Development and Infrastructure in General Santos/SOSKSARGEN

Power
The Mindanao Grid of the National Power Corporation supplies the areas power requirements through two electric cooperatives, SOCOTECO 1 and SOCOTECO 2. The grid has a total capacity of 1,053 MW as of 1991. Additional capacity outlined in the Napocor's Indicative 1991 Power Development Program (PDP) will total some 1,560 MW during the period 1991 to 2005, which indicates that "for medium demand scenario," there will be firm energy surpluses through 1999. The existing 100-MW facility for SOSKSARGEN has undergone upgrading. The private sector has set-ground to augment this with a 50-MW installation, specifically for General Santos City.

Road Network
Two main arteries, the General Santos-Koronadal-Cotabato City National Highway and the General Santos -Digos-Davao National Highway, link SOSKSARGEN with the rest of Mindanao. A third major road provides access to the Allah Valley, a major agricultural area. This road intersects the General Santos-Koronadal Highway at Tacurong and Koronadal looping through Kolambog and Surallah. A system of secondary roads connects the agricultural areas to the major roads.

Trade and commodity flows with major destinations in Asia run through maritime facilities. Flows within Mindanao and SOSKSARGEN are mainly overland using an extensive road network to urban centers, processing plants and transshipment ports.

Airport
The new international standard airport on a 600 hectare site in General Santos provides businessmen convenient flight schedules to their home offices and markets abroad. The new airport (3,200 m. runway), which is capable of handling Airbus 300 and other wide bodied jets like Boeing 747's, puts SOSKSARGEN's fresh agricultural and fish products within 3 to 4 hours flying time to almost all the key cities of Asia. Flight arrival and departure times are available.

Sea Ports
SOSKSARGEN has three government ports and four private ports. The government-owned, 561 M. Makar Wharf in General Santos has the most number of shipcalls. It has been expanded by 151 meters for better capacity; the storage and container yard extended to 31,843 square meters equipped with modern container handling facilities. It has provisions for a 10,580 square meter livestock holding and handling terminal and adequate refrigeration capabilities. The four private ports are owned by large agribusiness firms and multinational corporations. About 37 percent of total cargo is handled by the private ports, 63 percent by the government owned Makar Wharf. Total cargo throughput has increased steadily at a rate of 6 percent annually.

Fish Port
The General Santos City Fish Port, another world class by international standards, accords fleets fishing in the Solomon Seas a 750-meter quay; a 300-meter wharf for 2,000 GT reffer carriers; and refrigeration facilities consisting of a 1,500 cold storage capacity, a 60 tons/day ice plant, brine, air blast and contact freezers. With the new fishing port, boats that used to unload at distant ports can now unload here and return to the fishing grounds faster, thus realizing huge savings.

Telecommunications
National and international direct dial (IDD), satellite and computer-aided communications and cellular phone services are available in the area. As the SOSKSARGEN market grows and economic activities increase, so will its demand for telecommunications as a worthy member of a global village. Internet access is also available in General Santos City through a number of ISP's and public internet access is available through FB NET, the City's premier Internet Provider.

Irrigation
The Growth Area has a total potential irrigable area of about 100,120 hectares, 39 percent of which are served by government facilities, the National Irrigation Systems (NIS) and the Communal Irrigation Systems (CIS), and some 12 percent private systems owned by large agribusiness ventures. Currently operating in the Area are 5 NIS - the Silway-Buayan River Irrigation System (RIS), the Marbel No. 1 RIS - and 29 CIS.

Water Systems
The area uses a combinations of water supply systems: individual wells and spring cisterns (Level I) communal faucets (Level II) and integrated supply system with individual household connections (Level III).

Copyright 2001, Robert C. Martin