mindanao.

Among these are Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS), Livelihood Enhancement and Peace (LEAP) Program, GOP-UNDP-EC Programme on Rehabilitating Internally Displaced Persons and Communities in Southern Philippines, ACT for Peace Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - Industrial Development Programme, to name a few.

The hope for a progressive and peaceful Mindanao is not lost. Many Mindanawon leaders and stakeholders are now working towards making that hope a reality. We have been promoting Mindanao’s economy through the BIMP EAGA, an economic cooperation scheme involving the four countries of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. We have been pushing for a Federalism form of Government, as the effective approach to address to Mindanao’s peculiar social set up.

The GRP-MILF peace process is still underway, but negotiation is getting better. The green-leaf bearing dove, the most common symbol for peace, continues to hover around, with no solid branch or agreement to rest on. Yet the fact that the negotiation continues is a proof that a peaceful Mindanao will not remain a dream, and federalism may yet be that hope.

It’s simply a matter of time before Mindanao delivers its promise in full.

MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS : THREAT TO AGRICULTURE

2006-07-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Various studies would show that motor vehicle emissions is largely harmful to a person’s health . Respiratory related diseases afflicting both the young and the old have all been attributed to a high degree of street pollution. The health cost of air pollution in four cities (Metro Manila, Davao, Baguio and Cebu) had been estimated to be more than US$$00 million per year; equivalent to .06% of the country’s national gross domestic product (GHP)

Agriculture is a way of life in Mindanao ; so I was particularly struck by a study done in 1990-1995 in the United States that showed the effects of ozone air pollution on the agricultural sector . The document that I read noted the economic impact of air pollution on agriculture and said that a 25% reduction in ambient ozone would provide benefits of at least $1–2billion annually in the United States(US).

This paper extends existing research by estimating the benefits of a reduction in emissions from a major source of ozone formation: motor-vehicle emissions. An agricultural production model is combined with an analysis of motor-vehicle emissions and air quality to estimate the impacts of emissions from six different motor vehicle classes at both the regional and national level. The benefits to the agricultural sector from completely
eliminating ozone precursor emissions from motor vehicles ranges between $3·5 and $6·1billion annually. The detrimental effects of ambient ozone, even at relatively low concentrations are well established (Heck and Brandt 1977, California Air Resources Board 1987) .

Studies show that ozone enters plant leaves through the stomatal openings in the leaf surface and produce by products that reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis. Research suggest that ozone either alone or in combination with nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide may be responsible for up to 90% of crop losses resulting from air pollution . In an effort to address this problem, the Clean Air Act and its amendments in the US include air pollution damage to vegetation as one of the criteria by which air quality standards are evaluated.

There is an economic cost associated with this reduced productivity. There is a special focus on motor vehicles because they are the largest source of ozone emissions (Davis1997 ) and because of the growing general interest of the full social cost of motor vehicles.

International studies have shown that 25% reduction in the ambient ozone
would result to 1-2 billion dollars benefit to the agriculture sector of the US.

There were eight major crops that was tested and these were
corn, soybeans,wheat, alfalfa hay, cotton, grain sorghum, rice and barley.
The studies had indicated that ozone causes substantial losses to soybeans and corn.

Ozone formed from the emission of motor vehicles caused $2.0-$3.3 billion in damages to these eight crops. Gasoline vehicles cause much greater damages than the diesel vehicles because they emit more volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), which is one of the main precursor to ozone formation. These estimated damages are of course lesser than the damages done by vehicles emission to human health. But note that even a 10% reduction in vehicle emission may yield about $.05 billion in economic benefits in the US.

The issue of the hazards of air pollution and the gravity of it had not really sunk into the consciousness of many people in Mindanao. First, because we still have vast land resources as against the number of motor vehicles plying our streets. We still have the luxury of breathing clean air despite the large presence of vehicle emissions. We should not wait for the day when we become like another Manila where walking in the streets is like walking in the chamber of death .

Our Mindanao Land Transportation Offices(LTO) and the private emission test operators must show Manila that they have the political will to impose the emission test of motor vehicles with integrity. That the unscrupulous “fixers” at the LTO will come to their senses and realize that it is their family’s health that they are putting at stake for every “dirty” penny that they get. And that the vehicle owners undergo the process of testing and not circumvent the law by tolerating and patronizing corrupt practices in the testing process.
Remember that our people’s health as well as our fauna and agriculture is our only treasure in Mindanao!

THE BANKABLE BANKS OF MINDANAO

2006-06-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

When we assess the economic performance of Mindanao, the development in the banking sector is one of the best indicators. Putting it simply, more banks
would mean that there is money and more money circulating around the island and that business must be robust.

We all know that our country’s banking system is composed of universal and commercial banks, thrift banks, rural and cooperative banks. As of December 31, 2003, there are a total of 7,494 banks in the country; 877 of these are found in Mindanao. The banking sector plays an important role in mobilizing the economic development of Mindanao. It has contributed to the growth of many small and medium scale entrepreneurs

Over the last three years, the Mindanao banking sector has displayed significant increase in the number of banking offices. From the report generated by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO) there was a 2% increase in the number of banks operating in Mindanao, from 877 in 2003 to 896 in 2004.

Regional distribution for the number of banks operating in Mindanao in 2004 showed that Region 13 or CARAGA has the highest increase in number of offices with seven additions. Region 11 has four, and both Regions 9 and 12 have three new banks. Region 10 has two additional banks while ARMM has none.

Major factor in the increase is attributed to the physical growth of rural and coop banks, which gained additional 25 banks within the one-year period. Among the regions, Southern Mindanao has the most increase with eight new rural / coop banks, followed by CARAGA with seven and northern Mindanao with five. Rural and coop banks serve the needs of the micro entrepreneurs who , often than not, resort to informal money lenders for their working capital requirements. Because of this, they fall victims to high interest rates.

The period 2005 showed a minor fluctuation in the number of persons served by banks in Mindanao. In 2003, there were a total of 210,419 persons being served; this increased to 210,600 in 2004, but slightly declined to 209,896 in 2005, marking a total loss of 523 clients.

However, in the period between 2003 and 2004, quasi-banks in Mindanao such as investment houses, financing companies and pawnshops among others, rose by 8.5% or 1,713 institutions registered with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as against 1,578 in 2003. Of the total quasi-banks in Mindanao, pawnshops account for 99% of these. The presence of these institutions provide an alternative source of funds for the farmers and the small businessmen.

In the 2004 regional distribution report released by BSP, Region 11 which is the center of trade and services in Mindanao has the most number of quasi-banks with 486 financial institutions comprised mostly of pawnshops. Regions 12 with 393 and Region 10 with 331, closely follow.

Interestingly. with the increase in the number of banks, consolidated loan portfolio of Mindanao banks amounted to P61.645 billion in 2004 as against P60.817 B in 2003. Northern Mindanao or Region 10 has the highest loan portfolio at P 19,632 B; followed by Southern Mindanao or Region 11 at
P 16,904 B and the lowest at P 3.4 B at CARAGA. This would also indicate the level of investments and business activity in a given area.

In amount, commercial banks have the highest loan portfolio share at 71%, but in terms of signs of growth percentage rural banks lead at 117.74% between 2003 and 2004. Since the economy of our island is agriculture dependent ; majority of our farmers rely heavily on rural banks as their investment partner.

The increase in rural banks’ loan portfolio could also be traced in the growing micro-finance services they give to small and medium scale entrepreneurs.
Based on 2005 reports from the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines, out of the 428 towns and cities in Mindanao, there are 286 RB offices servicing the island, which is actually 62% coverage.

Deposit Liabilities has likewise increased for all commercial, thrift and rural banks as they posted a positive growth trend for 2004 with a consolidated P354.26 B savings deposits as against P337.36 B in 2003. This is good news for us because savings again is an indication that the agriculture sector is doing well .

Top three Mindanao regions with the highest savings deposits growth are, Region 10 with P4.48 B increase, closely followed by Region 11 with P4.46 B, and lastly Region 9 with P2.47 B. Savings growth for other regions are, P.007 B for Region 12, P.065 B for ARMM and P.972 B for CARAGA.

The increase in deposits may also be the result of increased awareness of the market on the importance of saving for the future and also because of the robust economic activities in these communities where the banks operate.

The banking sector has been a key growth driver for the island’s small business enterprises as they are poised to expand their microfinance services for small and micro businesses nationwide.

In fact, micro-finance service has helped many banks grow its assets and loan portfolio. This indicates the micro-entrepreneurs' growing confidence in getting access to microfinance programs as a means to start a small business or expand their operations. There are now over 15,000 SMEs present in Mindanao who get capital access from banks.

To give you a better picture, lets take a look at how rural banks are strengthening their operations and are likewise strengthening the financial condition of the SMEs through micro-credit systems.

From the August 2003 report filed by the USAID-funded project Microenterprise Access to Banking Services or MABS, micro-loan portfolio of 37 MABS participating banks nationwide “surged to P291.65 million in August 2003, up from P282.million in the previous month. The number of micro-borrowers also swelled from 32,306 in September 2002 to 43,226 at the end of August. Micro-savings deposits also rose from P205.4 M in July to P228.98 M in August.”

The micro finance systems of banks and other financial institutions are developing new Filipino entrepreneurs and are helping marginalized sectors in the community shape their financial future. This is largely benefiting the poverty-stricken Mindanao regions.

Moreover, signs of growth are present in the Mindanao banking industry. The modest growth only proves that stability do exist in the island and that the economic wheel continues to move upward.

HABAL- HABAL : A THRIVING MICRO ENTERPRISE

2006-06-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Recently, I’ve noticed a rise on the number of single motorcycle vehicles used as public transportation. These single motors, more commonly known as Habal – Habal, has been plying the city and has been the object of many traffic issues, as they are seen as traffic nuisance, and unsafe for passengers.

At the start habal-habal became popular in the rural areas because of difficulty in finding public transportation there; it later spread out to the cities. Surprisingly , there are even habal-habals operating in Metro Manila.

This mode of transportation is not also cheap; but it affords one access to transportation where there is none ; and speed since the habal habal can easily squeeze its way out of traffic.

Amidst its illegal status, the habal-habal business seems to be a thriving one in Davao. Operating a habal-habal is already a viable source of income for many Dabawenyos. According to Traffic Management Center Chief Celso Gemepesaw, there are an estimated 14,000 habal-habal operators in Davao City and I believe still gowing.

Based on random interviews, habal-habal drivers earn an average of P600 / day gross and brings home a net earnings of P400 / day or an average of
P 8,000.00 a month or in better months a little more. This amount is just enough to provide food on the table for their families.

Just like any business endeavor, they get their financing from both formal and informal sources- from motorcycle dealers that charges them the daily amortization of P 100.00/payable in two (2) years. Or from other informal lenders that charges them a higher interest cost but longer paying period.
Whatever is the scheme, the drivers are able to meet their loan obligations which indicates that business must be good.

Since the payment is on a daily / weekly basis, and the motorcycle is the main source of income from the drivers, delinquency is kept to a minimum.

There was a study done by Asian Development Bank that shows that 28.9% of the Filipino population earns below $1 a day; and obviously these habal habal do not belong to this sector. I am glad that they are a little above the poverty threshold.

In an economy where agricultures is predominant, people with no land to till and with zero capital are force to exercise their maximum business acumen in order to survive. This is when we can see the entry of non traditional businesses with the barest of capitalization requirement- just like the “habal-habal”.

However, the recently passed Davao City Ordinance 0189, which is an amendment of Ordinance 737, requires drivers and riders to wear crash helmets and limits the number of back riders to just one. Significantly, it also prohibits the use of a single motorcycle as public conveyance or habal-habal.

The business of habal-habal is a business of transporting people to their destinations safe and sound. Although these motors do not operate in major highways and streets, they can still be unsafe, and extra precaution must be taken both by the driver and the rider.

City Legal Office (CLO) Traffic Regulation Division officer-in-charge Joseph S. Felizarta advised habal-habal operators and drivers to turn their habal-habal motorcycles into tricycles. This has to be done fast because we are talking of over 10,000 habal habal plying the streets of Davao .

The city government have to provide the technical assistance so that these can be done immediately for both the safety of the riding public and the driver.

Bottom Up Approach To Peace

2006-06-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Peace and order condition and economic development are closely intertwined.One is indispensable to the other. Economic development can be pursued onlywithin a peaceful environment. When the economy is doing good, there is a better guarantee of a peaceful environment. And this is particularly true inMindanao.

This is not to simplify the complex issues of peace and development in Mindanao. These issues have socio-political and cultural roots. However, history and reality tell us that economics is also an important factor.

That is why the government, business community, and non-government organizations have always put peace on top of their economic development agenda. Peace and development have always been a main topic in thevarious conferences, summits, and other fora. These includes the annual summits initiated by Kusog Mindanaw, Mindanao Commission of Women, NGOs, business groups , media and other organizations. These initiatives manifest the acknowledgment by the various stakeholders in Mindanao that peace and development must go together.

Various foreign donors have also signified intention to continue supporting peace and development initiatives in Mindanao. These initiatives include livelihood projects, particularly for the disadvantaged sectors in the poor regions of theisland, where assistance is most needed.

Recently, another important summit was held in Sulu. Organized by the Province of Sulu, in collaboration with the Mindanao People's Peace Movement, the 4thBangsamoro Summit gathered over 50 participants coming from various sectors of the tri-people community at the Tabang Sulu Hall in an effort to contribute inforging lasting peace and development in Mindanao. The summit consolidated insights of various sectors to substantially contribute in the peace building initiatives in the region.

The summit also served as forum to assess the livelihood programs initiated for former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who havebeen provided access to livelihood opportunities.

Although there are many other summits initiated by different sectors, it is good that there are summits specially organized for the tri-people where the is no substitute implementation of livelihood programs must be intensified. There is no better substitute to touching base - getting the pulse of the people in the communities who know best how to properly address their concerns. This reinforces the bottom-up approach in looking for sustainable solutions to lasting peace and development.

The results of the 4th Bangsamoro Summit should serve as important reference for other sectors and organizations who have periodic conferences and consultation. While the summit may be area- and sector-specific, the approaches and strategies employed in successfully implementing livelihood programs in the Moro communities may help other organizations in enhancing their programs to dovetail with the needs of the target beneficiaries.

Again, there is no substitute to touching base. There is no such thing as conclusive assumptions and presumptions in working for peace and development in Mindanao. No one knows better than the people in the communities themselves.

IS CDO OVERTAKING DAVAO ?

2006-03-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

I read this email from a reader with great interest. I think this should serve as a wake-up call and a real challenge to both the private sector and the government. We need to act and move fast!

Dear Ms Jojie Bian,
I'm one of the forumers in SSC or http://www.skyscrapercity.com/. And we have been promoting Davao City - its culture, sites, and business climate. As a forerunner, I have been active with other Philippine forums as well like those of Cagayan de Oro (CDO and Cebu. I'm currently living in Cebu now and working with the call center industry for 2 years now. Before transferring here in Cebu, I have been working with the same company in Makati as well.

I am so pleased with the good news which you have written and posted in http://www.inq7.net/ and http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/. It's about making Mindanao as an IT Hub.

However, one thing that is my concern though is how other cities are overtaking us now. I'll have to specifically stress out CDO for this matter. Just currently, Ayala did confirm the pursuance of their investment in CDO - which is a development of an Ayala Business Park! How did this happen? Why did Ayala decide to invest in CDO and not in Davao? I thought we are far more advance than CDO? I thought we are the premier city in Mindanao and its de facto capital? In this case, would this mean that CDO has overtaken us? Just as how Ayala became the catalyst of growth here in Cebu and in Makati, for sure this will boost CDO's economy....and where will we be (Davao) at that time?

Also, from your recent article "Mindanao as an IT Hub", you have mentioned about CDO's IT Park..why cant Davao have one? I am sure you are aware why Cebu's ICT industry is so upbeat...one of the major factors is the present of several IT parks and zones.

Madam, I adore your advocation to promote Mindanao. But sometimes I wonder, aren’t we from Davao been extending our help that much to other Mindanao Cities and thus forgot to help our own city first?

CDO has its own IT Park and now a business park! Davao? well we have a lot of plans that remained plans till now. I remember few years back (when i was still 19, now im already 23) I had also read an article written by you about almost the same issue...Making the island as an IT Hub. And there were talks to have the very first IT Park outside Cebu and Manila in Davao....But what happened? CDO has overtaken us.....

There are a lot of plans......the development of Sta Ana Wharf to become somewhat like the Fishermen's wharf in San Francisco, the ICT Park, the business parks, development of PTA Grounds to be like Greenbelt of Makati, the MRT, the coliseums, the Samal - Davao bridge, etc etc....but these till now (after almost 5 years) are still plans.

Madam, I thank God to know a Davaoeña like you whose goal is to promote Davao City. I wish there is something that we (the average Dabawenyos) can do to help. I do not want to wake up one day knowing that CDO has fully overtaken Davao.

From : "shealthiel jech oczon"

Mindanao As I.T. Hub: Part Two

2006-03-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Cyberservices is a new term that describes services delivered via cyberspace. These are information technology-driven services that include call centers, medical transcription, back office operations, and animation.

In the Philippines, call center services is the largest sector in the I.T industry, absorbing 63% of its total workforce. In just a few years, Philippines has strengthened its services from inbound customer support and outbound telemarketing to more technical support service such as computer hardware troubleshooting. We are currently at par with global standards, closely competing with India and China, while offering the best value. And as the sector grows to greater heights, large call center companies are expanding its reach across the nation, seeking for more competitive labor costs, and cheaper infrastructure and operational expenses in other cities aside from Manila, Angeles and Cebu - and southern Philippines is targeted as the next destination of growth.

But, is Mindanao ready?

In its recent report, Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) projected that the call center sector will have to employ 388,000 agents to meet client needs in 2010. In order to deliver this, call centers should not limit their Mindanao activities on recruitment for relocation purposes alone. Setting base is inevitable considering the many perks in Mindanao cities, specifically the availability of cheaper and reliable power and communication infrastructure, less expensive cost of living, good incentives for I.T. companies, numerous vendor support, and transportation infrastructure.

Mindanao is also fast opening itself to advancement as it targets cyberservices to be the industry that will not only boost the economy, but will also secure its people from leaving home. In addition, redistribution of wealth, the return of talents, triggering of commercial activity, and attracting more investment from other sectors are significant, positive effects of call center presence in the provinces.

Local communities and its leaders recognizes Mindanao's potentials in providing call center needs in the near future. This sparked interests from various groups and business organizations to cooperate and unify in order to make Mindanao cities an attractive and suitable locations for the industry's growth.

Mindanao as the next I.T. Hub

Such widespread investment promotion campaign embarked by various Mindanao stakeholders, captured the interest of some of the well-known call centers causing them to visit major, Mindanao cities for expansion consideration. So far, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City pioneered by collectively attracting four call center operation set-ups in the city proper. My very own company, Joji Ilagan Foundation Inc., will be operating a state of the art training academy for call center agents and personnel in partnership with John F. Kennedy Foundation; and a Call Center projected to have 200 seats. This training academy will open start operating on April and the BPO contact center on June of this year. The training center will also ensure the continuous presence of skilled manpower to serve the needs of IT investors and BPO’s that intends to locate their businesses in Davao and the nearby cities like Gen. Santos.

Mindanao, with its skilled labor and quality of life, recognizes its capacity to deliver investor requirements in setting up call center operations. We produce competent professionals with excellent reasoning skills, English communication and computer skills, and workers flexible in various work environments. And of course, Mindanaoans are famous for being friendly, courteous and industrious individuals - a plus point in this line of work.

On the other hand, Mindanao has its own challenges and limitations. For one, not all cities have I.T. Parks and zones, and this discourages I.T. investors who seek additional incentives that an I.T. park/zone could offer, in addition to the flexible requirements it imposes. Most of the cities are yet to follow Cagayan de Oro's Pueblo de Oro IT Park, the first of its kind which houses an international call center.

There is no reason why Davao and Cagayan and the rest of Mindanao cannot become the IT hub for the Southern part of the country and of the East Asean region.

After all, everything else is in place - competent manpower and adequate communications and transportation infrastructures.

MINDANAO ICT: Full Blast in 2006

2006-03-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

Expect this year that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Mindanao will be taking a massive leap to profitable and ever-expanding services. Similar to emergent and forward-looking economies, Mindanao is “upgrading” itself to be at par with the world’s best ICT applications. Its vision for competitiveness and modernization was evident during the 4th Mindanao ICT Congress, wherein various key players from the six regions gathered to address the need for innovative revolution in our ICT industry.

The congress focused on enhancing the rapid distribution of knowledge and information as means to finding its proper niche in the global village of the 21st century. Conducted in General Santos City last year, the successful gathering resulted to the passing of seven policy resolutions and the discussion on the several key issues of the industry.

One of the resolutions calls for both the public and private sectors to intensify the promotion of investments in the ICT sector in Mindanao. This cooperation is critical particularly in encouraging investors that Mindanao is peaceful, orderly and above else, ICT-ready. To support this marketing initiative, a resolution urging the Telecommunications Office (TELOF) to fast-track the establishment of 37 identified community e-centers (CeCs) and 42 e-LGU CeCs in Mindanao was presented. It specifies the generalized resolution calling for the expansion of rural connectivity in the Mindanao regions, specifically in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The stakeholders also urged concerned government agencies to develop the IT skills of Mindanao’s human capital and businesses. In this campaign, it was suggested that the Department of Education (DepEd) subsume effective computer applications in the curriculum of primary and secondary education. Likewise, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) were tasked to monitor IT schools and business process outsource companies to guarantee that graduates possess the skills acceptable to the ICT industry. Mindanao is targeting markets of contact centers, BPOs, animation, software development and medical transcription. Each sector demands different knowledge and skills, and therefore more education and training programs are needed in order to address the special labor requirements attached to it.

Open Source technologies gained a considerable amount of curious, or otherwise fearful, following at the second half of 2005, when authorities allegedly raided offices and internet shops for copyrights violations on operating systems. As such, the private sector began urging government agencies to mount an aggressive and widespread information drive to all ICT stakeholders about the nature and benefits of adopting Open Source technology for business operations. This is, in fact, a very attractive alternative for small businesses who could not afford the legal rights to utilize commercial systems, but could not afford to do without a computer. Open Source is not only free, but it’s the option for lawful business transactions for those who are tight on the company budget.

Overall, the successful 4th Mindanao ICT Congress highlighted the necessary inputs from all stakeholders in order to achieve the goal to make Mindanao the “Knowledge Center in the Asia Pacific” by 2010. Will we be able to keep up with the times? We will surely take it one step at a time, but for sure, Mindanao is getting there.

JOBS AND BUSINESS

2006-03-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

The Regional Technical Education and Skills Development Committee (RTESDC) is the highest policy making body whose members come from both the private and public sector . This body is mandated to focus on the technical vocational education and training of human resource of the region together with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) The members of the committee are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the sector they represent. So you will have business/industry, labor, academe, Local Government Unit , Departments of Trade and Labor, TESDA in the said body.

I had been chairing these committee for the past two (2) years and in yesterday’s meeting , we were given a presentation by TESDA X1 , headed now by OIC Urbano Budtan. The report was impressive – it clearly showed t that they had surpassed their targets significantly; but what is worth mentioning – is that they did all of these by using up only 60-65% of their budget. I believe that credit should be given to the TESDA regional and provincial leadership as well as to the personnel for their commitment , dedication and efficiency. Seldom can we find such accomplishments among our government agencies !

For the record, TESDA had trained over 70,000 people; assessed 14, 200 and had certified over 3,000. These figures simply informs us that these are the people who are “job-ready” and who will be out in the field in the search of companies and industries who will need their skills.

The World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland had just ended and one of the more important issues that was taken up was the mobility of labor or job seekers. Our overseas Filipino workers are fast increasing in numbers - from household work , entertainment, care-giving to infants and elderly to the field of nursing and medicine. Even our farmers , carpenters and fishermen are finding high-paying work in Japan.

The basic problem common to all under developed countries is job creation . And we all know that to achieve this – there must be investments and business . And for these economic activity to happen – transparent and supportive governance must be present.

One of the major reasons why people leave their country is when they could no longer find economic security; when workers are not empowered; and when they see that the “fields are greener “ on the other side. This is not solely a Philippine problem; this is also common to other less developing countries. Migration is one of the major political problem today. It can even pose as a security threat or risk for other countries. How then can we stop people from moving from one country to the other ?

In order to entice our people to stay and work here ; it is but logical that we have to provide them with an environment that will provide them both the economic and social security that they want. We all know that the strongest mover of the economy is private enterprise/business. They have to be allowed to grow and to expand through government policies that are business friendly; policies that are productive; open markets; reasonable taxes; sensible and relevant regulations. Honestly, this does not happen often. I really cannot understand why government , most of the time, enacts legislation, executive orders, memorandums which are irrelevant and adds more red tapes and bureaucracy. Government has a way of making something so simple – so difficult and complicated. I hope that this year of the fire dog will be better. The dog is man’s best friend ; so let’s hope government can be “friendlier” to business!

Mindanao have a vast resource of human capital that is highly skilled and educated. These can be attested by our employment rate of 92% for 2005 and a low of 8.23% unemployment rate. It was only the agriculture sector which posted a positive growth in employment ; both services and industry were on the negative trend.

It would be good to see a paradigm shift in the year(s) to come ; where Mindanawans will no longer “jump to the other side of the fence “ because the “pastures are greener” right here.

MINDANAO BUSINESS TACKLES POPULATION MANAGEMENT

2006-03-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

Population management has been a major initiative of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry(PCCI) and selected chambers of commerce in Mindanao (Davao , Dipolog, Gen. Santos and Tawi Tawi) as well as in Luzon and the Visayas. It was felt that business intervention was needed to address the burgeoning problems that our excessive population growth stimulates. More importantly, population management offers us a new horizon to look at new methodologies in improving firm productivity and competitiveness. PCCI understands the effects of population growth and the part it plays in the Philippines’ development and growth of business. It aims to understand how population growth affects workers’ productivity and the necessary interventions to improve employer-employee relations.

In 2000, Mindanao had a population of 18,233,715 and is projected to increase by 2.11% in 2005 or 20,289,100. Region 11 is seen to be the area with the highest population increase in 2005 at 12.73% ; from 5,189,335 in 2000 to 5,905,254 in 2005. This is followed by Region 13 or CARAGA at 2,244,562 (11.99%) ; Region 1X at 3,526,566 (11.83%) and Reg X11 at 2,972,733 (11.72%).

Surprisingly the lowest projection for increase in population is at the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao ; from 2,412,159 in 2002 to 2,366,232 in 2005 or an increase of 8.18 % . This must be the result of the efforts to provide greater access to education and health services in the ARMM.

Mindanao data in 2000 would show that poverty incidence to population was 44.26% in 1997 and it went up to 46%; per capita poverty threshold was P10769.00 and per capita food threshold at P 7,434.00. The average annual income in 2000 was P 96,978.00 and expenditures was P 78,803.00. These figures are all affected by the rate of population – more people will call for more available jobs , more food and more of everything. Growth of business and economy should be much higher than increase in population so that life will be better for all.

Looking closely, population determines significant economic indicators such as labor productivity, economic growth, and prevalence of diseases, well-being of women and children, mortality, and poverty.

Businessmen in key centers of Mindanao now understand the implications of a high population rate and its profound impact on the sustainability of business. With the strong support of PCCI and its partners – more notably the Philippine Center for Population Development (PCPD) and PRISMS-USAID Programs , we were able to encourage nationwide participation in population management activities.

These activities include planning workshops, training modules, and seminars which bring information and spur activities in each of the area. The idea is to help individuals and couples to come up with an informed decision and to exercise their freedom of choice.

PCCI will be conducting a nationwide consultation all over the country specifically in drafting the criteria and terms of reference for a nationwide award and recognition for all levels of business that implements or conducts a population management program in the workplace. What is interesting is that this award will be open for even the small and medium sized firms , as well as the big multinational companies and industries.We hope to increase awareness through our program. These are baby steps that can eventually lead to a big leap.

The strategy that is being implemented in the region is three-pronged approach that include advocacy, linkages with service providers and setting up of common service facilities to cater to the eminent needs of SME workers and their families. This conventional approach enables local chambers to be self-sufficient as well as allowing them to develop innovative ideas to carry out tailor-fit programs to respond to their individual needs.

The Philippines still has a long way to go with respect to managing the country’s growing population. The common denominator, I guess amidst varied opinions among stakeholders in the society on this crucial issue, is the need to improve the living condition of some 30 million Filipinos in both urban and rural centers. Unless we see clear indications on how poverty in this country can be reduced substantially, then debates on population management are just as good as a lip service. We have to run programs that go beyond talks, we need policies that go beyond debates and we need champions to step beyond their call of duties, to become advocates for social change and progress.

Setting simple goals for ourselves like developing local chamber and infrastructure, personnel, and services can be considered a sizeable improvement. But, it’s not about doing extraordinary things – it’s doing things in an extraordinary way.

DAVAO… ALWAYS AT ITS BEST

2006-03-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

Davao, today, is experiencing what it always has dreamt of. Throngs of visitors and tourists , both domestic and foreign , strolling in the peaceful streets of the city and enjoying every minute of it. The sales of the malls as well as the smaller stores and boutiques are a record high. The vendors selling candies and cigarettes, the taxi and jeepney drivers, the fruit stalls- all of them smiling from ear to ear because business is just too good!

This is the Davao that we all want. All the different sectors , had worked so hard, not only today, but as well as in the past years, so that we can continue to move forward to sustain peace and development in the city. We were never bothered by the often-times mistaken perception of others about our city- we continued to focus and strive harder to achieve our vision . And now all of our collective labor is starting to pay off .

What a good way to start the year ! The Chinese believes that if you start the year right.. the rest of the year will be “more than just right” The Asean Tourism Forum which started last week will be a big boost to our tourism industry. The event will surely put the name of our city in the minds of every tourist seeking for a destination that will provide him with a perfect blend of the rural and urban /metropolitan attractions and amenities.

I am now in Seoul, Korea for a very important business trip and the first greeting that I got from our partner here was “ How’s Davao ? The city must be so “noisy” now with that tourism event”. I told them that the city was “exploding” with activities and events and people running all over the streets. I am so proud of what is happening- more so because deep in my heart, I knew that what we are showing our visitors now is really what Davao is – with or without the big ASEAN event.

What we are projecting now to our thousands of guests , is not a “put on” or “ cosmetically enhanced”. For women, like me , these terminologies mean “artificial or something temporary” of which the main purpose is to “impress or to show something good or beautiful”.

Davao City, has and will always project the best of the city – the best of its people and attractions. People here are warm, friendly, kind and hospitable. This is the city where people take the time to greet each other with a smile, a kiss or a handshake ! Many of my friends from Manila would always comment that “ Davao is one big neighborhood” because everyone seems to know each other.

The business environment is conducive to those who want to invest here- the existence of a transparent governance leaves very little or no room for bureaucratic red tapes and corruption. Business transaction is virtually smooth and easy. The small and medium sized entrepreneurs will find the city a haven to make their money grow. The cost of real estate and manpower productivity continues to entice multi-national and big corporations to build their factories and plants here.

I am sure that all of our guests will go home taking a piece of Davao in their hearts. I can assure them that Davao will still be at its best and even better , when they return.