LAMITAN CITY, BASILAN — As one of the contributors to the ongoing formulation of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) for 2023-2028, the officials and representatives from the city government of Lamitan along with its constituent barangays, joined the consultation-workshop for the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan for 2023-2028, conducted today, October 14 by the five sectoral committees of the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC) through Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), to share relevant information and recommend initiatives that are essential for this cityโs development and contributory to the overall growth of the Bangsamoro region.
In partnership with the Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said activity held at Lamitan City Gymnasium aimed to solicit inputs and recommendations from the city and barangay LGUs including the cityโs line agencies and offices.
The delegates from the said Lamitan City LGU and its barangays was led by Administrator Ma. Florencia Candelaria C. Bisal, who represented Mayor Roderick Furigay.
Bisal underscored that the realization of the Bangsamoro peopleโs aspirations lie on the collective efforts of all local government units including its people, partners, and commitment on their contribution in the ongoing formulation of the 2nd BDP.
โWe are hopeful that we can come up with a BDP that is concrete, inclusive, and reflects the pillars and principles of Islamic and moral governance which is ultimately our end goal for BARMM,โ she said.
In his message, BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali said that the participants will be assisted by the technical secretariats of the five BEDC sectoral committees in the identification of the Lamitan Cityโs potentials and opportunities, functional roles, challenges, and proposed strategies for the identified challenges.
โDuring our workshop, you may approach the technical secretariats of these five sectors as they will facilitate the collection and integration of your workshop outputs that will serve as inputs of your respective sectors to the 2nd BDP,โ
With the guidance of two workshop facilitators, Maria Victoria Z. Maglana and Eric John A. Matela, various potentials, opportunities, and challenges were identified by the participants in the sectors of governance, peace and security, social, economic, and infrastructure.
Some of the identified potentials and opportunities that contribute to the cityโs socio-economic development are the strong presence of law enforcement agencies including Maritime Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Highway Patrol Group, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines; good coordination and linkage between the city and barangay LGUs; functional seaport; interconnected barangays; rich agri-fisheries industry including rubber, coconuts, coffee, cacao, and aquamarine resources; sand and gravel resources; existing eco-tourism parks; and trading opportunities in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
Moreover, the unstable power supply, inadequate information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructures causing poor internet connectivity, insufficient post-harvest facilities, limited access to potable water, existing cases of โRidoโ or family feud, perennial flooding in urban areas, insufficient school and transportation facilities, and limited tourist arrival due to peace and order condition in the city are some of the challenges confronting the said LGU.
This consultation is the seventh leg of region-wide consultation on the formulation of the said development plan. (Mary Lovella Lao-Lastimosa, BPDA-BARMM)
