STOP EXPORTATION. Davao City business leader, Arturo Milan, says he supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s call during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday to stop exportation of mineral resources to foreign countries. Milan said in a press conference on Wednesday, July 26, if raw materials are domestically processed, not only it would give added value to products but as well as generate more jobs for Filipinos. (Robby Joy D. Salveron/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines –A business leader here said he supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to stop the export of raw materials to foreign countries.
Arturo Milan, Mindanao adviser for Aboitiz Equity Ventures and a member of the board of trustees of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII)
Milan said he appreciates the President’s call and reiterated Duterte’s statement that the exportation of raw materials is an “irony” wherein the locals supply the materials abroad but when it comes back as products, prices are twice or thrice the value.
“For so long we have been an exporter of raw materials and it doesn’t even have added value. Even our agri-products, not only in mining, we normally export raw,” Milan said.
Milan stressed that if raw materials are processed locally, it would not only generate more income, but as well as generate more employment for Filipinos.
“We can process it here with added value and not only will it be more expensive but it will also generate employment because it will undergo processing and that’s what we are really espousing that there should be factories that will be set up,” Milan said.
Milan cited raw materials such as rubber, palm oil and cacaos could be processed here in the country if enough processing and manufacturing plantations will be built.
“Why do we need to go to Malaysia to sell rubber if we can just consolidate and encourage rubber plantations that is viable to put processing plant for tire making,” Milan said.
Milan also took into account Davao’s pride, the Malagos’ chocolate products as product processed cacao here in Davao. Malagos unsweetened chocolate won the silver award in a worldwide competition, the Academy of Chocolate Awards this year in the plain chocolate category.
“Like for example cacao, we’ve been exporting raw cacao seeds and I’m happy that Malagos is now producing their own chocolate. If we can just encourage entrepreneurs to go into chocolate processing, chocolate making, so we don’t have to export,” Milan said.
Milan emphasized that the government should have more programs just like what Malagos did to generate a lot of jobs for Filipinos.(davaotoday.com)
