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June 18, 2010 The local government of Mati City, Davao Oriental has envisioned making their locality the next Hong Kong or Singapore in the Philippines in the next 25 years.
Mati City Councilor Rey Oliveros, chairmanof the committees ontourism and peace and order of the City Council, said the local government, led by Mati Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat, has already laid down the groundwork for this vision starting with the creation of a Mati Baywalk that will be comparable to the baywalk along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.
Oliveros said the city has also just completed the multi-million peso expansion of the Mati wharf, capable of serving transnational ships that transport agricultural products of Mati and its neighboring towns and provinces and to anywhere in the world.
He said their city also has a long existing airport that could cater to medium-sized planes.
Oliveros said a plan of expanding the airport to accommodate big planes is also in their priority.
“At present, Mati City has all the indications of becoming the rural-type of Singapore or Hong Kong in the next 25 years. We also aim at making Mati City not just the center of tourism in the Davao Region but also the central hub of exporting agricultural products from Southern Mindanao to the world,” he said.
Oliveros also said that since it will take some time for them to fully achieve this, at the moment, the city government is already investing on the younger generation that will soon become the leaders of the city.
“We now have free elementary education for everyone with the city government subsidizing the school needs of the children.
This way, we can prepare them to be good leaders in the near future,” Oliveros said.
He assured local and foreign tourists that Mati City remains relatively peaceful despite the occurrences of encounters between soldiers and rebels in nearby areas.
Oliveros cited the Best Rural Police Precinct Award received by the Mati City Police Station as an indication of its strong thrust against all forms ofcriminal activities.
He said Mati City offers alternative tourist destinations in Davao Region.
Mati City is home to the Philippine Eagle Sanctuary and the Mt. Hamiguitan Natural Park where decade-old bonsai plants grow in what they call as the Pygmy Forest.
The Pujada Bay is also declared as a marine sanctuary by the national government.
Mati City is also celebrating its 7th Pujada Bay Festival from June 12 to June 19.