ARMM approves, welcomes Php40-M investments

COTABATO CITY -- The Regional Board
of Investments, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) today approved
the registration of a Php40 million Water Filtration Plant operated and managed
by Mactan Rock TGV Builders Corporation
at Barangay Makaguiling, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

The bulk water supply and treatment investment
project involves the construction, installation and operation of 5,000 Cubic
Meter Per Day (CMD) water treatment facility tapping the water resource from
Simuay River in Sultan Kudarattown, according to Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI
chair and managing head.

The project is very relevant since we are
experiencing water shortages especially during dry season, Mastura said.

With this facility, we can now rely on a more
stable supply of affordable and clean water, Mastura added.

The treatment of water will undergo several
processes and cleaning stages before the water is distributed to households
ready for human drinking and consumption.

Mastura said the RBOI extended Mactan Rock,
registered under a pioneer status, fiscal incentives such as Income Tax
Holidays for six years as well as other incentives being provided by the
government upon the start of its commercial operations.

He said firm will provide bulk water supply and
treatment facility to Metro Cotabato Water District (MCWD), a government-owned
and controlled corporation water facility that serves Cotabato City and two towns
of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao.

Mastura said the Mactan Rock company is among the
latest investments that RBOI-ARMM considered in the five province region this
year.

During the period, RBOI has registered a total of
Php3.2 billion worth of investments, posting an increase of 53 percent as
compared to last year’s Php2.11 billion.

Aside from Mactan Rock, other investments approved this year include the telecommunications company TierOne Communications which
invested the highest in 2017 with its Php3 billion investments.

RBOI-ARMM also approved projects this year the
Bangsamoro Terminal Services (BTS) Inc. (Php129-M), Mactan Rock TGV Builders
Corporation (Php40-M), J. Sayang Shipping Lines Inc. (Php33.5-M), and Abing
Seafoods and Cold Storage (Php32-M).

In a statement, ARMM Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman
said the new investment can be considered vote of confidence to ARMM
leadership for establishing better climate investment destination in southern
Philippines, despite recent urban war in Marawi City.

Hataman expects more investments to come in the
coming year.

We believe that investors’ confidence is still very
high considering that RBOI has surpassed its target of Php1 billion this year,
Hataman said.

Investments in the region now are more diverse
since projects registered this year are non-agriculture which include
logistics, telecommunications, seafood storage, shipping, and bulk water supply
and treatment plant which means that the region is ready for projects other
than agriculture-based, Hataman said. (Edwin O. Fernandez)