Kidapawan launches ‘positive messages’ to help rebuild image

KIDAPAWAN CITY – The city of Kidapawan and towns in North Cotabato lost at least
P340 million of investment capital when the national highway here was paralyzed
after close to 6,000 farmers barricaded the roads for three days since March 31
this year, data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) showed.

Ferdinand
Cabiles of DTI-North Cotabato said they came up with such amount using the P17
million actual losses as basis.

In Kidapawan
City, at least 25 business establishments decided to close shops due to
‘heightened tension’ between riot policemen and the rallyists after the
protesters blocked roads connecting Cotabato to Davao and Makilala to Sultan
Kudarat province.

These stores,
data showed, lost at least P16.1 million in sales or revenues.

A trader,
according to Cabiles, failed to achieve its sales target and lost about half a
million pesos when his delivery trucks failed to travel to the other side of
the highway.

Contractual
employees and other workers lost an income of about P263,500, he said.

These
employees, more than a hundred of them, did not receive any pay because the
establishments they were working with were closed. And these workers have also families to
feed,” Cabiles explained.

An
establishment, also situated near the rally site, incurred damage of about
P118,500.

In terms of
business permits issued in 2015, the city has at least 31 percent share of the
total income of North Cotabato.

As to
transportation, the city has the most number of public transport vehicles
plying to nearby barangays, cities, towns, and provinces in Central Mindanao
region.

Considering
the scope, limitation, methodology, data, and information used and made
available, it is the conclusion of the report that the most likely economic
loss resulting from the protest rally was P340 million,” Cabiles said.

Aside from
this, the city is also reeling from the effects of ‘negative reports’ created
after the local riot police conducted on April 1 law enforcement operation to
clear the national highway of the protesters, according to city’s tourism
officer Joey Recemilla.

Bugbog-sarado
na kami sa mga lumalabas na reports.
Many of which were not true,” said Recemilla.

On Wednesday,
the city government --together with the religious, academe, indigenous peoples,
and business sectors, launched a campaign, which would help rebuild its image
and redeemed what was lost after the April 1 incident.

We launched
this campaign because all these negative reports have affected our tourism and
investment promotions activities,” he explained.

The campaign
needed a support, in particular, from the community.

Sinu-sino pa
ba ang magtutulungan kundi tayo na ring mga taga-Kidapawan, di ba?” he asked.

First, they
crafted posters based on information and suggestions they solicited from the
grassroots.

Second,
t-shirts that said, I Love Kidapawan”, We are for Peace and Prosperity”, and
other positive messages, have been distributed to different sectors.

Others have
sold t-shirts, fans, and other souvenir items.

We adopted
these messages, kasi, hindi ito nakakasakit ng kapwa. Hindi rin ito masakit sa tenga,” Recemilla
said.