Pangilinan's formula for peace and development: Successful govt agri interventions

ISABELA, Basilan - Vice-presidential aspirant Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Thursday said that regular jobs with adequate income arising from government interventions are key to solving communal conflicts and insurgency in the island of Mindanao.

"Dito sa Mindanao, 'yung mga areas na mayroong successful agri interventions, walang bakbakan. Walang giyera. Kasi mga kamag-anak nung mga rebelde 'yung mga nagpapatakbo nitong mga farms dito," Pangilinan told reporters in an interview the morning after a huge political rally in the capital which the city government says is the first in the history of the province.

To support his statement on peace and development, Pangilian cited the successful case of Maguindanao's La Frutera Inc.'s 2,000-hectare banana plantation.

"Yung La Frutera is an example. That's about 2,000 hectares of banana plantation. And mayroong arrangement 'yung La Frutera with the local farmers. Sila ay lessees. 'Yung lupa nila ay inuupahan tapos sila din 'yung planter," Pangilinan said.

"So kumikita sila. At maliwanag 'pag nagkakabakbakan, dito sa area ng Mindanao, 'yung area ng La Frutera walang giyera. So, 'yun ang solusyon. Suportahan 'yung economic growth, suportahan ang agriculture, bigyan ng hanapbuhay ang ating mga kababayan dito. Mawawala na ang giyera," Pangilinan said.

According to the 2010 academic study by Mark S. Williams, "The Case of La Frutera Plantation in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Philippines", in the mid-1990s Datu Ibrahim "Toto" Paglas III wanted to fulfill his father's dream of establishing a plantation in their homeland for community benefit.

"Touted as the Datu Paglas miracle, the La Frutera banana plantation came into existence in the midst of intercultural disharmony and regional conflict," Williams said.

Pangilinan said the real solution to peace and order is development.

"Ang pinakasolusyon sa peace and order ay talagang development sa lugar kaya dapat talagang buo ang suporta ng administrasyon para sa BARMM," he said referring to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

"At tiyakin na 'yung mga pangako at commitment natin sa peace negotiations at sa batas mismo ay buo ang suporta. Funding, releases, dapat talagang suportahan itong BARMM if the success of BARMM is the key to peace and stability in Mindanao," Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan was in Isabela City, Basilan Province as part of the Team Robredo-Pangilinan's (TROPA) barnstorming of the Mindanao Island Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

City government officials said 40,000 initially confirmed attendance to the rally, but the actual count was 47,000. "Never pa nangyari sa Basilan itong ganito kalaki na rally," they said.

TROPA's Mindanao sorties, which started on March 15 in General Santos City, also included stops and rallies in Cotabato City (March 16), Zamboanga City (March 17), and Pagadian City (March 18).

On Sunday, a big rally is expected to be held in Pasig City.

Acknowledging the potentials of Basilan Province, which he described as "huge", Pangilinan said "'yung seafood lamang dito kulang ang cold-storage facility."

"Pagka mayroong post-harvest facility, mga solar cold-storage facilities, eh talagang dadami ang ani at huli ng mga isda at mas magiging available. Tataas ang kita ng ating mga mangingisda dito. The economy will boom if we do interventions in fishing and of course in agriculture," Pangilinan said.

"Itong mga niyog, ang laki ng potential niyan. 'Yung coco levy trust fund measure, tayo ang principal author. Ipinasa natin 'yan. 100 billion (pesos) ang magiging available para sa coconut industry at sa farmers. Pagka nagkaroon na ng levelling up ng coco coir industry dito halimbawa, hindi lamang kopra...dodoble, titriple ang kinikita ng mga magniniyog, if not even up to ten times more when there are interventions sa agriculture enterprises," he said.