FORUM ON NORTH COTABATO OFW’s AGRO-INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS BLUEPRINT SET IN HONGKONG FEB. 24

North Cotabato Overseas Workers who are based in Hongkong and Macau will gather in Hongkong on Feb. 24 for a one-day forum where I will present the blueprint of the proposed NORTH COTABATO OFW AGRO-INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS PROGRAM.

Ligaya Diez, a Hongkong OFW who is from Kidapawan City, who is organizing the event said hundreds of overseas workers from North Cotabato will attend the symposium to be held in a venue which will be announced later.

“Everybody is excited about your trip to Hongkong,” Ligaya told me in a message yesterday. At least two of my staff will join me in the trip.

The Hongkong trip, and subsequently a visit to Singapore, was requested by Ligaya and other OFWs from Kidapawan following a series of meetings I had with them during their visit to Kidapawan City earlier this month.

I shared with them the blueprint of the North Cotabato OFW Agro-Industrial Investments Program where overseas workers from the province will be assisted by the provincial government in putting their small earnings in viable investments.

In Hongkong, I will lecture on my proposal to organize all OFWs from North Cotabato and convince them to invest some of their income in solid agro-industrial projects such as Oil Palm and Rubber Plantations in partnership with the provincial government and the owners of vast Ancestral Domain areas in the province.

Under the program, the OFWs funds will be provided with a counterpart fund by the provincial government under its Corporate Governance program.

The provincial counterpart, which could start at P10-M, could then be invested in either Oil Palm or Rubber Plantations so that the OFWs will have something to look forward to when they come home to retire and enjoy their lives with their families.

Should the investments in the Oil Palm and Rubber plantations bring sizable earnings for the OFWs, the partnership could go a notch higher in their business investments by starting processing plants which could manufacture motorcycle tires from their rubber produce and cosmetics from palm oil.

The project is expected to help the OFWs secure their earnings from their hardwork abroad while at the same time help the provincial government create jobs for the local people.

During the one-day forum, I will also present the successful Jobs for Economic Enhancement Program (JEEP), a unique Jobs Program which was started when I was Governor and acknowledged by the Dept. of Labor and Employment as an outstanding local government initiative. It was given an award of excellence.

Under the JEEP, the provincial government organized Jobs Fair where qualified applicants for jobs abroad were allowed to borrow money from the provincial government to be used for their placement fees without any interest.

The program enabled applicants for jobs abroad to raise placement fees without borrowing from usurers because the provincial government of North Cotabato had a standby fund of P20-M.

This program, which was able to send hundreds of workers abroad, has been scrapped by the current administration.

I intend to revive the program if and when I return to office as Governor this year.

During the one-day forum, we will also launch the Piso-Piso Para sa Pagbabago where overseas workers who believe in my advocacy in governance will be asked to share whatever they could to help the political campaign this year.

This program is expected to heighten political awareness and involvement among the people in the selection and election of their leaders.

Hongkong and Macau OFWs from North Cotabato who would like to join the forum are requested to get in touch with Ligaya Diez through her mobile phone or through her Facebook.com page.

(Photo caption: North Cotabato OFWs Ligaya Diez, Tata Lai and her husband Andrew and son, Tatu, Mindanao Hongkong OFW President Jenny Gafate and Weng Macanaya pose for a picture after a meeting at the Grilleto’s Place in Kidapawan City. John Pagaduan)