THERE was a low-keyed buzz in Friday's 1st Southern Mindanao Growth Corridor (SMGC) Investment Forum at the Marco Polo Hotel grand ballroom.
There is interest, great interest in Mindanao and its investment potential.
This much was apparent in the messages of support by Ebb Hinchcliffe, the executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce-Philippines, Japanese Embassy First Secretary Ryutaro Aoki, Martial Beck, vice president and general manager of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and Julian Payne of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the youngest among the foreign chambers in terms of presence in Mindanao.
This is apparent in the excitement you can see in businessman Philip “Sonny” Dizon, president of the American Chamber of Commerce-Davao, who has a score of businesses running in Mindanao, covering just about every potential – from tourism to agriculture.
Mindanao is rich, we Mindanaoans all know that. We have been blessed. But the peace and order situation made to look like there’s a war situation in the whole island has been keeping investors away. We all know that, too. But there is providence there that every Mindanaoan concerned about the sustainable growth of Mindanao has to appreciate.
The buffer of time gives us the opportunity to get it right. Had there been peace in Mindanao in the past decades, all our mountains would have already been ploughed down by miners, who for so long were never concerned about the environment and were just there to get the minerals and leave.
The buffer of time made it ripe for organic farming and products to grab a premium market that Mindanao’s fertile lands can serve in full capacity.
We were given the buffer of time, let’s make sure we get the right investments that will harness Mindanao’s resources to its fullest potential that can be sustained for generations to come.