Day: July 11, 2006

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/10 July) — Tons and tons of cheap imported cement are being dumped in the Mindanao market with the arrival of 125,000 bags at the Polloc Port in Parang, Maguindanao last week, a Department of Trade and Industry official said. Lawyer Ishak Mastura, DTI secretary for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the cement, aboard a 5,000-metric ton vessel, came from Conch Cement, the largest cement manufacturer in China. “Conch is known for its high standards,” he added. Vicente Tilao, owner of Maharlika Agro Ventures, imported the cement for distribution in the ARMM at P10 to P15 cheaper than the prevailing price. Locally produced cement are being sold in the region between P182 to P185 per bag, Mastura said.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/10 July) — The provincial government of South Cotabato is readying criminal charges against the parents of three minors who were earlier caught working at an illegal sluice mining site, referred to locally as “banlas,” in the gold-rich village of Kematu in T’boli town. South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said she has directed the Provincial Legal Office to press charges against the parents of the minors as they should be held responsible for the illegal activity and for allowing their children to work in such hazardous situation. “We’ve given them so much favor just to convince them to stop their illegal activities and leave the area. But they abused our kindness and now they’ve gone too far,” she said.

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/10 July) — The provincial government of South Cotabato is set to pour in additional investments for the development of the province’s agricultural sector through the upcoming implementation of the second phase of the World Bank-assisted Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP). South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said the provincial government has agreed put up a counterpart fund for the MRDP, which would be implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA) through a loan grant from the World Bank. During its regular session on Tuesday last week, the provincial board formally endorsed the province’s participation to the program and authorized the allocation of the local government’s funds for its implementation.