Beverly C. Paoyon
GLAN, Sarangani (June 27, 2011) – Municipal mayors of Glan and Parang, Maguindanao signed on Monday (June 27) a sisterhood agreement to boost the Glan-Tahuna trade relations.
Glan Mayor Victor James Yap Sr. said the “previous agreement with the Sangihe government of Tahuna, North Sulawesi, Republic of Indonesia for the importation and exportation of local products was temporarily cancelled” due to fuel funding problem.
Tahuna had subsidized the fuel needs of KM SUNLIA vessel’s every trip in transporting local products to Glan and going back to Indonesia until a proposal for a 50-50 percent fuel sharing was raised.
When Glan had an exploratory conference with Parang Mayor Ibrahim Ibay on March 24 and April 18 this year, a memorandum of understanding was conceptualized to consider the “possibility and feasibility of resuming the operations of the business venture.”
However, with the memorandum of understanding (MOU), new arrangements were added to the trading pact.
Instead of the 50-50 percent fuel sharing between Glan and Tahuna, Parang will shoulder half of Glan’s share but Parang will join the trade, making every voyage of KM SUNLIA call at the port of Parang to deliver and get local products for export.
“Upon the resumption of the operation, the Municipality of Parang undertakes to import products from Indonesia and will also export their local products to Indonesia,” the MOU said.
It was also stressed that “Glan will be the first and the last port of entry of the vessel,” from Tahuna to Glan, Glan to Parang, Parang to Glan, and Glan going back to Tahuna.
The provincial government of Sarangani would also subsidize “five (5) back and forth trips fuel subsidy” of Glan’s counterpart and leaving the rest subsidies for the municipal government of Glan to shoulder.
Governor Migs Dominguez commended Glan and Parang saying this as “a challenge to continuously pressure the private sector in looking south to our partners especially beyond our borders.”
“Let us not follow the example of Spratly Islands on their warfare on boundaries. What we are doing now is fighting over markets. We are fighting over markets so we can find ways and reasons and that we could tell that Glan and Tahuna will mutually benefit this trade,” Dominguez said.
It can be recalled that Glan also signed a sisterhood agreement with Indonesia’s Sangihe Regency on November 28, 2006 to promote and expand effective and mutual cooperation in the development of the two areas as part of the Jose Abad Santos-Glan-Sarangani Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT) activities.
JAGS-CT is a cluster of southern Philippine towns formed in 2003 in support to the Brunie-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Mayor Ibay said development in Parang is gradually taking off and with the MOU, he was hoping that this may “be the beginning of better opportunities” for both municipalities. (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
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