COTABATO CITY โ Officials and members of the Economic Development Committee (EDCom), a sectoral committee under the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC), convened on Monday, December 4, for its third special meeting to discuss urgent matters concerning the regionโs economic sector.
Trade, Investments and Tourism Minister Abu Amri Taddik, the committee vice chairperson presided the meeting representing Mohammad S. Yacob, the committee chairperson and minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), together with Rohanisah N. Rashid, chief of the Economic Planning Division representing BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali, MNSA, the committee co-chairperson and head of the technical secretariat.
In her opening statement, Chief Rashid said that despite the absence of Minister Yacob, a special meeting was called upon the request of the MTIT to discuss urgent matters needing the immediate action of the committee. She further stressed that all the agreement made during the meeting will be formally adopted by the committee in the upcoming fourth regular meeting tentatively scheduled on December 11, 2023 at MAFAR Regional Office. Chief Rashid also underscored the importance of the committeeโs adoption on the Bangsamoro Development Policy Research Agenda (BDPRA) as one of the accompanying documents of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) 2023-2028.
Meanwhile, the final draft of the BDPRA was presented by Janaima Ebrahim and Aeda Masbud, both from BPDA. The said document was adopted by the committee subject for comments and final inputs from the concerned Bangsamoro ministries, offices, and agencies (BMOAs).
Julie Pearl Brion, a consultant from JPBS firm, presented via Zoom the formulation process in crafting the Bangsamoro Tourism Development Plan (BTDP) 2024-2033. Following her presentation, the committee agreed to present the highlights and salient features of the said plan in the upcoming 4th regular meeting, incorporating all the comments and recommendations of its committee members.
In light of the recent bombing incident inside the campus of the Mindanao State University in Marawi City yesterday, December 3, the committee expressed their support to the statement of BARMM Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim condemning the group behind this heinous act.
Moreover, the committee also issued a resolution encouraging BMOAs to hold their future activities in Marawi City to reassure other communities outside BARMM that the bombing incident is an isolated case.
Also in attendance during the meeting are representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-BARMM), Ministry of Finance and Budget and Management (MFBM), Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), and the Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBOI). The Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), and the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH) were also invited in recognition of their relevant roles and functions in the formulation of the BTDP. (๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ก๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ค-๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ / ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ผ-๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐)