THE peace and order situation in the banana plantations in Mindanao is getting better now, said Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Associations (PBGEA) executive.
After several times of expressing concern on how the peace and order situation in Mindanao was affecting the banana industry, PBGEA executive director Stephen Antig said they can finally say that the security of the plantations and of the companies are much better now compared to last year and the first months of 2018.
It can be recalled that alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Bukidnon had burned down equipment early last year which amounted to about P15 million. The Lapanday Foods Corporation (LFC) had also ceased its packaging operations after it was burned down by the communist rebel groups in April 2017. Antig earlier said that small packing houses cost around P8 million while the big ones are around P88 million.
As per the reports given by the military to PBGEA, revolutionary taxes shelled out by companies including that of the mining and construction companies amount to P1.4 billion per annum. Because of these attacks, it was October of last year when Antig announced that they are coordinating with a specialized Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) which will be put up in the peripheries of the banana plantations in Mindanao to help with the peace and order situation.
During the press conference at Apo View Hotel yesterday, June 1, Antig said Cafgu personnel had already been deployed in the farms of Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (Tadeco) and Dizon Farms.
Recently, no similar attacks of violence and damage to properties done by rebel groups had been reported yet.
“The military is very supportive of this idea. As the private companies provide for the uniform and the salary of the Cafgu, the military will be the ones to provide proper training and the firearms of the deployed personnel,” said Antig.
On average, an individual deployed Cafgu personnel is paid around P13,000 to P14,000 monthly. Antig said some banana plantation owners do not actually mind the salary and the payment they provide for the deployed personnel as long as they are able to sleep peacefully at night knowing their plantations are safe. (JPA)