More Cabinet officials from Mindanao, GMA urged

BUTUAN CITY — Caraga business leaders, government officials and leaders of people’s organizations, who participated in the recently concluded 10th Caraga Business Conference and 3rd Mining Summit have passed a resolution urging President Arroyo to appoint cabinet secretaries from Mindanao.

In a seven-page resolution, delegates said that appointing capable and competent Cabinet secretaries from Mindanao will give the island the needed attention from the national government

At present, only one of Mrs. Arroyo’s Cabinet members is from Mindanao — outgoing Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr.

The resolution will be presented to the President during the 13th Mindanao Business Conference to be held in Davao City in September.

Also included in the resolution is the fasttracking of the re-opening of the Philnico mines and the nickel processing plant in Nonoc island which could generate 3,000 to 5,000 jobs, not to mention other livelihood opportunities that would be created for thousands of jobless people in the region. — Ben Serrano