BusinessWeek M I N DA N A O CREDIBLE
Volume XIV, No. 151 AS OF 6:00 PM JUNE 3, 2023 (SAT)
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Briefly Tourism convergence ZAMBOANGA City – The Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of National Defense (DND) entered into a memorandum of agreement for the convergence of efforts to develop tourism in Mindanao. The MOA signing was held on Wednesday, May 31, in a hotel in Zamboanga City. DND Undersecretary Angelito de Leon (left), DOT Secretary Cristina Frasco, and DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos display copies of the agreement they signed for cooperation in the development of the tourism industry in Mindanao. Under the Mindanao Tourism Convergence program, the three agencies will contribute their efforts and resources to address the challenges besetting the region and ensure the full development of Mindanao’s tourism potential.
Organic congress THE local government of Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte is all set for the upcoming "Organic Asia Congress (OAC) 2023," this year’s biggest organic agriculture event in the world, the local chief executive confirmed in a media forum here. THE Kauswagan International Organic Convention Center in Barangay Tacub, Kauswagan town, Lanao del Norte where hundreds of guests, experts, researchers, and the likes will gather for the Organic Asia Congress 2023 set June 5-10. Municipal Mayor Rommel Arnado said the completion of the Kauswagan International Organic Convention Center in Barangay Tacub, Kauswagan town, that will serve as the event's venue is “99 percent done.” "It’s just a matter of simulation now,” said Arnado, referring to the venue.
Masagana rice A LAWMAKER in the House of Representatives on Friday lauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s move to approve the Masagana Rice Industry Development Program (MRIDP) that will prioritize the welfare of farmers and increase rice production. "Ang Masagana program ay patunay na prayoridad ng pamahalaan ang sektor ng mga magsasaka, kabilang dyan ang mga magsasaka ng palay," Quezon Representative Reynante Arrogancia said in a statement. Arrogancia said the next ste p for the De par t ment of Agriculture is to specify the details regarding the implementation of the program.
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Farmers push high riceyieldinM’danao www.businessweekmindanao.com
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UTUAN City – At least 180 farmers and partners from three regions have joined hands here to push for the promotion of high-yielding rice varieties and use cost-cutting technologies for production. In a statement Friday, the Agricultural Training Institute in the Caraga R e g i o n ( AT I - 1 3 ) s a i d the farmers, cooperative leaders, representatives from local government units, researchers, agriculturists, and personnel from the attached bureaus of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Mindanao gathered for a two-day Rice Technology Transfer Workshop here starting Thursday. It said the participants came from the regions of Soccsksargen, Caraga, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao who are directly engaged in rice production. “The focus of the workshop is to strengthen the promotion of high-yielding
and cost-reducing r ice production technologies,” the ATI-13 said. During the two-day activity, the participants formulated plans to promoting new rice production technologies and strategies in their respective a r e a s . Un d e r s e c r e t a r y Leocado Sebastian of the DA’s Rice Industry Development a n d DA- 1 3 R e g i o n a l Director Ricardo Oñate Jr. are among those who joined the activity. Sebastian underscored the importance of t h e Ma s a g an a R i c e Program under the present administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and its implementation strategies. “These strategies, including the climate change FARMERS/PAGE 7
TRIBAL DANCE. A Manobo Bae (female tribal leader) holding a dressed native chicken tied to a bamboo pole decorated with coconut fronds dances around an altar to offer the bountiful resources of the 1,658-hectare Mt. Magdiwata watershed, the source of potable water and storm cover of residents of San Francisco town in Agusan del Sur. MindaNews photo by CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
flights from Davao to Hong Mindanao cacao takes center Direct Kong, Jinjiang to resume this year stage in Davao, Zambo fairs By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV MindaNews
DAVAO City – Mindanao cacao byproducts are taking center stage at chocolate fairs in the cities of Davao and Zamboanga. In this city, the 2nd Cacao Mindanao Artisan Chocolate Fair that showcases the best of Mindanao’s cacao opened on Friday at the SM City Mall. The three-day fair gathered Mindanao’s best chocolatiers to put the island region’s chocolate industry on the map. Top chocolatiers and cacao producers like MS3, Dais Chocolate, Cacao Culture, Cacao de Davao, Cocolibre Corp., Household Multipurpose Cooperative,
C a c a o C it y, Nut r ar i c h Philippines and Wit’s Sweets & Savouries joined the event. In his speech, Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) Director Abel James Monteagudo said the event is a celebration of the declaration of the city as the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines in May 2021. This came after Congress passed Republic Act 11547 otherwise known as An Act Declaring the City of Davao as the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines and the Davao Region as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines. “We thank you
DAVAO City — Former Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Alcantara Dominguez has joined the 60-year-old Alsons Development and Investment Corporation (Alsons Dev) as its new director who will oversee the business strategy and operations of the premier property developer and real estate pioneer in Davao City. AlsonsInternational Dev is the real estate Davao Airport
for your untiring efforts for giving more cacao farmers and chocolate makers in Davao Region a venue to feature their cacao-based pro ducts,” Monteagudo said. He also recognized three Davao cacao farmers Judith Gabasa, Policarpo Enricoso Jr. and Melinda Villaflor, who will represent the country in the 2023 International Cocoa Awards in Paris, France, on Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2023. The three bested about 100 entries from across the country. “Let us continue to promote the products of our local farmers. Buy local and eat local,” Monteagudo said. Zamboanga chocolate fair In Zamboanga City, the Department of Trade and Industry in the Zamboanga Peninsula (DTI-9) also led its Cacao Mindanao Chocolate Fair on Friday, showcasing cacao by-products to both walk-in c ustomers and w hol e s a l e buye rs . T he event, which will run from Friday until Sunday, is a collaborative effort between DTI-9, SM City Mindpro and the city government. Engr. ZAMBO/PAGE 7
DAVAO C it y – D i re c t flights from Davao City to Hong Kong and Jinjiang are expected to resume this year after being suspended for more than three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a business leader said. Arturo Milan, co-chair of the Regional Development Council-11, said during “Wednesdays Media Forum at Habi at Kape” that Cathay Pacific and XiamenAir plan to revive Davao-Hong Kong-
Davao and Davao-JinjiangDavao flights during the second semester of the year. International flights from the Davao International Airport (DIA) were ordered suspended in February 2020 at the onset of an outbreak of a “mysterious disease” in mainland China, which would later develop into a pandemic. These airlines used to have five times a week and twice weekly flights to Hong Kong and Jinjiang, respectively, FLIGHTS/PAGE 7
Bangsamoro investment board surpasses Jan-May target COTABATO City – The Bangsamoro B oard of Investment (BB OI) has accomplished another milestone by logging P2.7 billion worth of investments f rom Ja nu a r y t o May, surpassing its target of P2.5 billion investment pledges this year. "We are proud to report that BBOI has approved a total of 11 projects from January to May 2023, which brought P2.7 billion worth of investments – a 108 percent increase
compared to the same period last year," BBOI chairperson Mohammad Pasigan said in a statement Friday. Pasigan said the board approved on Wednesday two new investments amounting to some P962.8 million, and expected to generate employment opportunities for 1,263 workers. The approved new investments include the Rockfort Hotels OPC in Barangay Rosary Heights in this city focusing on hotel BOARD/PAGE 7
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