Mindanao business council sees improved commerce after Marawi liberation

The Mindanao Business Council  (MBC) on Tuesday said it expects commerce in Marawi City to improve after President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi City from armed extremists.

In a Balitanghali interview, MBC chairman Vincent Lao said he was looking forward to the Muslim community's stronger ties with the Philippine government as a result of the restoration of peace and order in the area.

"We are happy to know that the Marawi episode has already been terminated and maybe this is a good thing for Mindanao because... Moslems in Marawi will now have a chance to rebuild the city with the help of the government,"

To the MBC, the five-month battle that besieged Marawi did not "substantially" hurt the over-all business performance of Mindanao.

"Business in Mindanao has never substantially been affected by the problem in Marawi although within the confines of maybe a few kilometers within the city limits of Marawi, people are very cautious," Lao said.

"But the rest of Mindanao is business as usual," he added.

Lao pointed out that the compromised state of peace and order in the city's vicinity of Marawi has always been a "major obstacle" for business to boom in the area.

"With the peace and order problem before, hindi pa natin made-develop 'yung area," the Davao-based official said.

The MBC expressed optimism in the military's elimination of Maute-ISIS leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute during military operations early Monday.

"Ngayon, with peace there, maybe now the government can progressively pull through their assistance to our brother Moslems surrounding Lake Lanao," Lao said.

Businessmen will soon be able to explore potential business ventures in and around Marawi, Lao added, citing the rich aquaculture of Lake Lanao.

"Marawi has always been a very potential area and now our (Moslem brothers) have been trying their best to encourage investments into Marawi," Lao said.

"After this bakbakan, Marawi will be given priority in its rehabilitation," he added.

Other members of the country's business sector have likewise welcomed the military's feat, hoping business ventures would flourish in the besieged city as soon as the war is over.

Senators have also emphasized that the rehabilitation activities should be in "full blast" now that major terrorist elements have been neutralized.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of national roads, bridges, public schools and other government buildings.

The People's Republic of China had just donated 47 sets of heavy equipment including bulldozers for the battle's rehabilitation phase.The World Bank has also announced it is scaling up its support for the Philippine government in rebuilding Marawi. — Margaret Claire Layug/MDM, GMA News