Davao City (7 October) -- Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza assured housing developers of the country when he spoke to them during their national convention held in Davao City this week that business as usual in the island despite the current impasse of the peace talks.

"It is not true that Mindanao is back at war again we continue to search for acceptable formula. It is just a process problem and not a breakdown of the peace negotiation," he said.

Dureza who spoke on "East Asia Growth Area Development and Housing said Mindanao is being package as an agri-industry hub, with the availability of choice residential areas and soon to be the retirement haven not only for Filipinos but retiring foreign nationals.

Going towards that direction he said the government has started firming up infrastructure projects.

He said rehabilitation and improvement of airports and other ports in the different points of Mindanao will take off by 2006 with funding cost of P5.654 billion.

This will fund the Cagayan de Oro Port of P181 million to be implemented in 2006 to 2007, Laguindingan Airport, P5.386 million (2006-2007), Dipolog Airport, P731 million (2006-2007), Ozamis Airport, P86 million (2006-2007), Zamboanga Airport, P257 million (2006-2008), Pagadian Airport, P517 million (2006-2009), Cotabato Airport, P2.565 billion (2006-2009), and Butuan Airport, P1.312 billion (2006-2009).

Under roads and bridges, a total of P12.746 billion has been programmed to fund the Hawilan-Salug-Sinakungan Barangay Road at P90 million with expected completion in 2007. Other projects include; Panguil barangay bridge, P2.7 billion (2006-2010), Sibuco-Sirawai-Siocon-Baliguian Road, P898 million (2006-2009), Mindanao road improvement project, P1.078 billion (2006-2011), Awang-Upi-Lebak-Kalamansig Road, P2.065 billion (2006-2009), Surigao-Davao Oriental Coastal Road, P5.815 billion (2006-2010), Dinagat Island Road Network, P100 million (2006-2009).

The agri-support projects in Mindanao costing P18.198 billion will be for irrigation projects with P2.4 billion per year for four years to be implemented between 2006 to 2010, farm to market roads, P2.4 billion per year also four years implementation (2006-2010), Malaig irrigation project, P375 million (2006-2010), Kabulnan irrigation project

Phase 2 (Maganoy Dam 3), P4.299 billion and the Davao Food Exchange Complex of P584 million (2007-2010).

Dureza also said that on top of the existing air linkages new routes has opened starting this year from Davao to Bandar Seri Begawan, Kota Kinabalu (KK), Zamboanga to Sendakan to KK, Puerto Prinsea to KK.

There will also be new links for sea transport with the maiden voyage on October 2006 of the Glan-Talnum-Bitung Route via MV Aljarar and the other maiden voyage in November 2006 of Boorks Point to Kota Kinabalu via MV Weesan.