All set for Duterte's Maguindanao visit

BULUAN, Maguindanao--- Local officials are set to reassure President Rodrigo Duterte of their commitment to the Mindanao peace process during his first official sortie in the province today.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Thursday said security preparations are in place for Duterte’s first ever visit, as president, to Buluan, the capital of the province.
Besides a dialogue with local officials while in Buluan, Duterte will also lead the symbolic launching of a 4.5 megawatt biomass” renewable energy plant in the municipality at about 1 p.m. We want to tell the President that local officials in the province will support all his diplomatic maneuvers meant to address the Mindanao secessionist rebellion,” Mangudadatu said.Mangudadatu, who was reelected to a third term on May 9, 2016, said the chiefs of different divisions in his office in Buluan have organized a very simple reception rite for Duterte.He said the preparations were coordinated with the Presidential Management Staff and the Presidential Security Group. It will be a simple welcome program, but one that befits his stature as president,” Mangudadatu said.Duterte won overwhelmingly in Maguindanao, which has 36 towns, during the May 9 presidential race, defeating all his rivals with an irreversible vote lead.The biomass power plant Duterte is to inaugurate was established by the Mangudadatu clan.The facility was built for Buluan to have enough electricity for all public offices in a new provincial capitol building that is now being built in the center of the municipality.The power plant was repeatedly tested last week, operated using biodegradable fuels collected from nearby oil palm and coconut plantations