Construction of P135M dressing plant in Davao de Oro to be completed this year

Four BARMM governors ask Palace to hasten decommissioning of MILF

Four provincial governors of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) sent on Thursday to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. an “urgent appeal” for the immediate decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces and postponement of the barangay elections until the decommissioning is fully implemented.

The appeal, signed by Governors Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu of Maguindanao del Sur, Abdusakur Tan of Sulu, Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman of Basilan and Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, also called for a “swift investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators” of the ambush on Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. and other violent incidents in BARMM.

The governors’ appeal linked the “climate of lawlessness” in the region, including the ambush on Adiong in Maguing, Lanao del Sur to the presence of MILF base commands.

“In these areas, LGUs (local government units),

PNP (Philippine National Police) and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are severely restrained from enforcing law and order by the ‘peace process mechanisms’ that bar entry of law enforcement agencies in the socalled ‘MILF territories’,” the appeal said.

It cited the incident on Feb. 7 where 39 Special Forces soldiers were held overnight by the MILF in Maguing, “on the pretext that their movement and operations were not coordinated with the MILF.”

The four governors also called for the postponement of the barangay elections scheduled on Oct. 30 this year until the decommissioning is completed.

The decommissioning of the MILF forces is provided for in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) specifically in the Annex on Normalization.

Its implementation is guided by a roadmap, which says that the MILF shall undergo a graduated

FFOUR, P6

By MAYA M. PADILLO

Construction of the P135-million dressing plant in Davao de Oro is seen to be completed in September or October of this year.

Dr. Rolando S. Simene, provincial veterinarian of Davao de Oro, said on Wednesday that the dressing plant has a capacity of 3,500 birds per hour and will increase to 6,000 birds per hour after three to five years.

With construction started last year, the very first poultry dressing plant in Davao de Oro is located in Brgy. Inambat, Monkayo.

“That is one of the investments that I am very optimistic will bring de- velopment in the poultry industry in our region because with that capacity that I mentioned nga requirement sa broiler chicken. Millions of heads every year ang target,” Simene said during Wednesdays at Habi at Kape media forum.

He also said that the processing plant will not be limited to Davao de Oro but also to the neighboring provinces like Surigao and

Agusan.

Last year, Trade and Industry provincial director Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque announced that the province is promoting poultry raising in communities with the establishment of the first dressing plant in the province.

He said poultry raisers in the province currently ship their goods more than 100 kilometers to Davao City’s dressing plants.