Pact tagged key to trader entry into ARMM areas

COTABATO CITY—Businessmen are keeping a keen eye on the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) but have adopted a wait-and-see attitude on ongoing negotiations for peace between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Ishak Mastura, chair of the ARMM Board of Investments, said a peace agreement would bring with it peace and order and a stable investment climate in the region.

“They are on a wait-and-see posture, a bit hesitant to pour in their capital as they await the outcome of the government-MILF peace negotiation,” said Mastura.

Mastura said the peace process has always been a very sensitive matter for business investors.

“It is natural for any trader to ensure first and foremost that the investment is secure and safe,” he said.

He said among those stalled by issues surrounding the peace negotiations was the P1.5-billion submarine cable-based communications project of EA Trilink Corp. in Tawi-Tawi.

The project, according to Regional Economic Zone Authority chair Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo, was aimed at establishing at least 2,000 electronic centers in 30 selected towns in the ARMM and was envisioned to employ some 6,000 people.

“Even the region’s tourism prospect with foreign clientele has been adversely affected by the off-and-on peace talks,” Sinarimbo said.

But Mastura pointed out that there were also projects being built in the ARMM, including agribusiness ventures in the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Mastura has appealed to all stakeholders to help attain peace instead of muddling the peace process as it could really help the fledgling region.

Meanwhile, the military said it has created a task force to stop kidnappings, which has become another serious concern in Lanao del Sur, another ARMM province.

Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said the task force “will surely have its hands full in the next few days.” Charlie Señase and Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao