Economic investment for Armm island provinces pushed

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) is calling private companies to grab the opportunity and invest in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

Armm is also composed of the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Tawi-Tawi.

Ishak Mastura, chair and managing head of Regional Board of Investment in Armm (Armm-RBOI), on Thursday said the two islandprovinces are surrounded by rich fishery grounds such as the Basilan Strait, Moro Gulf, Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea producing quality aqua marine products and fishes.

“Both provinces have good soil attributes and sound climatic conditions suitable for highly valuable agricultural and industrial crops such as corn, coconut, rubber and many others. These positive characteristics attract investors to come and invest in the (two) island provinces,” Mastura said.

Rima Hassan, ARMM Business Council (ABC) chair and Basilan based businesswoman, has urged the regional government to look for investors who can match the resources and skills of the local folks.

“We hope that there will be power plants, milling plants, manufacturing plants and factories that can generate large number of jobs. We want to maximize the sustainable use of our natural resources and take advantage of our serene nature and promote eco-halaltourism. We have a lot to offer to our investors,” Hassan said.

Mastura said the Armm-RBOI has registered P3.2 billion worth of investments as of July 2017 despite the ongoing crisis in Marawi City.

“We are expecting additional PhP1.5 billion costs of investments from companies engaged in cacao plantations and other agri-based projects before the year ends,” Mastura said. PNA