COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) in partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) currently hold a three-day workshop on Mapping of Plans, Programs, Activities and Projects (PPAPs) for the Bangsamoro Food Sufficiency Task Force (BFSTF) today, October 6, 2020 until October 8, 2020 taking place at the 3rd Floor BPDA Conference Room, Bangsamoro Government Center, this city.
The workshop covers the topics on the identification of PPAPs related to food security and its areas of collaboration and convergence.
BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin Ali cited that based on records, the need is high to carefully coordinate, rationalize, monitor, and assess the interventions of the concerned ministries to ensure a holistic approach to achieve regional food security.
“There must be a convergence, synergy of efforts, and assistance from different ministries, agencies, and offices in the BARMM, in order to attain food self-sufficiency for the Bangsamoro. This is one of the reasons why this task force was created and these trainings were organized,” Ali stressed.
Engr. Esmail Guiamel conveyed the message of support from the MAFAR Minister Mohammad S. Yacob.
“We in MAFAR, our support is always with the WFP, BPDA, and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) in working with our plans, as well as its implementation and monitoring,” a part of Yacob’s message.
MAFAR emphasized that together with BPDA, they are committed to leading the task force as chair of the BFSTF by virtue of Executive Order No. 005, establishing the Bangsamoro Food Sufficiency Task Force (BFSTF).
“We will be hoping that this three-day workshop will attend to the objective that could contribute to the food sufficiency and security for the Bangsamoro,” Guiamel said.
Mishael Argonza, WFP sub-office head for Cotabato City, expressed his support and trust in the Bangsamoro Government’s commitment to ensure adequate food supply in the Bangsamoro region.
“Our agency promotes sustainable development programs. Thus, WFP is with BARMM in attaining a self-reliant and food secured Bangsamoro. I have faith in the Bangsamoro Government. I must say, a new government is a new hope,” Argonza said.
Furthermore, the workshop aims to conduct inventory PPAPs of the ten (10) concerned ministries in the 1st Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) 2020-2022 related to food security and to analyze these identified PPAPs according to their interconnectedness and interrelation to come up with a consolidated Food Security Convergence Program in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Ministries and offices in attendance were MAFAR, BPDA, Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), Ministry Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism (MTIT), Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management (MFBM) and the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM). Meanwhile, the launching of the Food Security and Nutrition Roadmap is scheduled on October 16, 2020. (Lovella Lao-Lastimosa, IKMD, BPDA-BARMM)