Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Shariff Kabunsuan taps SMS to create business-friendly setting
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- A strategy tapping the popular text message system to foster business environment in the newly created Shariff Kabunsuan province in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has gained ground, officials said.
The initiative was the brainchild of military officers to create a peaceful and orderly atmosphere aimed at enticing investors' interest in the province, which was carved out of Maguindanao province.
Shariff Kabunsuan may well be described as a "heavily-armed" province. It is a stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, particularly Sultan Kudarat town where the rebels maintain an office as well as Camp Darapanan. One of the military's largest camps in the region, the 6th Infantry "Kampilan" Division, is also located in the province's Datu Odin Sinsuat municipality.
At a forum last week in Cotabato City dubbed "Security for Economic Growth: Text Emergency Business," Lt. Col. Francis Alaurin, commander of the Army's 37th Infantry Battalion, expressed confidence the project would keep criminalities and threats to peace at bay.
"You do not need guns but jobs," he said, referring to the project's impact on development once investors start to notice the province.
Armm Gov. Datu Zaldy U. Ampatuan said they fully support the project as he lauded the military for initiating the security measure designed to entice investors to the province.
Peace and order condition of an area is one of the major factors investors consider in putting up business ventures in a locality.
"I commend the military for utilizing communications technology in coming up with a security measure that would add up to efforts in enticing investments and securing a better atmosphere that would spur development for the province," Ampatuan said.
Text messaging is a feature in the telecommunication business popular to millions of Filipinos due to the cheap charge they have to pay.
Ampatuan urged all sectors in the province to support the project, noting that "security is everyone's business and no authority nor agency can guarantee it as even the police are not insurers of our people's safety."
Sheryl Siao, chair of the Board of Investments-Armm, also committed her office's full support to the military's project that would help the board convince investors to consider the area.
"The project is laudable for using the practicality of technology made fashionable and with ease by almost everyone. Texting for help is the easiest and fastest way of communicating emergencies to concerned authorities," she said.
In February, "Text Emergency" was launched in a bid to improve the security condition of the province, undertaken by the local government unit, the military and the police with the theme "Winning the Future Today."
In a month's time, Alaurin reported substantial gains like the seizure of two M-16 rifles, two caliber 45 pistols, one caliber 38mm pistol.
He added the project led to the discovery and confiscation of four ten-wheeler trucks loaded with 12,000 board feet of illegal logs and other forest products, four unregistered motorcycles, and recovery of P200,000 cash from hold-up men. (BSS)
