Mindanao’s 2017: Growth despite war, a year of firsts
LOOKING back, 2017 was an eventful year that taught many lessons. The deepest and most inspiring lesson is that growth and opportunity can happen despite war and the fears that surround martial law.
Of course, there are many who say that it was because of martial law that this seemingly unlikely outcome took place. Then again, the demand for strong government to control extremism is loud given the twin challenges of achieving peace and unlocking Mindanao’s economic potentials, feed the nation, be our main gateway to an increasingly prosperous and influential ASEAN, and decongest Metro Manila and Cebu.
As the Marawi conflict wound up, many in Mindanao raised their hopes for a lasting peace among the more established rebel groups. Fears of a spillover of the conflict into the foodgrowing areas of Bukidnon and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan prompted many to support the call to ratify, and later extend martial law on the island.
Other things worth noting in Mindanao’s 2017 include the following: Increased connectivity to the Visayas and the world
2017 will be remembered as the year Mindanao got connected with many new cities, like Tacloban, Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, and Kuala Lumpur, and welcomed the first charter flights from China via Davao.
Likewise marking a threshold was the launching of the Davao-Bitung shipping link that today marks the start of more robust direct trade relations with Indonesia. Soon, we will see revived air links between Zamboanga and Sandakan.
For the first time, Mindanao hosted the leader of a major economic power in the person of Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, and by its neighbor, Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
In both instances, Mindanao figured in the map of world opinion for reasons other than strife or violence, which often remains the reason many Manila and by extension, foreign media manage to mention the lush island in the context of war.
A rising voice in the nation and the region
As a venue for important business events, Mindanao also played host to many preparatory meetings of the historic hosting by the Philippines of the 50th year of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), This event will be remembered as the point when the once insignificant group suddenly found itself with a larger voice in the community of nations. It seems that over the next 30 years, Western influence will give way to Asian dynamism as an influencer of global political and economic trends. Despite war, A growing economy able to attract investments
Notable is the surge in investments in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao). Despite being at the doorstep of the Marawi conflict, it managed a 1,200 percent increase in new investments as of the third quarter of 2017 compared to 2016, hitting 15.9 billion.
Worth noting is the launch of major agribusiness ventures such as the new Gardenia bread plant and a Purefoods meat processing plant in Misamis Oriental and the San Miguel Chicken dressing plant in Davao del Sur.
Also exceptional is Iligan City, which launched its second major mall and saw the first full service car dealership by the country’s number one auto brand set up shop.
The Davao region exceeded our national GDP when it posted a 9.4% Gross Regional Domestic Growth rate in 2016. Even before the 2017 figures are finalized, we expect this trend to be sustained, as total BOI-registered investments as of October exceeded 7.6 billion pesos in investments.
All despite war and martial law. December events bring despair and hope
Sadly, 2017 ended with floods in major areas of the island and a major fire at a mall in Davao. Rather than inspire support and help, it reaped tons of unnecessary bashing from netizens heaping wild speculation and unfair blame that hurt the families of the victims still seeking answers and drying their houses.
What’s worse is that the bashing came from people who were not at the scene, and who may have never set foot on Mindanao.
Nonetheless, the biggest hope for 2017 came from war-ravaged Marawi. 500 of the 1,100 transitional houses have been turned over, with major corporations pledging 2,700 more. Civil society cooperation and the role of religious leaders is vital in pushing the healing, with funds flowing through family-based cash transfers spurring the revival of the local economy. The 20-billion stimulus will revive the Marawi economy and will help build that vital road to recovery, which has begun and will continue.
Thus, we are as hopeful as the 96% of Filipinos who are optimistic with the coming year – a full 4 points higher than last year’s Social Weather Station Survey.
In 2017, we saw more of Mindanao than we have ever seen, it has made more people understand its long-standing issues and revealed its potentials to us straight into our living rooms and computer screens, our smartfones, and our conscious- ness. The seeds of 2017 will grow through 2018.
May we all have a Happy New