By Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA
MANILA — Former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday said the investment mission that she led in Saudi Arabia has been fruitful.
In an ambush interview with reporters, Arroyo said the investment mission came out with six specific project proposals that she hoped will jumpstart the next phase of development in Mindanao following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“It was good, it was good,” she said. “There were six project proposals that were prepared by the six congressmen in the delegation, and this afternoon of Manila time, which is noontime in Jeddah, they will be presenting to the Jeddah Chamber the six proposals.”
The project proposals include a cacao plantation in Cotabato City; a recommendation for a seaweed industry in Tawi-Tawi; an invitation for an oil and gas exploration in three predetermined areas in the Sulu Sea; two recommendations to rehabilitate hospitals destroyed during the Marawi siege; and the development of the Halal Economic Zone in Mindanao.
“So they are very specific. Hopefully since they were very specific, our commercial attache, who is based in Dubai is there, so hopefully she will be able to follow through,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo went to Riyadh last Monday on the invitation of Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibharim Al Sheik, president of the Majlis Al Shura or the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, and took the opportunity to lead an investment mission of six Mindanao lawmakers to invite Saudi Arabian businessmen to invest in Mindanao.
The delegation was composed of Representatives Mauyag Papandayan (Lanao del Sur), Macmod Mending Jr. (AMIN Partylist), Amihilda Sangcopan (AMIN Partylist), Bai Sandra Sema (Maguindanao), Ruby Sahali (Tawi-Tawi) and Shernee Tan (Kusug-Tausug Partylist).
Arroyo earlier said the passage and ratification of the BOL have raised expectations of prosperity for the Bangsamoro region.
She noted that such could only be achieved if jobs are created from new investments.
“So it is now our responsibility to try to do what we can in order to fulfill the expectations of the people of Bangsamoro that they be lifted out of poverty and the best way to fight poverty now in the Bangsamoro is to be able to create jobs. With the help of the Saudi Arabian business community, we hope that there will be investments that will create jobs,” the former President said.
“This is the start and I hope that with the help of our friends in Saudi Arabia, we can start the next level of development for the people of Mindanao,” Arroyo said.
