GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), are currently spearheading the three-day refinement and finalization workshop on the draft Bangsamoro Food Security and Nutrition Plan (BFSNP) which started on Wednesday until Friday, March 16-18, 2021 in this city.
The workshop aims to refine and finalize the draft Plan including its result matrix and investment program for endorsement of the Bangsamoro Food Security Task Force (BFSTF) and adoption of the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC).
The said task force being chaired by MAFAR Minister Mohammad S. Yacob and vice-chaired by BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali, leads the formulation of the said plan that will serve as blueprint on how the Bangsamoro government shall ensure achieving self-reliant, food-secured, and resilient region with prosperous farmers and fisherfolks.
In his message, Yacob underscored that the issue on food security is one of the top priorities of the Bangsamoro Government. Being true to the commitment, the Chief Minister created the said task force.
โWe have at least three (3) more years of extension, we are lucky enough na nabigyan po tayo ng chance to continue developing our food security roadmap. Ngayon, not just a roadmap, kung ma-approve ng BEDC, itโs really a plan for the food security,โ he stressed.
Meanwhile, Ali stated that based on the 2019 survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), around 34.7% of the total households in the BARMM suffers from moderate food insecurity saying โThis food crisis in the BARMM is a wake-up call for tomorrow.โ
Ali also emphasized that the region will continuously experience this food crisis due to underlying problems, unless the Bangsamoro government begins to act now.
โThat is why we are here today to really deepen the analysis on the root causes of the food insecurity in the region and incorporate into the 5-year food security and nutrition plan for the BARMM,โ he added.
Furthermore, Rohanisah Rashid, Chief of BPDAโs Economic Planning Division EPD) and leading the technical secretariat of the task force, presented the second draft of the plan based on the previously conducted workshop in November 2021. The outputs from the sectors of governance, economic, social, and infrastructure have been consolidated and refined by the pool of writers from the BPDA.
During sectoral breakout and writeshop, each sector reviewed and refined the socioeconomic trends, challenges, and opportunities on food security; filled up data gaps, narrative analysis, and their agencyโs accomplishment report related to food security; revalidated the draft overall plan framework; and added narrative description of strategies.
Melanie Indar, Director I of BPDAโs Planning and Policies Bureau (PPB), reminded all sectors to complete all the parts and sections of the plan based on the agreed outline.
โConcentrate on content editing and not on style editing,โ she said.
To further improve food security and nutrition in the region, Mishael Argonza, head of WFP Cotabato Sub-Office, recommended that the task force should look into the pillars of food security as basis on how to plan based on their mandates.
โUna is availability, pangalawa is accessibility, pangatlo is utilization. Paano natin titingnan ito para ma-consume ng mga tao, and then all of these three pillars should be stable,โ he stressed.
In terms of stabilizing the issues on food and nutrition insecurity, Argonza urged everyone to collaborate with each other to promote social cohesion both vertical and horizontal at all levels.
โTingnan natin ang mandato ng bawat isa, bawat ahensya, para paano natin idugtong iyong mga programa natin para makamtan iyong food-secure and self-reliant Bangsamoro as a vision that was stated and articulated under the Bangsamoro Food Security and Nutrition Plan and Roadmap,โ he explained.
BFSTFโs member ministries who are also engaged in this initiative are the Ministries of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), Public Works (MPW), Interior and Local Government (MILG), Social Services and Development (MSSD), Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), Health (MOH), Finance and Budget and Management (MFBM), Trade, Investment and Tourism (MTIT), Science and Technology (MOST), Labor and Employment (MOLE), Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Indigenous Peopleโs Affair (MIPA), Technical Management Service – Office of the Chief Minister (TMS-OCM), Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), National Nutrition Council (NNC-BARMM), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA-BARMM), and Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA).
Moreover, the pool of writers from BPDA shall consolidate and review the additional technical inputs from the four sectors to identify necessary data to be included in the final draft of the Bangsamoro Food Security and Nutrition Plan. (BPDA-BARMM)