COTABATO CITY โ The Economic Development Committee (EDCom), one of the five sectoral committees of the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC), held a special meeting Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, to discuss the committeeโs preparation for the upcoming week-long celebration of the fourth Bangsamoro foundation day.
Mohammad S. Yacob, EDCom chairperson and minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), presided the said meeting, together with Rohanisah N. Rashid, Chief of Economic Planning Division, as representative of Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali, EDCom co-chairperson, head of technical secretariat, and Director General of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA). Rosslaini Alonto-Sinarimbo, Director General of the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT), also joined the meeting along with the other members of the committee.
Said meeting highlighted the conceptualization of the program of activities of the committee on January 22, 2023 as the lead convenor of the day during the week-long anniversary celebration of the fourth Bangsamoro foundation day. The EDCom is tasked to showcase the cultural diversity of the Maguindanaon tribe through its participation in cultural booth and food showcase competition.
Among the economic sector activities for the upcoming 4th Bangsamoro foundation day that was approved by the said committee are the following:
1) Distribution of agri-fishery inputs and land titles to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs);
2) Awarding of Government Internship program (GIP) by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE);
3) Turnover of packaging and labelling equipment/ machineries;
4) Distribution of checks for Bangsamoro Assistance for Science Education (BASE) and BASE merits;
5) Free business name registration;
6) Awarding of financial assistance for cooperatives;
7) Ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the implementation of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP);
8) Information dissemination on CFIDP-Philippine Coconut Authority (CFIDP-PCA);
9) Awarding of the certificate for international assistance partners;
10) Audio-visual presentation of all member ministries and offices of the committee; and
11) Maguindanao Cultural Exhibition including competitions on Kulintang, trivia, and Sayaw sa Ganding. Meanwhile, MAFAR will spearhead the EDComโs booth preparation along with the MTIT, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and Cooperatives and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA). MOST will further lead the cultural food showcase together with the MAFAR and MTIT. The โcommittee on day programโ will be led by MAFAR with the assistance of the BPDA, MTIT, MOST, and Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), while the MTIT together with MOLE and MAFAR will lead the committee on Kulintang competition including the preparation of guidelines, social media postings, and invitation for the judges in the said competition. (Mary Lovella Lao-Lastimosa with reports from Norodin Intia)
