MANILA, Philippines — Mindanao, a region which is enjoying a good business climate because of the improved peace and order situation, is serving as one of the barometers for the United States (US) to continue to implement its programs in the Philippines.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) directs 60 percent of its total assistance toward Mindanao to improve the business climate and make economic growth more equitable, reintegrate former combatants into the economy, strengthen basic education, improve health services, and support transparency in local governance. It promotes economic growth that provides business opportunities for as many individuals by supporting producers associations and chambers of commerce. It develops needed basic infrastructure, such as ports, roads, and bridges, and assists rural banks to provide loans to microenterprises.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr., was keynote speaker of the 20th Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) recently. MinBizCon, which started in 1992 to focus on regional economic and development objectives, was held in Pagadian City, with the theme “One. Global. Mindanao. Making Private Public Partnerships Work.’’ The conference was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, supported by the Mindanao Development Authority, the local governments of Pagadian City and Zamboanga del Sur Province, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Agriculture, and USAID through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM).
In his address to the MinBizCon participants, the Ambassador said: “Every one of you has risked capital, effort, labor, and love in opening and running your enterprise. You are proof that opportunity exists, that hard work does pay off, that initiative can be rewarded, and that Mindanao can thrive. It is because of your confidence that we are expanding our work with farmers, helping them be more efficient and productive. It is because of your success that we are active in micro-finance programs. It is because of the future you are building that we are investing in education and in health programs.’’
The partnership between the Philippines and the United States remains strong and dynamic. A challenge that both countries share is to further develop Mindanao’s economic potentials, and to make the government’s core program of public-private partnership, especially in the areas of infrastructure, tourism, and agriculture, work to achieve regional integration. MABUHAY!
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Source: Manila Bulletin, Sept. 16, 2011
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