Resolve row in Mindanao, urges US envoy

US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg. AFP FILE PHOTO

The Mamasapano incident in Mindanao should be resolved at the soonest possible time as this might discourage foreign investments in the country, according to US Ambassador Philip Goldberg.

Goldberg made the statement in a regional media forum at the US Embassy in Manila last week. The forum, attended by 20 media persons from across the country, was a run-up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting which the Philippines will host in November.

According to Goldberg, the incident in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, is a concern that should be addressed with urgency as this would affect the confidence of foreign businesses that seek to invest in the Philippines.

Asked what would be the economic implication of the Mamasapano incident, Goldberg said: “I support the move of the government to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law. This will bring peace and development to the area. Although peace and development are a complicated process because this situation is like a ‘chicken and egg’ assumption, which comes first, peace or development?”

Goldberg said the Apec meeting would serve as a forum, where leaders of 21 countries would meet and pass council resolutions, that would improve trade and investments among member-nations, including the Philippines.