8.1 Bukidnon -- The Region's Major
Food Basket
The province of Bukidnon occupies the wide fertile
plateau in the North Central part of Mindanao. It has a total land
area of 829,378 hectares, forty percent of which are alienable and
disposable which are highly suitable for almost all types of crops
like corn, palay, high-valued vegetable crops, fruits especially pineapple
and other commercial crops such as abaca, coffee, rubber and sugarcane.
Moreover, livestock, poultry and dairy are also produced in large
quantities in the province supplying the needs of neighboring provinces
and cities. Its relatively cool and humid climate makes the province
all the more suitable to agricultural production.
With these vast agricultural resources, the province
will be the region's food basket and primary supplier of raw materials
for processing in the various agri-industrial centers of the region.
With our thrust to hasten development in the country side, the province
will not only be a source of raw materials but also host a number
of processing industries that will be located within its industrial
grid and other processing and growth centers.
Being relatively elevated and centrally located, the
province is itself a "watershed" for the North-Central Mindanao
comprising the headwaters and substantial portions of six major river
catchments originating in the province. While efforts will focus on
the agri-industrial development of the province, protection of its
forestal lands which comprise about 60 percent of the province's total
land area shall be given priority attention to preserve this highly
critical watershed area of the region.
8.2 Camiguin Island, Northern Mindanao's Tourism
Haven - "All of Nature's Best"
Camiguin is a beautiful and peaceful island province
located in the Mindanao Sea, between Bohol and the mainland Mindanao
islands, about 90 kilometers north of Cagayan de Oro City, the regional
capital. The five-municipality province is occupied by some 74,000
people as of 2000. It has a total land area of 29,000 hectares dominated
by seven volcanic mountains, coconut plantations in the foothills,
and fishing villages along the coastline and national circumferential
highway.
Although the local economy is predominantly agricultural,
opportunities for expansion through this sector is quite limited due
to physical limitations. However, the island possesses a natural beauty
which is a very good resource for tourism development. It has beautiful
beaches, springs, waterfalls and a rich cultural heritage.
Considering its tourism potentials, the province envisions
to become a prime tourist destination of the country. As the province
will embark towards a tourism based economy, safeguards shall be put
in place to protect its fragile and conservative social environment
and preserve the dignity and moral values of the populace
While development direction will focus on tourism,
the establishment of agri-based small, medium, and cottage enterprises
shall be supported to complement the employment opportunities that
will be generated through tourism. Being also a fishing village with
rich but fragile fishery resources, sustainable fishery development
shall also be supported.
8.3 Macajalar Growth Area
The Macajalar growth area which is composed of the
province of Misamis Oriental, the highly urbanized city of Cagayan
de Oro and its component city of Gingoog has an approximate land area
of 357,010 hectares and a total population of 1.126 million as of
2000. The entire area enjoys a relatively favorable typhoon free climate;
availability of alienable and disposable lands suitable for agricultural
production and the establishment of light, medium and heavy industries.
The province is strategically located in the northern
coast of Mindanao island directly facing the Visayas and is 491 miles
away from Manila. The main entrance to the province, Cagayan de Oro
City which serves both as the provincial and regional capital, is
connected to the other regions of Mindanao through a network of roads
and is the major link between the island and the rest of the country
through its airport and seaports.
Owing to its strategic location and the presence of
the 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO)
which is the largest in the country, the province is identified as
the Regional Industrial Center (RIC). As it hosts much of the industrial
capital and investments in the bi-polar industrial corridor, the province
and will play a key role in turning the region into the leading industrial
center of Mindanao.
Further, the area will be the bigger beneficiary as
the region positions itself to be a major transshipment hub and trading
center. Cagayan de Oro City is seen to become a metropolitan city
and will be the center of services catering to the industrial establishments
in the area. On the other hand, Gingoog City with its rich agricultural
resources and potentials for hydro-power will also develop to become
an agri-oriented and self-sustaining economy.
While the western part of the province, which form
part of the Cagayan Iligan Corridor, will be direct participants in
the industrialization program, the eastern part of the province will
provide complementing activities through the development of their
agriculture, fishery and tourism potentials. Activities of the various
integrated area development initiatives such as the Misamis Oriental
Eastern Towns (MISORET) and the Gingoog Bay Development Area (GBDA)
shall be sustained.
8.4 The Iligan-Iliana Bay Growth Area
The province of Lanao del Norte is the newest province
to be administratively under Northern Mindanao by virtue of Executive
Order No. 36, series of 2001. The province has a total area of 309,200
hectares , 48% of which are classified as forestlands. It has a generally
slightly rolling topography with low hills and gentle slopes traversed
by several rivers, the most important of which is the Agus River which
feeds the Maria Cristina Falls, a major source of hydroelectric power
for the Mindanao grid. Four rivers, the Maranding, Liangan, Maigo,
Quidalos-Butadon Rivers are vital sources of irrigation. In addition,
four lakes are found in major watershed areas - the Babuyan, Nunungan,
Dagianan and Talao Lakes.
The province is generally free from typhoons and has
a climate ideal for agriculture and aquaculture. Its alienable and
disposable lands which constitute 52 percent of the total area are
highly suitable to most agricultural crops.
Being the primary source of hydro-electric power for
the Mindanao grid, the province hosts a considerable number of industries
for which its lone City of Iligan is known as the Industrial City
of the South.
With its resources and advantages, the province is
considered as a major component in the industrialization of Region
X and will be the western pole of the bi-polar industrial corridor.
The city of Iligan will continue to house the medium to heavy industries
and will be the center of industrial development in this part of the
region.
Agricultural development shall be sustained in this
predominantly agricultural economy. Agri-industrialization shall be
thoroughly sustained by developing the areas of Kapatagan Valley,
Maigo, Magsaysay, Bacolod, Baloi, Pantao Ragat, Tagoloan and Munai.
To improve productivity, agri-processing centers shall be established
such as the Metro Iligan Regional Agri-Industrial Center (MIRAIC)
which shall be established in Linamon. Supporting this is the implementation
of a package of off-site infrastructure outlined in the Metro Iligan
Regional Infrastructure Development Program (MIRIDP) such as provincial
roads construction, integrated area development and human resource
development.
Eco-tourism activities shall be pursued in areas of
great potentials while preserving the critical eco-systems. Tubod
shall continue to be the institutional and service center while eco-tourism
shall be heightened in Sultan Naga Dimaporo (SND)-Nunungan, Baloi-Linamon
and Tubod Magsaysay.
Considering that ecology consciousness is one of the
key elements exemplifying its development, the towns of Magsaysay,
Tubod, Munai, Tangkal, and Nunungan are classified protected; areas
while Sapad, Salvador, Maigo, Poona Piagapo and Mandulog shall be
production forests.
8.5 Panguil Bay Sub-region, The Region's Fisheries
and Alternate Tourism Zone
Misamis Occidental which is located in the northwestern
part of Region 10 is composed of 14 municipalities and the cities
of Oroquieta (the provincial capital), Ozamis and Tangub. It comprises
a total area of 193,932 hectares, 65.98% (127,925.54 hectares) of
which are alienable and disposable; and the rest are classified as
forestlands. As of the 2000 census, the province has a total population
of 486,723 growing by an average annual rate 2.3% from 1990.
The province has varied ecological systems (coastal
plains, wetland/coastal areas, forestlands). It has a generally sloping
terrain towards the Malindang Mountain Range which is a major watershed
forest reserve. The low flatlands along the coastal areas are primary
ricelands. Large fish ponds are also located along these areas particularly
in the municipalities of Baliangao, Plaridel, Lopez Jaena, Sinacaban,
Bonifacio and Tangub City.
With its rich bays such as the Panguil Bay, Murcillagos
Bay in Baliangao, Casul Bay in Sapang Dalaga, and Looc Bay in Plaridel
which are best for the breeding of aquaculture products such as prawns,
crabs and bangus. The province is expected to emerge as the major
aquaculture producer providing the raw materials for the processing
centers of the region.
Owing to its pristine beauty, the Malindang mountain
range, which is a critical watershed and a national park and protected
area, can be developed and turned into a major eco-tourist attraction
while preserving its rich bio-diversity.
Agricultural development could focus on diversified
crop production to improve production in the predominantly coconut
producing areas. The growing domestic and international demand for
high value crops such as durian, chinese pomelo, mango, rambutan and
lanzones is one of the opportunities that could bring about improvement
in farm incomes.
The city of Oroquieta, which is the provincial
capital, will serve as a development catalyst being the center of
governance, while Ozamiz City will retain its role as the commercial
center and economic capital of the province, and the City of Tangub
will be developed as an education, tourism and livelihood center.
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