Peace needed for Mindanao growth – Duterte

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – President Rodrigo Duterte said that the development of Mindanao greatly hinges on the attainment of peace and stability in the region during the closing plenary of the 26th Mindanao Business Conference and assured that Marawi will rise again along with the rest of Mindanao.

Efforts to promote business, trade, and investment in Mindanao will be in vain if there is no assurance of a stable peace and order situation that is just and lasting.

“That is why the government is intensifying the fight against illegal drugs, crime and corruption, even as it creates a more enabling and nurturing business environment in Mindanao,” the President said during the conference’s closing ceremony at the Xavier Sports and Country Club.

“The government remains firmly committed to wiping out local terrorists and other threat groups that continue to hinder our peace and development efforts, especially the ISISinspired ones who have attempted to take over the city of Marawi,” Duterte said.

“I assure all investors and businesses in Mindanao that the government will do everything to make sure that Marawi City recovers and that it will rise again as a thriving and flourishing city,” he added.

The Chief Executive said the government is now expediting preparatory works for the implementation of the Marawi City Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan.

Thousands of Mindanaoans have been displaced by ongoing war caused by insurgency and extremism which also killed many people and destroyed properties worth millions of pesos in Marawi City.

The President said more funds will be forthcoming for the infrastructure projects that will benefit Mindanao under the government’s Build, Build, Build program.

The Department of Budget Management (DBM) has allocated R643.3 for infrastructure from the country’s total budget of R3.767 trillion for 2018, which has been placed under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as the second highest share in the 2018 budget, among other agencies.

New roads and highways will be built through an allocation of R19.4 billion, a whopping 185.6 percent increase from the previous budget of R55.4 million.