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Philippine towns talk free
trade with Indonesia
GLAN,
Philippines - Mayors of three small southern Mindanao towns
recently visited neighboring Indonesia to discuss
potential business tie-ups under a free-trade
scheme described as a "big, bold move".
In August 2003, mayors Alex
Wangkay of Jose Abad Santos (JAS), Enrique Yap of
Glan and Jerry Cawa of Sarangani signed a
memorandum of agreement for the Jose Abad Santos
Glan Sarangani Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT) in
Glan.
JACS-CT negotiates for the three-town
deal with the administration of the island
group of Tahuna, Indonesia's closest
territory to the Philippines.
JAS is
a second-class municipality, while Glan
is first-class and Sarangani fourth-class.
Details of that business meeting have not
been made public, but the mayors themselves said
their townships may be small in size but they have
the capacity to go big and bold "to earn their
local units more business opportunities."
JAGS-CT wants trade development, freer movement
of goods and services within and outside their
areas, and with the nearest Indonesian island
group of Tahuna.
The Indonesian
territory, bounded by the Philippine Sea to the
east and Celebes Sea to the southwest, is about
six hours by small motorized boats from any of the
towns.
Indonesian traders have long been
smuggling their goods into the three towns,
according to Mayor Cawa of Sarangani. Thus
JAGS-CT's initial plan is to legalize the activity
so that both Indonesians and locals earn from the
trading.
Among the Indonesian goods
entering the towns are beverages and candies.
JAS, for one, plans to export
locally-manufactured television sets. "This would
also give our local businessmen a chance in a
foreign country," Cawa said.
Glan and
Sarangani, famed for their white-sand beaches, are
banking on tourism as well. Several varieties of
endemic flora and fauna such as tarsier, coconut
crab, serpent eagle, Philippine hawk and pitcher
plant, can be found in the forests of these towns.
In terms
of investment opportunities, the three towns have the
requisite establishments such as fish- and food-processing plants and coconut mills, said
Cawa.
(Asia Pulse/PNA) |
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