By Bonita Ermac ILIGAN CITY – Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. brought a top official of a government financial institution, a private investor, as well as non-government organization (NGO) to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Camp Bilal to discuss economic opportunities last Saturday. Galvez accompanied Emmanuel G. Herbosa, president of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and businessman John Perrine, a long-time agri-business investor in Mindanao, and Reynaldo Antonio D. Laguda execu­tive director of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) to meet MILF commander Hadji Abdullah G. Maka­paar, a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), to explore the possibility of establishing an abaca plantation in the camp. “We are bringing in a banker, an investor, and developmental NGO to help develop these communities into productive agricultural areas. This is part of our measures to fast-track the implementation of camp transforma­tion, which is under the normalization track of the peace agreement,” Galvez said. The Annex on Normalization, which is largely focused on the decommission­ing of MILF combatants and weapons, also covers the rehabilitation and trans­formation of MILF camps into peaceful and resilient communities. Herbosa took advantage of the visit to discuss the DBP’s program to help finance agricultural production with residents, while Perrine expressed his company’s interest to go into abaca production in farm areas within the camp. Laguda committed to mobilize re­sources from the business community to help transform the camp. During the visit, the group par­ticipated in the regular meeting of base commanders and residents under the MILF North Western Mindanao Front to explain to them the normalization process. Quoting Makapaar, Galvez said the MILF commander was “very happy” for the visit, saying the meeting is an indication of “genuine partnership” among the government, the MILF and private sector.