ARMM investment officials: Sulu piracy affects region's int'l trade

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 23): ARMM investment officials: Sulu piracy affects region's int'l trade

Investment officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) expressed alarm over piracy attacks in Sulu as international trade at Polloc Port in Parang, Maguindanao is affected.

The port, situated within the ARMM Economic Zone in Barangay Sarmiento, Parang, Maguindanao, serves as the major gateway for international trade in the ARMM and mainland Mindanao.

Lawyer Ishak Mastura, ARMM Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) chair, said reports have reached his office from the port management and ARMM investors that international shipping to Polloc has been put on hold due to piracy in the Sulu Seas.


"While we mourn the tragic loss of life and empathize with those abducted, we are deeply concerned that the bane of piracy in the Sulu Sea has affected our international trade leading to revenue losses for the ARMM regional government, which owns and operates Polloc Port," Mastura said in a statement in reaction to the latest piracy incident.

The latest piratical attack which happened this week was on a Vietnamese ship headed for Polloc Port.

The bulk carrier Giang Hai was attacked by armed pirates in the Sulu Sea, some 20 nautical miles north off Pearl Bank in Tawi-Tawi province, which is part of ARMM.

The vessel was carrying 4,500 tons of cement from Indonesia destined for Polloc Port, when it was approached by a motor boat with heavily armed men who tried to cross the route of the vessel.

One of the 25-man crew member was killed while seven were abducted. They include Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Dutch, German and Japanese nationals.

Reports said 17 others were rescued by the Philippines Coast Guard, which then pursued the attackers.

Hexan Mabang, Polloc Port manager, said this latest act of piracy prompted several shipments of cement and other cargo to be suspended as shippers refused to charter vessels passing the Sulu Sea headed for Polloc Port and other ports in Mindanao.
Christopher Lu, a local investor registered with RBOI-ARMM who was expecting a cargo shipment of wood chips and sundry bulk cargo from Malaysia and Indonesia, said the shipper refused to proceed after learning of the latest attack.


Meanwhile, Haron Bandila of the ARMM Business Council also expressed alarm over the possible effects of piracy in the Sulu Sea to the ongoing peace process between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is based mainly in mainland Mindanao.

"I am afraid that talking with just the MILF cannot resolve the piracy in the Sulu Sea. The MILF leadership and following are not Tausugs so how can they understand what the Tausug pirates want and bring them to the fold of the peace process?" Bandila asked.

"We hope that the increasing piracy in the Sulu Sea, including the abduction of sailors, do not become a severe setback to the peace process because it seems the peace process cannot address such security risks like this piracy," he added.

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