COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC) in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and The Asia Foundation (TAF), officially kicked off on Wednesday, May 18 the three-day formulation workshop of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) for 2023-2028 held at the Acacia Hotel, Davao City.
Said workshop aims to achieve a common understanding and appreciation of the planโs formulation process; ensure alignment of the plan to the BARMM Enhanced 12-Point Priority Agenda; and to reach an agreement among sectoral committees on sectoral goals, objectives, strategies and programs, projects and activities.
BARMM Chief Minister and BEDC Chairperson Ahod B. Ebrahim together with BPDA Director General and BEDC vice-chairperson Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali, who also heads the technical secretariat, led the formulation workshop through its sectoral committees, which include the Development Administration Committee (DACom), Peace, Public Order, Safety and Security Committee (PPOSSCom), Social Development Committee (SDCOm), Economic Development Committee (EDCom), and Infrastructure Development Committee (IDCom).
In his message, CM Ebrahim announced the jumpstart of the planโs formulation process to sustain the gains and pursue the development direction, priorities, and strategies outlined in the 1st BDP 2020-2022.
โWe should continue to carefully plan for our regionโs development, taking into consideration the ecological balance and the natural resources that are available to use and for the use of the future generations, as well as mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,โ CM Ebrahim stressed.
The Chief Minister also emphasized that the Bangsamoro Government will still promote the effective use of economic resources and endeavor to attain economic development that facilitates growth and full employment, human development, and social justice.
The formulation of the 2nd BDP shall be consistent and aligned with the recently approved Enhanced 12-Point Priority Agenda of the BARMM and national development thrusts and priorities.
Said plan shall also ensure horizontal and vertical alignment and integration of plans and priorities addressing pressing issues at the local levels, the mainstreaming of gender, disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation (DRR-CCA), and other cross cutting concerns.
With the continuous threat of COVID-19 pandemic and the โnew normalโ, the plan shall also integrate development priorities and interventions as stipulated in the Bangsamoro Response and
Recovery Plan (BRRP) to sustain the development efforts, facilitate recovery from the effects of the pandemic, and ensure resiliency of the regionโs populace to possible threats caused by emerging or reemerging infectious diseases.
Moreover, DG Ali underscored that the BPDA has facilitated various activities since January 2022 such as sectoral committee meetings, assessment of the BARMM 12-Point Priority Agenda and 1st Bangsamoro Development Plan 2020-2022 with the BARMM Cabinet Members, and BPDAโs in-house review and assessment workshops.
โThe next three days will be very crucial, but rest assured that the BPDA will continuously provide technical support and guidance to all sectoral committees in crafting this development plan,โ DG Ali emphasized.
Ever J. Abasolo, resource person and consultant of JICA and TAF, said the sectoral committees should revisit, consolidate, and integrate the SWOT-PESTLE results in Dusit Thani and the Problem Tree results in Acacia Hotel, both conducted in January and February 2022, respectively.
In line with the activity, Abasolo instructed the participants to write a comprehensive narrative or story of their sectors with a headline, โTell us a story of each sub-sectorโ.
After which, Abasolo presented the assessment dimensions and stages as preparatory work for the 2nd BDP and assessment of the sectoral contexts.
The remaining two days of the workshop shall be allotted in assessing and updating sectoral goals, objectives, strategies, and the programs, projects and activities (PPAs) for the 2nd BDP.
Meanwhile, the issuance of Memorandum Order No. 0092 series of 2022 by CM Ebrahim triggered the formulation of the 2nd BDP, which directs the ministries, offices, and agencies of the BARMM to prioritize, support, and actively participate in the formulation of the said plan and its accompanying documents. (BPDA-BARMM)