Jollibee in Basilan a sign of poverty not stability, says solon

The lone branch of Jollibee, the country’s largest fast-food chain, in Basilan isn’t a sign of stability as touted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo but actually an indication of poverty and corruption, a Mindanao-based party-list solon said Tuesday. Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujiv Hataman said that while a Jollibee has indeed been setup in a Christian-dominated area in Basilan’s capital of Isabela, “business has not been good." “Jollibee hasn’t done as well as here in Manila. Jollibee products taste good but people in Basilan don’t have the money to buy them," said Hataman, who grew up in Basilan. “In the afternoon, they peddle Jollibee products along the road," the lawmaker added. Hataman blamed graft and corruption in the island province as a key reason why poverty remains widespread. “The government should use the P1-billion anti-corruption fund (a grant from the United States). This is the only way the government can help the people of Basilan survive poverty," Hataman. In her state of the nation address Monday, President Arroyo cited the Jollibee branch in Basilan as a sign of stability. Basilan off the western coast of the main island of Mindanao has long been a strife-ridden province, where Abu Sayyaf terrorists are known to operate. Mrs. Arroyo credited the “stability" in Basilan and the other Mindanao island-provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to the Balikatan joint Philippine-US military exercises and the donor-assisted projects in the area. -GMANews.TV