GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Sept 20 Asia Pulse - The Sarangani governor said theyare expecting the visit next month of investors from neighboring Sabah ledby the Malaysian industry minister.

Governor Miguel Dominguez said the upcoming visit is a result of aweek-long trade mission that he and a group of businessmen did in KotaKinabalu in Malaysia early this month.

The governor and his party left for Sabah at their own expense afterPresident Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued an administrative order banningforeign travels by government officials.

Dominguez said there are bright prospects for trading between Saranganiand Sabah.

He bared that the Industrial Minister of Malaysia would be coming overnext month to look into the possibility of setting up a palm oilplantation in Sarangani.

An advance party for that visit of the Malaysian official would arrive endof this month.

The young governor said that the province could easily offer 10,000hectares of land in the towns of Maitum and Kiamba for palm oil.

The governor also disclosed that this city stands to gain from theparticipation of Sarangani and Sulu provincial governments in the justconcluded Sabah International Expo 2004 as fisheries cooperation betweenMalaysia and General Santos is due to be set up in Sabah within the month.

Some tuna cannery owners in this city have reportedly expressed interestin setting up canning facilities in Sabah.

One area where Dominguez expressed interest is a tourism tie up betweenKota Kinabalu and Sarangani. "Sabah alone attracts 1.2 million touristsevery year," he said.

He said Sarangani could easily develop its tourist spot potentials to gaina share of that tourism market.

"While tourism in the province may yet be in its infancy, some of itsamenities can rival those elsewhere in the country," Dominguez said.

Only Sarangani and Sulu attended and set up a booth at the SabahInternational Expo after their delegation decided to push through with thetrip despite the travel ban order.

Dominguez told reporters the Philippines had to give up at least sevenbooths after Malacaang disapproved the travel request of other delegationsfrom the Philippines.

The governor was accompanied in the Sabah trip by Maitum town Mayor GeorgeYabes, Sarangani board member Rommel Falgui and businessmen Domingo Teng,Rodrigo Rivera Jr., Erwin Garcia, Florentina Aquino, Rey Millan andseveral other businessmen from this city.

(PNA)