MANILA—Mindanao-wide projects in the energy sector were among the investment proposals showcased at the Mindanao Investment Forum held in Manila on September 1, as part of the lead-up to the 19th Mindanao Business Conferences.

“We presented investment packages in energy—including renewable energy—shipping, agribusiness, mariculture and other key industries,” said Ralph Paguio, president of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc.

“The energy sector proposals are for strategic Mindanao-wide projects with a minimum value of one billion pesos” said Linda Boniao, assistant regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry (Region 10), which organized the investment forum. “The biggest project would have a generating capacity of 200 megawatts.”

Boniao added that among the non-energy projects from five Mindanao sub-regions were proposals for marine and freshwater fish farming, coco decorticating, palm oil processing, island resort development, and moringa production.

The Mindanao Investment Forum is a prelude to the annual Mindanao Business Conference, which this year is being hosted by the Oro Chamber, and which will run from September 17 to 18 at the Grand Caprice Restaurant in Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City.

The conference is organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), with support from the Cagayan de Oro City government, USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, the Mindanao Development Authority, and other partners.

“We’re supporting Mindanao’s development by helping its chambers to network, present investment proposals and conduct business matching through this event,” said PCCI secretary general Crisanto Frianeza.

President Aquino and other dignitaries are attending the “MinBizCon”, which annually draws business leaders, ranking government officials, policymakers, and investors from the other Philippine regions and abroad.

“There will be plenary sessions championing Mindanao’s winners. In these sessions we will be highlighting the important products, or ‘product champions’ of each Mindanao sub-region, which is a new element in the event format,” said Paguio.

He added that the Oro Chamber, in partnership with the U.S Commercial Service, will hold its annual OroBest trade show simultaneously with the conference.

Over the last few months the organizers, headed by conference chairman Ruben Vegafria, have been following previous policy recommendations for improving the competitiveness of the business environment, and consulting the private sector on more recent issues and challenges.

“The business community annually presents its recommendations to government at the MinBizCon, in the form of the Mindanao Policy Agenda,” said Edwin Capili, PCCI vice president for Mindanao.

“Another conference innovation we are introducing this year is the holding of high-level roundtables with the different government departments prior to the MinBizCon,” Capili added.

The roundtables are designed to serve as a review of policy actions taken over the previous years with regard to key economic sectors, Capili said, and to provide an early opportunity to address crucial issues in this year’s Mindanao Policy Agenda at the highest official levels, for eventual presentation to Malacanang.

“The conference would be an opportune venue for President Aquino, who is of course invited as an honored guest to the MinBizCon, to present his administration’s agenda for Mindanao,” Paguio said. “We are very interested to hear the government’s plans both for energy security and peace and order.”

The Mindanao Business Conference is the largest of the five area conferences organized by PCCI. The others are held in North Luzon, South Luzon, the National Capital Region and the Visayas, leading up to the largest business sector gathering at the national level, the annual Philippine Business Conference. GEM