History of the Mindanao Business Council
In 1974, during the signing of the sisterhood agreement between the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI) and the Keelung City Chamber of Commerce of Taiwan in Davao City, Consul General Tu Hassan of Indonesia, had the opportunity to discuss matters pertaining to the establishment of trade linkages with then DCCCI President Sebastian L. Angliongto. The Consul-General politely made a comment that the Davao businessmen had their eyes focused on a much farther direction and yet they have failed to see the enormous potentials of establishing direct linkages with their closest neighbors. He mentioned that Manado City of North Sulewesi, Indonesia is very much nearer and cited several areas of complementation between the two areas. Mr. Angliongto liked the idea and this triggered a dramatic shift in long-held paradigms. It was not long before sisterhood agreements were forged between the DCCCI and the Manado and Ujung Pandan Chambers of Commerce in Indonesia which perpetrated to constant flow of visits and cultural exchange between the two nations.
It was during the early 1990’s that consolidation and increased efforts for greater private sector participation in Mindanao became part of the National Government’s overall strategy in cooperation with the private sector. Although the various chambers of commerce and industries were already in place, institutions such as the Private Investments and Trade Opportunities-Philippines or PITO-P were organized through USAID fund to encourage investments in the Mindanao regions. The PITO-P was initially established to showcase the trade environments of 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. However, as focus shifted to the much proximate East ASEAN, PITO-P and other private sector groups were starting to conceptualize a sub-region - wide private sector organization, similar to what is known now as the East ASEAN Business Council or EABC.
In 1992, Mr. Angliongto was introduced to Dr. Fermin D. Adriano of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Agricultural Policy Research and Advocacy Assistance Program (APRAAP) of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) Foundation, who was seated next to him during the airplane flight to Manado Indonesia to head a 60-person business delegation for President Fidel V. Ramos’ East ASEAN visit. Both Mr. Angliongto and Dr. Adriano recognized the enormous potentials of establishing trade linkages with the Philippines’ East ASEAN neighbors and the need to strengthen Mindanao’s private sector. They saw that this could be done by institutionalizing the Mindanao Business Council and the Mindanao chambers of commerce and industries.
Subsequent to the visit of President Ramos to the East ASEAN, four (4) Senior Officials designated by the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines governments together with select representatives from the different government agencies from the four countries met in March 24,1994 at the Insular Hotel in Davao City. It was during this meeting where it was formally agreed that the name for the newly formed sub-regional economic cooperation be named “Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area or the BIMP-EAGA.
During the 3rd Mindanao Business Conference, which was held in Cagayan de Oro City in 1994, Mr. Angliongto, being the highest ranking PCCI representative of Mindanao, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council (RAFC) and the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce representatives to formally create the Mindanao Business Council, which there after became the Mindanao-wide umbrella of private sector organizations in the island and the focal organization of the BIMP-EAGA in the Philippines.
It was during the early 1990’s that consolidation and increased efforts for greater private sector participation in Mindanao became part of the National Government’s overall strategy in cooperation with the private sector. Although the various chambers of commerce and industries were already in place, institutions such as the Private Investments and Trade Opportunities-Philippines or PITO-P were organized through USAID fund to encourage investments in the Mindanao regions. The PITO-P was initially established to showcase the trade environments of 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. However, as focus shifted to the much proximate East ASEAN, PITO-P and other private sector groups were starting to conceptualize a sub-region - wide private sector organization, similar to what is known now as the East ASEAN Business Council or EABC.
In 1992, Mr. Angliongto was introduced to Dr. Fermin D. Adriano of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Agricultural Policy Research and Advocacy Assistance Program (APRAAP) of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) Foundation, who was seated next to him during the airplane flight to Manado Indonesia to head a 60-person business delegation for President Fidel V. Ramos’ East ASEAN visit. Both Mr. Angliongto and Dr. Adriano recognized the enormous potentials of establishing trade linkages with the Philippines’ East ASEAN neighbors and the need to strengthen Mindanao’s private sector. They saw that this could be done by institutionalizing the Mindanao Business Council and the Mindanao chambers of commerce and industries.
Subsequent to the visit of President Ramos to the East ASEAN, four (4) Senior Officials designated by the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines governments together with select representatives from the different government agencies from the four countries met in March 24,1994 at the Insular Hotel in Davao City. It was during this meeting where it was formally agreed that the name for the newly formed sub-regional economic cooperation be named “Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area or the BIMP-EAGA.
During the 3rd Mindanao Business Conference, which was held in Cagayan de Oro City in 1994, Mr. Angliongto, being the highest ranking PCCI representative of Mindanao, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council (RAFC) and the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce representatives to formally create the Mindanao Business Council, which there after became the Mindanao-wide umbrella of private sector organizations in the island and the focal organization of the BIMP-EAGA in the Philippines.
