President Rodrigo Duterte attended Go Negosyo’s Christmas Townhall with the President on Monday aimed at rallying support for development efforts in Sulu.

In his message, the President reiterated his campaign pledge to fight corruption, drugs and criminality.

On the economic side, the President said he wants to leave it to the economic managers to create the environment where businesses can thrive peacefully 
with the least intervention of government.

Duterte said that during the election campaign, he was dismayed that no candidate talked about Mindanao.

If Mindanao is not handled very carefully, the Philippines will end up being dismembered.

The President told businessmen that he is negotiating with Nur Misuari and with the MILF.

“I hope, I said that before the year ends, something concrete and positive will come out,” the President said.

“And ito ang gusto kong sabihin sa bayan: You have to heed us people, guys from Mindanao because we are telling you the truth, you have to really transform this country.”

The President renewed his initiative with business leaders to push for federalism in the country.

The fact that the Muslims are willing to go federal means that they will accept control of the national government, he noted.

In the spirit of Christmas, Go Negosyo through the KAPATID initiative started the Negosyo Para sa Kapayapaan sa Sulu: Christmas Town hall with the President.

Sulu is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

It’s population of 824,731 is predominantly Muslim Tausug with 125,564 concentrated in the capital Jolo City.

It is the base for the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) led by Misuari.

However the military is largely pursuing the Abu Sayyaf Group in second district areas.

Negosyo Para sa Kapayapaan in the province of Sulu is an initiative for the private sector to get involved in supplementing government efforts to establish peace and development in the area.

Among the members of the private sector that committed for Sulu’s development were the Manuel V. Pangilinan group, which pledged development in telecom, hospitals, and coconut mill industry.

San Miguel Corp. made a commitment to build a power plant and to reorganize Sulu’s school of arts and trade. It also promised to create a feed mill supply chain.

The National Book Store also committed to provide school supplies for at least 100,000 school kids in Sulu, while the Department of Agriculture will provide tractors, farm implements and agricultural training.

Other donors are Bounty Fresh Good, Inc., W Group, Kawad Kalinga, Lucio Tan Group, Kapatid Agri Group, and the federation of Filipino-Chinese businessmen.  ##PND