Palawan seeks Sabah's help on supplies
Published on: Friday, September 02, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: The Institute for Development Studies (IDS) and BIMP-EAGA Kudat Business Council (BEBC) said the realisation of the Palawan connectivity project and its dream to transform the province into a free trade zone in the near future will be to the advantage of Sabah.IDS Special Officer to the CEO, Joe Ang, and Kudat BEBC Vice-Chairman Datuk James Ibrahim said Sabah stands the chance to be a major supplier of raw materials and other basic necessities urgently needed by Palawan."During our briefing-cum-discussion with Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez last August 23 in Puerto Princesa City, we were delighted to be informed that neighbouring Palawan has identified Malaysia, particularly Sabah, as the most preferred partner to help level-up the province and achieve its designed goals," they said.ADVERTISEMENT Governor Alvarez said the province would be constructing two international airports and 20 airstrips, several ports and jetties within six years for the province to be easily connected to neighbouring countries and the world, in general."We need raw materials and other construction materials to help us build these badly needed facilities and I am looking at Sabah to assist in this aspect," Alvarez said."Apart from the airports and sea ports, we also intend to work closely with Sabah for the realisation of our huge housing projects and other ready to be implemented infrastructure projects which also include the constructions of government hospitals and other health-related programmes."According to Alvarez, Palawan will continue to upgrade its tourism amenities and facilities including the setting up of new environment-friendly power plants.ADVERTISEMENT "Construction materials in the Philippines are too expensive and this is why I am looking at Sabah because of its price competitiveness and shorter distance," he added.Describing the situation as a golden opportunity, Joe said IDS will be conducting an in-depth study after which recommendations will be forwarded to the State Government for further scrutiny and approval.
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He said the Buliluyan-Kudat Ro-Ro Connectivity Project is a glaring example of a connectivity route that will optimally link and match markets with producers not just within BIMP-EAGA region but also beyond.Joe also agreed with Alvarez and James that Kudat is the ideal place to be the new gateway for commercial trading between Sabah and Palawan."Palawan is blessed with natural resources and has been producing high quality agricultural and maritime products like banana, coconut, cocoa, pineapple, palm oil, varieties of fishes ... they have many environment-friendly tourist attractions."What Palawan does not have, they can always get it from Sabah and vice versa," Joe said.James, on the other hand, said with the recent completion of the newly-upgraded ramp at the Kudat port, the district is more than ready to work closely with the planned Buliluyan-Kudat Ro-Ro Connectivity Project.He said bridging the distance between complementing countries in terms of resources can yield faster and easier movement of people, services and goods with higher returns on investments for the private sector and greater value added attributing mostly on manpower services.James said the realisation of Palawan's connectivity projects will surely help Kudat in many aspects.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"Kudat is blessed with beautiful beaches and other tourist attractions. The domino effect of the said projects will also surely help upgrade the standard of living of the locals in the area," the Kudat BEBC Vice-chairman said.He said the project can be linked towards increased in productivity and income of the people through infrastructure development sustained prosperity without straining the land and resources and attaining shared goals through partnerships.