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Armed with vision and determination, Sarangani
pulls all stops to compete in a market in search of fresh ideas
and new opportunities.
White beaches. Commercial plantations. Mangrove
forests. Aqua-marine farms. An entrepreneurial private sector.
A business-friendly local government.
All these and more are the pride of Sarangani,
a province whose 411,713 residents reflect the diversity and
abundance of Mindanaoan culture: Cebuanos and Illongos, B’laan
and T’boli, Ilocanos, Tagakaolo and Kalagan, Manobo and
Ubo, as well as Muslims.
Strategically located at the southernmost tip
of Mindanao, the province is protected by the resource-rich
Sarangani Bay. Beyond this is the Celebes Sea, which is the
province’s access to the rest of the world.
Bordered by over 230 kms. of unspoiled coastline,
Sarangani offers more than 4,400 sq. kms. of typhoon-free land
and marine resources, largely untapped tourism potentials, and
vast investment possibilities.
Coconut, corn, rice, banana, mango, durian,
rubber, and sugarcane are just some of the major crops now being
planted by the Sarangans. Other possibilities lie in a wide
range of commercial choices: industrial plantations (mango,
abaca, coffee, rubber, and rattan), agro-forestry (high-value
crops), light manufacturing and processing facilities, real
estate and housing, tourism, beach resorts, hotels and restaurants,
recreational facilities, port zone development, milling plants,
fruit production, processing of canned fruits and vegetables,
production of ornamental plants, furniture, trading, telecommunications,
mining, and aquaculture.
Sarangani’s favorable investment climate
is manifested by the large plantations (mango, banana, pineapple,
asparagus), cattle ranches, and commercial fishponds that have
been operating in the area, some of which having existed as
far back as 40 years.
Businesses locating in the province are assured
of stable power and water supply. Electricity comes from the
National Power Corporation, and augmented by a 50 mw power plant
in Alabel, the province’s capital. Water is provided for
by sustainable spring development projects.
Sarangani is part of the South Cotabato-Sultan
Kudarat-Sarangani-Gen. Santos City (Socsksargen) development
cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport
and world-class fish port of Gen. Santos City. Good roads and
regular flights through Gen. Santos City allow the province
easy access to Manila, Cebu, Davao City, as well as the rest
of the Socsksargen areas. Gen. Santos City’s airport,
which maintains the country’s longest runway, services
regular flights to Manado, Indonesia.
The province is situated as the country’s
major gateway to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines
- East Asean Growth Area. With its proximity to its regional
counterparts, Sarangani is in a unique position to marshal its
resources, entice tourists and investors, and compete in an
international market under a borderless trade regime.
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