COTABATO CITY โ The Infrastructure Development Sectoral Working Group (IDSWG) of the Bangsamoro International Development Assistance Committee (BIDAC), co-chaired by Public Works Minister Archโt. Eduard U. Guerra and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) senior representative Ide Soichiro, led the conduct of a two-day planning workshop held in this city on November 23-24, 2023.
The workshop was attended by at least 37 participants from different BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies (BMOAs) and the regionโs international development partners.
With the support of JICA, the workshop aimed to establish common understanding and functional relationship between IDSWG and BIDAC; the priorities, ongoing, and planned programs and activities of the BMOAs; collectively identify issues hindering coordination and cooperation between BMOAs and donors in the Infrastructure Sector; and formulate IDSWG Work Plan with clear tangible deliverables.
In his message, Engr. Danilo A. Ong, Bangsamoro Director General of the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) representing Minister Guerra, stressed that the planning workshop will strengthen collaboration between the Bangsamoro government and development partners.
โI appreciate the DPs for all their efforts on the infrastructure development, mostly on the infrastructure project in BARMM,โ the director general said.
Furthermore, the IDSWG, composed of 16 BMOAs and seven (7) international development partners, convened for its first meeting on May 23, 2023, in Cotabato City, which highlighted their agreement to formulate the first IDSWG Annual Work Plan through conducting a participatory planning workshop.
In attendance during the workshop were government representatives from the Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), Ministry of Indigenous Peoplesโ Affairs (MIPA), Office of the Senior Minister (OSM), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Ministry of Finance and Budget and Management (MFBM), Bangsamoro Information and Communications Technology Office (BICTO), and the Ministry of Health (MOH). Also present were BARMMโs international development partners, including JICA, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Bank (WB).
Moreover, the two-day workshop served as a platform in enhancing better communication and promoting collaboration between the international development partners and BMOAs, thereby enabling to achieve results-oriented performance and productivity. (๐๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ก๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ค-๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ. ๐ ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฎ / ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ผ-๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐)