DAVAO CITY—The annual gathering of the major business chambers in Mindanao would take participants to a glimpse of the place of exile of the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, as organizers also beams the spotlight on the conference focus: Partnership of public and private sectors.

The venue of the 17th Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) would be at the Zamboanga del Norte Convention Center in Dipolog City from August 27 to 29, but its neighbor Dapitan City, a cohost of the conference, would also take the participants off to a glimpse of history, which has built a shrine of what used to be the jail compound of Rizal when he was banished to Dapitan in July 1892 to March1893.

The twin hosting of Dapitan City in a so-called twin sisters’ agreement with venue host Dipolog City of Zamboanga del Norte, would also enhance the conference focus on partnership.

The Dapitan shrine includes seve-ral huts where Rizal lived, treated patients, including his mother whose cataract he operated.  Within the compound is also the irrigation system of canals and pumping station as a showcase for Dapitan residents to improve their agriculture at that time.

A statement released by the USAid’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) said that the MinBizCon, the annual meeting of government and business leaders in Mindanao, would renew their commitment “to work together to advance the region’s economic agenda [and to] generate local and foreign investment in Mindanao, sharing best practices in economic development, and fostering a more competitive business environment.”

“The focus this year is on partnerships between the public and private sectors, particularly in agro-industry,” said the GEM in a statement. The speakers include Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap; Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., president of POMS Ventures Corp.; and Oscar de Venecia Jr., president and chief operating officer of Basic Petroleum.

One plenary session would highlight a topic on logistics for agriculture, including developments in shipping and roll-on, roll-off (Roro)” transport. The statement said that this issue would be presented in PowerPoints by Sabin Aboitiz, chief executive  officer of Aboitiz One Inc.; Doris Magsaysay Ho, chairperson of Magsaysay Maritime Corp.; and Henry Basilio, director of the UA&P Transport & Logistics Center.

Organizer Edgardo Lacson, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said the MinBizCon’s “areas of focus reflect those cited in President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address this week.”

The PCCI organized the conference with support from the GEM Program, the Mindanao Economic Development Council, and the Japan External Trade Organization.

“Mindanao remains the food basket of the country and is the key to food security,” Lacson said.

Other MinBizCon plenaries would also discuss international trade, investment in tourism and the impact of social development and management programs on mining communities.

The MinBizCon is being hosted by the Dipolog Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the provincial government and the city governments of Dipolog and Dapitan.

The statement said the “twin cities are a key Roro stop on the nautical highway, which extends from Luzon and the Visayas down the western Mindanao coast to Tawi-Tawi.”

“Given a boost by the Roro connection in Dapitan’s port, Dipolog is now a major supplier of processed marine products, particularly bottled sardines, to Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo and Manila. It is also a supplier of lanzones, rambutan and mango fruit,” the GEM statement said.

Dapitan City is about an hour from Dipolog City along a new highway. Aside from the Rizal Shrine, Dapitan is also home to the renowned Dakak Park and Beach Resort. A portion of its coastal highway is adorned with colorful lights similar to Roxas Boulevard’s famed lamplights and is aptly named Sunset Boulevard in Dapitan.

The development of tourism destinations in Dapitan has also helped boost tourist arrivals for both cities. Arrivals via the Roro alone doubled in the past year, said Edgar Bagarinao, president of the Dipolog Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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