Mindanao Daily NEWS BUSINESS . ECONOMY . CORPORATE . BANKING Your Mindanao-wide Business Newspaper
REAL EXPO TARP SPONSOR
Bigger role for Mindanao seen in ASEAN integration Volume III, No. 085
Editor : Cheng Ordoñez
Tuesday
By Allen Estabillo of the Philippine News Agency
G
ENERAL Santos City––President Benigno Aquino III said Monday Mindanao is currently in the best position to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the integration by next year of the 10-member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Secretary Lucille Sering, vice chairperson of Climate Change Commission, explains government policies and development plans to participants of the Climate Change Media Workshop, Monday, Sept. 1, at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, Davao City. Photo by Cheng Ordonez
In his keynote speech delivered by Mindanao Development Authority chairperson, Secretary Luwalhati Antonino at the opening of the 23rd Mindanao Business Conference (Minbi-
zcon) here, the President said the island will play a major role in the country’s participation in the integration efforts, especially in terms of the opening of a single ASEAN market and
See story2, on2014 Page 12 September
production base. He said the integration initiatives will be characterized by the free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor, which will “pose tremendous opportunities for our country, especially for Mindanao that plays a big role in the nation’s economy.” “With its active participation in the BIMP-EAGA, Mindanao plays such an important role in the nation’s economic well-being that it is worthy to note how it will also fare in the coming ASEAN economic integration,” President Aquino said
in his speech. BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines–East ASEAN Growth Area, a sub-regional grouping that mainly involves Mindanao and Palawan as well as other key east ASEAN areas. The President said Mindanao‘s prospects for growth and development now appears very promising as the national government foresees positive transformation in the island with the signing earlier this year of the Comprehensive See bigger, page B7
Editorial: e-mail: mindanaodailynews@gmail.com • Advertising: e-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com Contact: 0917-7121424, 0947-8935776