KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 28 September) – Diplomats from 25 countries have embarked on an exposure trip on the investment, trade and tourism potentials of South Cotabato and General Santos City as part of their familiarization tour in Mindanao.
South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. welcomed the ambassadors and their spouses on Saturday afternoon, urging them to invite investors from their respective countries to locate in the province.
“We are insurgency-free. More importantly, when you invest in South Cotabato, we have enough manpower (for your needs),” he said.
The ambassadors who came to visit are from Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, France, Germany, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Tamayo stressed that the provincial government has been aligning its infrastructure projects “to fit in” to the needs of existing and potential investors.
In the last five years, Tamayo said the provincial government has completed at least 200 kilometers of roads as part of its efforts to enhance the investment and tourism potentials of South Cotabato.
According to him, the provincial government has been working to establish South Cotabato as the economic center of Region 12 or Soccsksargen.
Koronadal City, the capital and component city of South Cotabato, is the seat of government of Region 12.
“I am inviting you to please invite your constituents to invest here, and we can assure them that we will give them the best governance,” Tamayo said.
The diplomatic tour in Mindanao is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) initiative to expose the ambassadors to investment, tourism and socio-cultural cooperation opportunities outside the capital.
The initiative was in collaboration with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), an agency tasked to harness and promote Mindanao’s investment and other potentials for the island’s development, and the security sector.
On Friday, the ambassadors and their spouses met with Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao, boxing icon and former Senator Manny Pacquiao and officials of the business chamber in General Santos City led by former Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez.
Mayor Pacquiao dangled the investment opportunities in the area, highlighting the city as the undisputed “Tuna Capital of the Philippines.”
The foreign delegation visited the fish port complex operated by the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, among others.
South Africa Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe commended the DFA and MinDA for organizing the tour and extending warm hospitality to the group.
“Indeed, words cannot fully express our gratitude. As we traveled around General Santos City, we witnessed its great potential. Some of us have never feasted on so much fresh tuna before. We feel truly blessed to be here, and we know that your effort in inviting us will lead to something significant,” she said in report issued by MinDA.
The delegation is the largest group of envoys to visit South Cotabato and GenSan to date. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
