Parang, Maguindanao – The vast Illana Bay fronting the town of Parang, Maguindanao and protected from strong waves by Bongo Island will soon be transformed into a major Bangus and high-value fish production area with the entry of Filipino-American investors.
Yesterday, after meeting with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) led by Minister Mohammad Yacob, I proceeded to Parang to meet the Mayor, Cahar Ibay, and the members of the municipal council.
Mayor Ibay eagerly welcomed the proposed Bangus Fish Cage Project and offered tax holidays to the incoming investors’ group composed mostly of retired Filipino-American U.S. Navy officers and men.
The retired US Navy men led by Samson Mante of Salinas, California expressed their interest to invest in the Philippines when I met them during a recent trip to the U.S.
Having crafted the Mindanao Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Program when I was Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), I encouraged them to invest in Aquaculture and Fish Cage Farming, especially in the Bangsamoro Region because it is typhoon-free with clean waters.
A company tentatively named Greenland & Bluewaters Co. Inc. will be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to handle the Aquaculture Project in Parang and other parts of Mindanao.
“Importante sa amin magkaroon ng trabaho ang mga tao namin at kumita ang mga fisheries workers,” Mayor Ibay told me in the presence of at least 7 members of the municipal council.
From the Parang municipal hall, I proceeded to the Polloc Port, which is one of Mindanao’s biggest but underutilized port facilities built in 1977.
Polloc Port officials I met said the area could accomodate the proposed Ice-Making and Cold Storage Equipment, Aqua Feed Mill and Processing and Packaging Facilities.
With Mayor Ibay’s support and BARMM MAFAR Minister Yacob’s endorsement of the project, the first and biggest Aquaculture Project in the Bangsamoro Region is expected to be established in Parang by mid-2022.
This project is expected to help generate jobs for the locals while addressing the expected increase in the price and the lack of supply of fish in the country this year.
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