Southern Mindanao towns forge trade links with East Indonesia

DAVAO CITY — Several towns in Southern Mindanao have strengthened trade ties with towns in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Key officials and business leaders in the areas comprising the Jose Abad Santos-Glan-Sarangani-Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT) arrived here on Monday afternoon from a trade mission to the North Sulawesi capital of Manado, in an effort to further foster links with East Indonesia.

The JAGS-CT trade and investment mission forms part of the ongoing activities of those in the component areas of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which Mindanao and East Indonesia belong.

Besides, JAGS-CT areas are actually only six hours away by boat from the nearest Indonesian group of islands of Tahuna.

Philippine Special Envoy to the BIMP-EAGA Efren Abu and Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez led the JAGS-CT delegation to Manado, which was able to clinch several sisterhood pacts and other trade agreements with their Indonesian counterparts.

Issues involving customs, immigration, quarantine and security (CIQS) concerning the JAGS-CT authorities and those in East Indonesia were also discussed on a bilateral level.

Meanwhile, a sisterhood agreement is also being drafted to further strengthen relations between the provinces of North Sulawesi and Sarangani.

Business matching sessions were also held during the JAGS-CT delegation’s trip to Manado, where fishing was identified as one of the areas for joint venture agreements.

Cross-border trading between Southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi had been going on since the pre-colonial times.

At present, several boat operators are engaged in cross-border trading, carrying goods between key areas in both Mindanao and North Sulawesi.