PCGNY.net | News Release

Consulate hosts forum for Datu Paglas Town as model for Peace and Economic Development in ARMM

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE - NEWS RELEASE
02 December 2006

NEW YORK --- On 20 November 2006, the Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted a forum entitled, “Datu Paglas Town: A Model for Peace and Development in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Philippines,” with Datu Ibrahim “Toto” Pendatun Paglas III (Datu Paglas, for short) himself, the man responsible for transforming Datu Paglas Town from a war-torn village into a bustling economic zone, as guest speaker.

During the presentation, Datu Paglas shared his personal advocacy for peace and development in Datu Paglas Town which was created and named after his family by the late President Ferdinand Marcos. He said that the town was once considered a “no man’s land,” being the scene of violent clashes between government soldiers and Muslim rebels, unresolved political killings, and numerous kidnappings. He was then the Mayor of this town.

Datu Paglas explained that in the 1990s, his father and three brothers were felled by assassins’ bullets. Instead of taking revenge, he took a different route. He focused his attention on improving the lives of the people in his town. He challenged local warlords to support him, to bring economic development, education, better health services and a better life for the people. In 1996, he started negotiating with investors to establish a banana plantation in Paglas. His perseverance paid off. Today, Datu Paglas Town is the site of La Fruteria, Inc., a banana plantation which is also the largest foreign investment project in the Philippines’ Muslim autonomous region. The plantation employs more than 2,000 workers about 90 percent of whom had been former members or sympathizers of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It is a highly unusual business venture that brought together Italian and Saudi traders, Israeli farming experts, Cincinnati-based Chiquita Brands International Inc. and top Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders. Currently, La Frutera, Inc.. The banana produce of La Fruteria are in heavy demand in Japan, China and the Middle East.

Datu Paglas added that more than just a successful business venture, however, La Frutera company has given the local community a stake in peace. He said that former guerillas or military combatants no longer sleep under the stars. They now speak with a sense of pride about being able to send their children to school. (Even the USAid had linked up with the Knowledge Channel Foundation in the Philippines, to bring quality satellite television based education to school children in the remote villages of the ARMM.)

Aside from hosting La Fruteria, Inc., Datu Paglas Town now has a mini-mall, a rural bank, a trucking, security and gas station companies, and another foreign investor – this time, a Korean-financed plastics plant.

Datu Paglas said that if there were lessons to be learned from his experience, these would be the following:

1. La Frutera succeeded because crime and violence were cracked down, allowing investments to sink in.

2. It is incumbent upon all of us to help improve the lives of others – whether in community development, diplomacy, or business; whether one is from Paglas or Philadelphia, Nueva Ecija or New York. It is time for us to move beyond our comfort zones. Everyone can be an instrument of peace and development.

3. There can be no development without peace. Peace cannot be bought with the barrel of a gun. It takes a combination of political will, social entrepreneurship, respect for diverse cultures and a commitment to peace and development to engender lasting peace in a conflict area.

During the open forum, a community member asked the main purpose of Datu Paglas’s trip to New York. Datu Paglas replied that he came upon the invitation of the Philippine Consul General. He also said that his trip was both an information campaign and a continuation of his efforts to encourage Filipinos to help in the economic development not just of Datu Paglas Town but the whole of Muslim Mindanao. The undersigned added that the Datu Paglas presentation was part of the Consulate General’s program to help raise awareness about our Muslim brothers.

Another member of the community thanked Datu Paglas for sharing his experience and commended him for having the courage and vision to introduce reforms that have transformed his town into a bustling economic zone. Still another community member expressed the hope that the experience of Datu Paglas Town will be duplicated in other areas in Muslim Mindanao.

Consul General Rebong said, “[t]he story of Datu Paglas is very inspiring and can truly serve as a model for peace and development in other areas in Muslim Mindanao.”

The Philippine Consulate General in New York presented the event in collaboration with the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, with the support of Western Union, RTA Travel and Metrobank-New York.