COTABATO CITY — Forty-six (46) barangays from the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) participated during a one-day consultation-workshop for the formulation of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) held today, October 08, 2022 with the sectoral committees of the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC) through the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA).
Said consultation aimed to present the draft 2nd BDP to the officials and representatives from SGA, and to solicit comments and inputs and integrate it in the said development plan.
BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali emphasized the importance of conducting consultations with the Bangsamoro stakeholders, saying โAng consultation ay isa sa mga pangunahing proseso sa pagbabalangkas ng 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan para sa taong 2023 hanggang 2028.โ
In his presentation of the salient features of the draft 2nd BDP, DG Ali underscored the regional trends and prospects for development including the macro-economic performance, development challenges and gaps, development opportunities; functional roles of the SGA; proposed overall development framework of the 2nd BDP; and the planโs proposed chapter outline.
Moreover, the delegates from 46 barangay local government units were led by SGA Administrator Butch P. Malang, along with SGA Federation President Johan Sinarimbo.
Sinarimbo presented the โArea Development Planโ of the SGA, highlighting the said areaโs profiles on terrain, geography, land resources, economic resources, enterprises, and livelihood.
Among the identified common development concerns in the SGA include poor farm productivity and profitability, health and nutrition, perennial flooding in the communities, unstable peace and order, limited transportation and connectivity, poor solid waste management practices, lack of support for intra-regional policy coordination, and absence of governance mechanisms.
During the workshop facilitated by Maria Victoria Z. Maglana and Eric John Matela, the participants worked with BEDCโs five sectoral committees to contribute their inputs and recommendations in addressing identified gaps and challenges, as well as the needed interventions for the SGA.
Meanwhile, this activity is in partnership with the Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (Mary Lovella Lao-Lastimosa, BPDA-BARMM)
