Friday, June 01, 2007 GenSan bizmen buck troops pullout
BUSINESS leaders in General Santos City have voiced out vehement opposition to suppose plans to pullout the military's Task Force GenSan since doing so might give terrorists greater chances of sabotaging the investment atmosphere that's going on well.
Pilar Afuang, executive director of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc., said the task force's presence has helped maintained the city's peace and order condition.
"We have received unverified reports that the task force will be pulled out. We are against any moves to remove them since they have been instrumental in making the city safe. The business sector has worked closely with the task force [to make the city attractive to investors]," she said.
One of the factors that investors consider in putting up capital in any locality is its peace and order condition, various business and government leaders stressed.
Col. Menardo Geslani, task force commander, did not confirm nor deny the reported plans to take out the soldiers who will be used in the anti-insurgency campaign of the government.
But Col. Vicente Porto, commander of the 1002nd Brigade Commander, said there's no order for the pullout of soldiers in this city dubbed the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines."
But even with an order, Afuang stressed that businessmen would be against it, citing the lack of personnel of the Philippine National Police in the locality.
"We hope the [military] leaders will look into the reality in Mindanao . In case the task force will be removed, it will have a big impact to the security in the markets and in the malls. The soldiers have been taking care of us," she said.
General Santos City has been hit by several terrorist attacks in the last seven years, the latest of which was on January 10 that killed six persons and wounded 33 others.
Police authorities blamed the fresh attack to the al Qaeda-linked militant Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiya, which the United States government classified as terrorist organizations.
Afuang noted that terrorist threats still linger in the locality and that the military's presence is important to possibly foil further sabotage attempts.
Tony Veneracion, the local chamber of commerce president, said they learned over the weekend the apparent pull-out of the task force from other businessmen who have contact with the military.
He said they will come up with a position paper opposing the removal of the soldiers in the locality.
"The task force plays an important role magnifying the security forces in the city. It serves as significant deterrent against any terrorist attempts," Veneracion said. (BSS)
