Mindanao residents assured of better future

Mindanao residents now look ahead to a more prosperous and peaceful future after being assured of full development support from the government with the appointment of Mindanaoans to key positions in President Arroyo’s Cabinet.

Joji Ilagan Bian, chairwoman of the influential Mindanao Business Council (MBC), said Mindanao folk have been assured that the island’s development will be fulfilled, with the local economy expected to rebound under the Arroyo administration.

The appointment of Mindanaoans to key posts in the Cabinet would also help bring renewed confidence in the government, said Davao City Mayor Benjamin de Guzman.

Bian, who heads the biggest business group in Mindanao, said the new administration’s key policy moves — such as the resumption of the peace talks with secessionist rebels and the appointment to key positions in government of Mindanaoans — would accelerate the peace and development of the long-neglected island.

One of Mrs. Arroyo’s first moves in office was to order the resumption of peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which was scuttled by the administration of former President Joseph Estrada, who pursued an all-out war policy against secessionist rebels.

The President has also appointed Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Paul Dominguez as Presidential Adviser on Regional Development and former Davao Rep. Jesus Dureza as Presidential Assistant on Eastern Mindanao and officer-in-charge of the Mindanao Economic Development Council.

Bian said the business community in Mindanao fully supports the President’s policy decisions, especially the appointment of Mindanaoans to the Cabinet.

The MBC head said the fact that Mindanaoans were named to sensitive government departments like the DPWH and the DOTC showed that the administration is serious in its promise to ensure full development of the island.

She said the President’s moves with regards to Mindanao have inspired Mindanaoans, giving them hope that finally there will be real development for southern Philippines.

Businesses in Mindanao have stopped talking about closure or reduction of workforce after the President took office last Saturday, Bian said.

"This new environment has renewed the optimism on the part of the business community," the MBC head said.

Rey Magno Teves, convenor and secretary general of Kusog Mindanao, the multisectoral forum in Mindanao that helps build consensus among various sectors, said the President’s actions speak well of her regard for Mindanaoans.

Lack of representation in key government councils is a recurring issue that has fueled demands for autonomy and self-determination in the region, Teves said.

"The appointment of Mindanaoans to key and sensitive Cabinet posts in the Cabinet of President Macapagal-Arroyo is a welcome beginning and something that we can be grateful for," he said.

De Guzman shared Teves’ optimism, saying that "it is time to get back to work and support the new presidency in her call for a healing process."

He noted that the government is in good hands under the President’s administration, especially with her wide experience in governance.