By Joji Ilagan-Bian
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:46:00 08/21/2008

(First of two parts)

As a Mindanaoan, I refuse to say that the entire Mindanao is in trouble. However, we cannot discount the fact that whenever the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is wounded, the whole of Mindanao bleeds.

We are angered and at the same time very disappointed with the way the peace issues and concerns are being handled.

There are just too many players from government, military, politicians with varied interests who are all dipping their hands into the problems.

And the irony is that most of them are not from Mindanao or have never even been to any of the ARMM areas.

I am very passionate about being from Mindanao. I always tell business people I meet about how beautiful and how comfortable life is in Mindanao—that Davao City is a perfect blend between urban and country life.

On Wednesday, I was interviewed for a magazine that will be published by Go Negosyo, in which 40 businesswomen will be featured. I was asked by the writer whether I planned to expand my school businesses in Manila. Without batting an eyelash, I said that my preschools, Tumble Tots and JiB eAcademy, would be my only schools in Manila.

I will expand in Mindanao only, because I believe in the potential of the island, and besides, I am a Mindanaoan.

Despite the bad publicity that it is getting due to the aborted signing of the controversial memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mindanao’s business sector is upbeat.

As of 2007, Mindanao has a population of approximately 18 million and an inflation rate of 3 percent; much lower than the national inflation rate, which hit over 12 percent. Our balance of trade is $1.5 million; exports at $2.4 million and imports at $1.2 million.

Topping our agricultural exports are bananas at $401 million; coconut oil or copra , $366 million; pineapples, fresh and preserved, $160 million; desiccated coconut, $46 million and of course tuna at $54.55 million.

The top export destinations are Japan because of our bananas and tuna; United States, Netherlands, Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Iran.