COTABATO CITY 鈥 Business blocs struggling to make Maguindanao del Norte attractive to foreign investors said on Monday that Colombian Ambassador Marcela F. Ordo帽ez鈥檚 visit to Camp Iranun 鈥 once known as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front鈥檚 stronghold Camp Abubakar 鈥 has sparked enthusiasm.
They said her visit last Thursday to the camp, now under state control, symbolizes the Bangsamoro region鈥檚 shift from conflict to governance and sends a message to investors abroad that it is now safe to put up agricultural projects in the surrounding hinterlands.
During her visit, Ms. Ordo帽ez engaged in dialogues with the Philippine Navy鈥檚 1st Marine Brigade on cooperation for integrating former Moro combatants into mainstream society. The collaborative project with the Embassy of Colombia, tagged as 鈥淪trengthening Institutional Capacities in Reincorporation and Normalization,鈥 draws from Colombia鈥檚 successful experience in resolving decades-long rebellions.聽
The visit鈥檚 impact on Maguindanao del Norte鈥檚 business climate was hailed by regional officials, including Local Government Minister Naguib G. Sinarimbo and Bangsamoro Regional Board of Investments Chairman Mohammad O. Pasigan, who expressed optimism for positive outcomes in line with the Mindanao peace process.
鈥淲e are thankful to Colombian Ambassador Marcela Ordo帽ez for visiting Cotabato City and the brigade headquarters of the Marines for an activity good for the Mindanao peace process,鈥 Minister Sinarimbo, also Bangsamoro regional government spokesman, told 大象传媒 on Monday.
Meanwhile, lawyer-entrepreneur Ronald Hallid D. Torres, who heads the Bangsamoro Business Council, said the ambassador鈥檚 visit can highlight the investment potential in Iranun-dominated areas.
He also stressed the camp鈥檚 historical significance, noting that Ahod B. Ebrahim, once an MILF rebel leader at Camp Abubakar, now serves as the appointed chief minister of the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 鈥 John Felix M. Unson
