Socio-economic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas has cited Region XI’s impressive growth in the agriculture sector for the first quarter of year 2002.

In his report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the 12^th Regional Development Council-Regional Peace and Order Council (RDC-RPOC) held Monday at the CAP Development Center in Tagum, Davao del Norte, Canlas told the President that production of palay and corn significantly grew by 56 percent and 42 percent respectively, during the first quarter of the year.

Canlas, who is also the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said majority of the provinces in Region XI planted early this year in anticipation of the El Niņo next month.

Region XI, or what is now known as Davao Region, is composed of the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and the cities of Davao, Digos, Panabo, Samal and Tagum.

Canlas noted that production levels of major fruits such as banana, pineapple, mango, and durian followed a similar upward trend due to increased number of fruit-bearing trees.

In his report, Canlas said that banana and pineapple production grew by 2.9 percent; mango by 6.7 percent; and durian by 9.3 percent.

He said that durian used to be a seasonal crop but can now be enjoyed in abundance all year round due to more intensive propagation.

Canlas stressed that the region’s strength lies in the agriculture sector as it supplies most of Mindanao’s and the country’s requirements, notably banana and cacao production, which accounts for 61 percent and 70 percent respectively of Mindanao’s total output.

Accordingly, banana exports remain to be the Davao Region’s top dollar earner.

During the first three quarters of year 2001, Canlas said banana exports had a total value of US$221.8 million, followed by coconut oil at US$57.1 million and coconut refined at US$27.1 million.

Significantly, he said the exports of portland cement reached US$5.1 million, making it to the top ten of the region’s export products.

CAMP ABUBAKAR, Barira, Maguindanao—Putting flesh into her avowed policy of turning the ruins of this former stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) into a zone of peace and prosperity, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today turned over checks totaling P6.7 million to finance various infrastructure projects in the area.

The President, who arrived in this former MILF encampment by land from Cotabato City, also assured the local officials of Barira, Buldon and Matanog that she will extend all her support to the Iranun Development Council (IDC), which will spearhead the development of the area under the government’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (KALAHI) program.

The Iranuns are the natives that reside in the area before it was taken over by the MILF.

The President and her official party were supposed to come here by helicopter but inclement weather forced them to instead travel by land. Because of the change in travel plans, the President’s schedule was delayed by about two hours.

During her one-hour visit here, the President was joined by United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and top Cabinet officials, which included Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor, Agrarian Reform Secretary Hernani Braganza, Lead Convenor Teresita Quintos-Deles of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Roy Cimatu.

In her remarks at the formal launching of the IDC, the President said that henceforth the area should no longer be called Camp Abubakar but Sitio Bumbaran, Barangay Tugaig of this town.

After her remarks, the President turned over a check amounting to P5.48 million from the Philippine-Canadian Development Fund to Matanog Mayor Naser Imam for various infrastructure projects in the town.

From the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM), the President also turned over a check in the amount of P340,000 to Mayor Naser Imam of Matanog and another check worth P720,000 to Barira Mayor Alex Tomawis.

The checks would be used for barangay projects in Barira and Matanog, the two towns hardest hit by the all-out military offensive against the MILF in 2000, resulting in their recovery by government forces.

The President also turned over 12 units of agricultural implements like corn shellers, rice threshers and floating tillers for the farmers of Barira, Buldon and Matanog.

Also for the 34 barangays of the three municipalities, the President distributed planting materials under the government’s household enhancement project for Muslim communities.

The mayors of the three towns also received from the President assorted medicines worth P120,000 donated by the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and to be distributed to poor residents.

CAMP ABUBAKAR, Barira, Maguindanao -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said her administration is in the process of transforming Camp Abubakar, the former main enclave of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), into a civilian-military camp for peace and development.

In her remarks at Sitio Bumbaran, Barangay Tugaig here where Camp Abubakar used to stand, the President said the area would be a new model of a peace and development zone.

"In other words, any Filipino could live here," she said.

The President noted that the Iranun tribe, which claims part of the camp as their ancestral land, is a good example that people here just want to live in peace.

"This place also belongs to the Iranun and I think today (there) should be a closure. I think we should no longer call this place Camp Abubakar. I think we should call it what the Republic of the Philippines calls it, a sitio or a barangay," the President said.

She said that henceforth, Camp Abubakar should now be known simply as Sitio Bumbaran, in Barangay Tugaig, Barira.

The President said that one of objectives of her visit to this former MILF stronghold is to dispel the rumors spread by the political opposition that her government is returning the camp to the MILF.

She said she has ordered the Philippine Army’s 603^rd Brigade to be permanently stationed here.

"Itoy upang ipakita sa buong Pilipinas at sa buong mundo, lalo na iyong mga nagdududa na baka ibalik ang kampo sa mga rebelde ng ang Camp Abubakar ay buong nasa kamay ng Republika ng Pilipinas (This is to show to the whole Philippines and to the whole world, particularly to those who have doubts that the camp might be returned to the MILF, that this camp is now entirely in the hands of the Republic of the Philippines)," the President said.

The President noted that the Iranun tribe has always been a productive and progressive people long before the armed conflict with the MILF started in the early 1970s.

"During the MNLF war, they (lranuns) were forced to leave their communities as it was destroyed. Afterwards, MILF, that took control of the area, occupied their communities," she said.

On efforts to bring peace and development to the area, the President said her administration is committed to rehabilitate the 34 barangays of the three towns of Barira, Buldon and Matanog that comprise the former camp.

She said that the government has brought electricity to the towns and has built farm-to-market roads costing some P7 million.

The construction of the roads was done by the 54^th Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines headed by Col. Eduardo Lena.

COTABATO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today presented to the media released kidnap victim Jae Keon Yoong, a Korean national who was abducted last February by an unidentified armed group in the province of Maguindanao.

The President, who was presiding over the joint 13^th Regional Development Council-Regional Peace and Order Council (RDC-RPOC) meeting here, briefly interrupted the proceedings to present the Korean kidnap victim before the local and national media.

"Welcome back!," the President greeted the kidnap victim as the latter was presented to her by incoming Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. and Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza.

In turn, the President handed over the rescued victim to a consular official of the Korean Embassy who was here in Cotabato City to receive their national.

"I am now turning you over to your embassy official safe and sound," the President told the Korean national.

The President congratulated all those who have worked for the release of the victim who had spent more than five months in captivity.

In an interview, Dureza said the Korean’s release from his abductors was made possible by the joint efforts of the PNP, the military, local government units in the province, as well as certain officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

CAMP ABUBAKAR, Barira, Maguindanao -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today thanked the United States government for supporting the rehabilitation of 300 former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants to have a new leash on life under peaceful conditions.

In an exptemporaneous speech during her visit to this former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp here, the President announced that the US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is also willing to provide assistance to former MILF combatants, especially those residing in this area so that they can go back to normal life.

The President said that US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone, who was with the presidential party that visited Abubakar, informed her of the willingness to help another batch of 300, this time former MILF combatants.

The President, quoting the US Ambassador, said "it is in this part that the Philippine government won the war against the MILF."

The Chief Executive said that the USAID is ready to rehabilitate these former rebel combatants so that they will understand that they can also achieve development if they join the mainstream of the Filipino society.

COTABATO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today distributed a total of P422.6 million worth of government assistance and livelihood projects for residents of Region XII in an effort to help improve their economic condition and way of life.

The Chief Executive, assisted by representatives of concerned government agencies, personally turned over the various government assistance to qualified beneficiaries during awarding rites held this afternoon at the Regional Government Center grounds here.

From the Philippine Coconut Authority, the President handed over a Group Insurance Certificate amounting to P413.38 million for some 41,338 coconut farmers in Region XII. The certificate was given to Norberto La Paz, president of the Coconut Farmers Federation, on behalf of the coconut farmer beneficiaries.

From the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), she distributed four sets of computers to four state colleges and universities in Central Mindanao.

The other DOST assistance turned over by the President were the following:

• Meat processing equipment consisting of meat grinder, corned beef shredder, tie linker, meat stuffer and meat slicer, for 97 members of the SANGKAP under the Livelihood Enhancement for the Poor, Vulnerable, Disabled and Women Sector. Recipient: Phoebe Ardinas, president of SANGKAP.

• Two units of jack loom for 45 loom weavers of the Kutawato Cultural Heritage Foundation, Inc. Recipient: Bai Mompong Mentang, president of the Kutawato Cultural Heritage Foundation, Inc.

• A check amounting to P200,000.00 for the establishment of feedmill for the farmers and livestock growers in PALMA Complex, Midsayap, Cotabato. Recipient: Engineer Benjamin Ontal, president of the Midsayap Livestock, Poultry and Aqua Producers Association.

• A check amounting to P91,520.00 for the upgrading of muscovado processing in San Pedro, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat. Recipient: Joel Pedral, president of San Pedro Sugar Cane Planters Association.

From the Department of Labor and Employment, the President awarded three checks amounting to P50,000.00 each under the Tulong Alalay sa Taong May Kapansanan (TULAY) 2000 program for augmentation capital of disabled persons who are engaged in livelihood projects.

The President likewise distributed the following DOLE assistance for the benefit of the poor beneficiaries of Cotabato City:

• A check amounting to P268,125.00 for the construction of municipal building Phase III in Aleosan, Cotabato under the Rural Works Program. Recipient: Aleosan Mayor Vicente Sorupia.

• A check amounting to P300,000.00 representing first release for the construction of Bagsakan Public Market Building Phase I in Maitum, Sarangani under the Rural Works Program. Recipient: Maitum Mayor George Yabes.

• A check amounting to P100,000.00 for duck egg production project of the Samahan ng mga Magulang ng mga Batang Manggagawa ng Barangay Impao. Recipients: Isulan Mayor Ernesto Matias and Bartolome Licor, president of the Samahan ng mga Magulang ng mga Batang Manggagawa ng Barangay Impao.

• A check amounting to P50,000.00 to the United Laborers Association of Tinaugan for re-lending to its members. Recipients: President Quirino Mayor Rodolfo Erese and Gina Pacaunces, United Laborers Association of Tinaugan.

She also awarded from the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) 79 grantees of the checks representing stipend and book allowance (P2,750.00 each) to 79 Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) in Cotabato City.

The President handed over 25 checks from the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) with a total amount of P15,000.00 at P600.00 each representing payment of allowance to grantees of its skills for employment program.

Also from OWWA, President Macapagal-Arroyo awarded various assistance as follows:

• Six checks amounting to P1,000.00 representing payment of monthly allowance to the grantees of the Sagip-Batang Manggagawa Project. Recipients: Nehad Nehad, Prince Aldan Agom, Unayzah Kasan, Adziz Herb Nor, Jameel Pacal, and Nasser Utto.

• A Check amounting to P3,500.00 under the Migrant Workers Scholarship Program. Recipient: Bai Lejanie Diocolano

• Five checks at P3,000.00 per grantees under the Sagip Batang Manggagawa Project (Tulong sa Pamliya ng OFWs). Recipients: Saima Abdullah, Norlaila Ascar, Alham Camsa, Samrah Malik, and Jayson Nueva Espana.

The President also distributed from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) two checks from the Philippine Canadian Development Fund for barangays Simone and Pedtad, municipality of Kabacan: P1,875.000.00 for the Undungan Sudang and another (P1,875,000.00) to the president of Mads Giamil.

She distributed Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform to beneficiaries from barangays Kenram and Mapantig, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.

From the Department of Agriculture, the President awarded the following:

• Certificate of turn-over for two units of tractor with accessories under the Inter-Act Mindanao Project to the Provincial Government of Cotabato. Recipient: Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Pinol.

• Two Certificates of Completion of the communal irrigation projects in the municipalities of Columbio and Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat. Recipient: Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Mangudadatu.

She also turned over certificates of Completion for farm-to-market road projects in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato.

COTABATO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today spelled out three components of her administration’s policy towards Mindanao: one, that peace and development should go together; two, that the quest for peace should always be based on the recognition of Philippine sovereignty; and third, the realization that Philippine society is a multi-ethnic one.

In her speech at the Regional Government Center where she officiated an awarding ceremony, the President noted that there could never be real peace without development.

"To bring progress to Region XII, there should first be peace in the region," the President said.

On the quest for peace, the President said this should be pursued with due consideration to the Philippine Constitution.

She noted that there were rumors that she was going to Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao to give back the camp to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. "That’s not true, I came here to give the camp to the Philippine Army," she said.

The President said the third consideration should be that Filipinos should acknowledge the fact that its society is a multi-ethnic one.

"This is the beauty of our race. We are very rich in tradition because of our diverse culture. We should acknowledge our different cultures and strive for social justice for everyone," she said.

In emphasizing the need for peace and development, the President noted the recognition given by the Organization of Islamic Conference on the Moro National Liberation Front headed by Southern Philippine Development Authority chairman and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema.

The President likewise led the joint meeting of the Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council RDC-RPOC for Region XII in Cotabato City.

Earlier in the day, the President was in Camp Abubakar where she extended support for the Iranun Development Council and reiterated that she’s not giving away the camp to the MILF.