COTABATO CITY—Two (2) investment companies have shown remarkable contribution in uplifting the lives of native inhabitants in the Province of Lanao Del Sur based on the quarterly monitoring activity conducted by the Regional Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI) on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Accordingly, the investment of two companies in the Municipalities of Wao and Amai Manabilang —the Wao Development Corporation (WDC) for pineapple production and the Mount Kalatungan Agri-Ventures Inc. (MKAVI) for Cavendish banana production—has continuously developed and uplifted the lives of their respective communities by generating more jobs thru expanding their areas of investments and better incentives for their workforces.
MKAVI Human Resource Manager Musmera Dimaporo said: “Here in our company, aside from 90 percent local workforce of about 647 employees, we provided several incentives such as dental and medical allowances.”
“We are also following the BARMM daily wages and could receive from 13th month pay up to 17the month incentives, including Php80,000 hospitalization benefits both their family and among others,” Dimaporo added.
“In order for our employees to work well and for us to meet the target, the company are not hesitating to provide better incentives to our employees even giving them more benefits as a form of our rewards for them,” said Norberto Israel, Jr., MKAV Finance Controller.
“In fact, before the advent of Covid-19 pandemic, our company sponsored five (5) staffs from our Muslim employees to send to Makkah for pilgrimage every year,” Israel added.
To date, Mr. Israel emphasized that “during the start of their operation way back in 2003, we have seen the gradual changes in the living condition of our resident from nipa houses to currently concrete houses, appliances inside, with motors or vehicles to ride outside and most of all, we gained peace and security in our area”.
However, WDC Human Resource Superintendent Mark P. Baccera also mentioned their company’s unique benefits and incentives to their local employees.
“Aside from the PhilHealth benefits and ensuing the daily minimum wage to our employees, our company also allotted Php120,000.00 medical and dental incentives for our individual employees, including their family, 13th month benefits, and other bonuses,” Baccera said.
The WDC is currently running a 1,200-hectare pineapple plantation in Wao Municipality with 1,117 total regular employees—90% are local workers with 71% male and 29% female.
Board of Investment Secretary Farida M. Biruar said the purpose of the monitoring and supervision activities of Regional BBOI to registered companies is “mainly to get inventory on the status and operation of the company, employment generation, company’s plan to expand the coverage, and upgrading the company on the new investment policies and implementation of community responsibilities.”
“It is imperative to monitor or even visit our registered companies in the BARMM to let us know their status, to get updates and feedback, and to build good relationships between them, their employees and the office to reach the optimum operation output and impact to the communities,” said Board of Investment Governor Mohamad O. Pasigan.
Meanwhile, the Lanao Del Sur Corn Development Corporation ran by Lamsan Company based in Sultan Kudarat Maguindanao is expanding their investment coverage in Amai Manabilang, Lanao Del Sur for Corn production to address the increasing demand of corn starch and by-products nationwide.
“We are now on land plotting and preparation stages. We are targeting more or less 2,000 hectares of corn plantation which could soon generate more than 300 local workers here in Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) community areas of Amai Manabilang muncipality,” said Abdulhakeem Matt J. Talamillo, Lamsan Agri manager.
(Kasan M. Usop, Jr./BIO)
