SOUTHERN CHARM: Exploring South Cotabato’s hidden haven

Residing in a country with more than 7,100 islands, it is inevitable that each province will stake its claim on a regional bounty and in the process, develop a distinct personality that is akin to regional pride. While Bicol boasts of the arresting perfection of Mayon Volcano’s cone and the spicy laeng concoctions, Ilokos has the long stretch of Pagudpud’s quiet beach and the bitter sweet memory of its pinakbet to catch the visitor’s attention. In this realm, South Cotabato would undoubtedly stand out in Filipino’s memories as being the site of Dole Philippines’ pineapple and asparagus center apart from the rugged natural beauty of its terrain.

For a province with a total land area of barely more than 370,000 hectares, South Cotabato has packed a lot of panoramic vistas into the little space that it does have. From the T’boli reservation areas dotted by picturesque Lake Maughan and Mount Parker; the tourist center of Lake Sebu with its hidden wonders of Trankini, Seven Falls and the Tasaday Caves; the adventurous pull of the underground river and tunnel mining in T’boli; the tranquil attraction of Linan Waterfalls and Hotsprings in Tupi – the myriad sites have created a tourism business that is evident until the present.

Tourism is just one of the southern splendors that South Cotabato has helped spawn through its business incentives, making this region one of the country’s best investment havens – thanks to the South Cotabato Investment Code Article 14 where new business investors can avail of a three to five-year real property tax exemption based on the amount invested.

This has spurred the region’s economy in an agro-industrial direction, and providing an impetus for the resurgence of both local and new business establishments. One happy by-product is the thriving agricultural sector, providing the backbone of the region’s business economics. To date, South Cotabato is the sole supplier of the country’s asparagus, as well as providing an ample crop produce of pineapple, coconut, corn, rice, bananas and coffee amongst other things, thus earning for it the tag line "Bread Basket of the South."

Apart from Dole Philippines, other multinational and domestic corporations have opted to create a new home for their business including Cargill Pioneer Seeds, San Miguel, Swift, Vitarich and Nestlé Philippines. Each company has created a new line of support businesses including trucking (for Dole Philippines) and corn plantation (for Cargill) as well as industrial estate development.

Diverse small businesses also grew in this southern realm, providing a melting pot of extraordinary products and services and gaining acclaim for both the region and the individual companies.

Kablon Farm Foods Corp. in Tupi is one such success story. Starting in Barangay Kablon where Ernesto Pantua Sr. bought a parcel of land in 1956, it evolved into a full-fledged family corporation in 1999 focusing on fruit processing. Products now range from juice concentrates, purees, jams, jellies and marmalades made from passion fruit, guava, kalamansi, durian and even pickled asparagus, with Kablon Farm now having made its mark all the way to Canada.

Durian Garden, atbp. originally started as a private retreat farm in 1995. However, the droves of people visiting the place made a public opening inevitable. This soon mushroomed into an adjunct restaurant, function halls and other farm facilities. But it was the food and delicacies making their way outside that established the Durian Garden atbp. name. Currently, Durian Garden, atbp. is known for its durian products including durian ice cream and is one of five leading agri-tourism sites in Mindanao.

Feliprada Farms initially focused on another native product, the kalamansi. South Valley Foods was conceptualized and established in 2002 to process excess farm products for the barangay level demands. But as with any good processed product, production soon escalated to include kalamansi concentrates, kalamansi ready to drink pouches and bottles, durian jam and pastillas, mango relish and papaya pickles first in the locality and eventually hitting ProTech Centers, South Cotabato trade fairs moving its way north to Davao, Cebu and finally Manila.

Fuentespina Kasuy was a result of Aniceto and Lorna Fuentespina’s cashew trading business in Cagayan de Oro. A savvy business decision led to the kasuy business relocating to Polomolok in South Cotabato. After eight years, Fuentespina is now the prime mover of the cashew industry in the area, and the largest sole cashew processor registered by the Department of Trade and Industry in Mindanao. Current product lines include cashew nuts, bars, pickles and butter.

All of these business establishments have discovered the southern charms of South Cotabato – which include local government’s whole-hearted support for local and foreign investors; the abundant resource of fertile lands and raw materials; a skilled and highly literate labor force with competitive wage rates; fiscal incentives for investment locators; growing availability of banking and financial institutions to provide financial services; support from the Trade and Investment Promotion Center which hastens investment activities; and primarily, a stable peace and order situation.

Apart from the fiscal incentives offered to new business investors, non-fiscal incentives such as simplified business registration, open access to information, facilitation of joint-venture arrangements and linkage with other agencies have hastened the region’s resurgence as an economic force to be reckoned with. Return on investments have ranged from one to five years, based on the kind of business operation

Natural endowments aside, it is South Cotabato’s unequivocal support to the private sector that has made it an attractive business environment – an environment that fosters commercial and industrial growth and which will continue into the foreseeable future... welcome respite indeed for those seeking that perfect investment haven down south.