COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) extended technical assistance to the Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority (BPA) during a meeting on Wednesday, December 14, to guide the latterโs technical personnel in formulating their inputs for the two accompanying documents of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan for 2023-2028, the Bangsamoro Development Investment Program (BDIP) and Result Matrices (RM).
The said meeting aimed to ensure the vertical alignment of the BPAโs inputs to BDIP and RM that will serve as implementing and monitoring tools for the programs, projects, and activities of the Bangsamoro government.
In her presentation, Khairon Sura, Planning Officer I of BPDAโs Social Planning Division, discussed the overall framework of the said plan, particularly on Chapter 6 โ Preserving and Promoting Bangsamoro Cultural Diversity, Beliefs, Heritage and Identity.
As written in the sixth chapter of the 2nd BDP, part of the priority programs in preserving and promoting the Islamic culture is the provision of assistance for the conduct of Hajj (obligatory pilgrimage) and Umrah (voluntary pilgrimage).
Section 24, Article IX of the Republic Act No. 11054, also known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), provides that the Bangsamoro government shall preserve the history, culture, arts traditions, and the rich cultural heritage of the Bangsamoro people and their Sultanates, such as those of Sulu, Maguindanao, Kabuntalan, Buayan, the Royal House of Ranao and of the Iranun, and the non-Moro indigenous peoples of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Moreover, Engr. Al-Kashmir Ko, Development Management Officer V of the BPA, stressed on the importance of BPAโs inputs in formulating the BDIP and RM. He also urged his colleagues to work hard for further enhancement of their inputs to the said documents. (Mary Lovella Lao-Lastimosa with reports from Norodin Intia, BPDA-BARMM)
