Piñol sees agri development in former MILF camp

KIDAPAWAN CITY --- With the new government about to take the reins in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol expressed optimism last January 30 in converting a vast former Moro rebel camp into a productive banana plantation.

During a visit to the camp over the week-end (January 26), Piñol said he was surprised to see the productive soils in and around the former Camp Abubakar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) straddling the towns of Barira, Buldon, and Matanog, all in Maguindanao.

The MILF forged a peace deal with the government with the enabling law, Republic Act 10105 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), ratified on January 21 this year by the voters in provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.

“With such, agricultural development is now focused in the new Bangsamoro autonomous region,” Piñol said in a statement released last January 28.

The agriculture secretary visited Camp Abubakar with Manila-based Russian investors and Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu to bring the P8-billion project that will provide livelihood to about 10,000 former Moro combatants.

As a result, a Bangsamoro group of landowners representing 7,000 hectares of idle lands recently signed an agreement with a corporation backed by Russian and Swiss investors for the development of the area for midland and highland bananas.

The Bangsamoro Group was represented by former Buldon Mayor Taungan Macasandag and former Vice Mayor Nasrudin Maluag while Philippine-based French-Russian businessman Robert Gaspar represented TechIron Resources, Inc. and the Solway Group.

Piñol said both TechIron Resources, Inc. and Solway Group have expressed interest in minerals development but are now venturing into agriculture and aquaculture in the Philippines.

He said the multi-billion project will be the first and biggest investment in the Bangsamoro area following the signing and ratification of the BOL.

Once fully operational, Piñol said the project is expected to provide work for at least 10,000 people, many of whom are former cadres and combatants.

The agreement allowed the investors' group to conduct surveys, soil tests, and aerial mapping of the area.

In this connection, Piñol said a team is in Camp Abubakar conducting the survey, which started last Monday (January 28) and set to end by Friday. The Bureau of Soils and Water Management and the Information and Communications Technology Service of the DA have been assisting in the soil survey, aerial mapping and geo-referencing of the former Abubakar camp.

The two groups have agreed to launch the project on February 16 in Camp Abubakar targeting an initial 1,000 hectares for development. (NOEL PUNZALAN & EDWIN FERNANDEZ / PNA – COTABATO / MINDANAO EXPOSE’)