BARMM's capital now has BSP branch

COTABATO CITY — Officials on Monday inaugurated the new operations center of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Cotabato City, for members of the local business community so essential in harnessing Central Mindanao's investment potentials.

The BSP center along a stretch of the Gov. Gutierrez Avenue in Cotabato City is only about 600 meters away from the 32-hectare regional capitol of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Monday’s symbolic launching of the newly-constructed facility was jointly led by BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Presidential Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim and Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao.

In separate messages, Puyat and her subordinate-director for the Cotabato area, Zarinah Aligsao, said their branch in the city shall operate fully according to its official goals,  part of which is to promote programs meant to ensure sustainable growth of the economy.

The entrepreneur-lawyer Ronald Hallid Torres, chairman of the Bangsamoro Business Council, told reporters on Tuesday that they were elated by the full operations of the BSP’s branch in this city, the administrative seat of BARMM.

“That will boost the investment climate here in Cotabato City and in municipalities and cities around. We can use its presence here to hype to investors from outside of the Bangsamoro region that there is peace and calm now in this part of Mindanao,” Torres said.

Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and the commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, Major Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, had separately vowed to provide security support for the BSP branch here whenever necessary.