Mindanao traders to join Sabah expo?

DAVAO CITY — Mindanao businessmen are awaiting developments in the ongoing conflict with Malaysia over the maltreatment of Filipino deportees, before joining the Sabah International Business Conference and Trade Expo on Sept. 18 to 21 in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

"We are awaiting instructions from the government if we will go on with our participation or not. At the moment, we have not received any word yet that we should back out but preparations are still ongoing for the Mindanao delegation," Mindanao Business Council chairwoman Joji Ilagan-Bian told The STAR.

Bian said representatives of various chambers of commerce from all over Mindanao are slated to attend the Kota Kinabalu business conference, while a Mindanao booth will be set up in the trade expo.

Malaysia, incidentally, sent a seven-man delegation, headed by Sabah Industrial Development Permanent Secretary Encik Ismail Abdullah, to the recently concluded 11th Mindanao Business Conference (MBC) in Surigao City in spite of the rising tension over the deportation.

Abdullah, in a paper presented during the Aug. 28-30 MBC, said Sabah is a "strategic and worthy partner" for Mindanao’s economic development.

Mindanao and Sabah as well as the East Malaysian state of Sarawak are among the component areas of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) which was created in 1994 to accelerate growth in the regional corridor.

The government has reportedly earmarked P1 million for the country’s participation in the Sabah conference.

According to sources at the Mindanao Economic and Development Council (Medco), which serves as the Philippines’ EAGA secretariat, the fund is largely allotted for the Mindanao pavilion, including the production of promotional materials.

Meanwhile, Bian said officials of the Zamboanga Economic Zone have notified the organizers of the Sabah conference that they would not be able to participate.

"It’s true that the Zamboanga ecozone group could no longer make it because they have a Chinese delegation to attend to in their area at the time of the conference," she said.

Other Mindanao-based groups that had initially signified interest to join the conference have also reportedly backed out.

But Bian said officials of the Surigao Chamber of Commerce and Industry were among those who have lately confirmed their attendance.