Some PHP408 million worth of development projects and interventions have been allotted for Mindanao.

This was reported by officials of donor agencies during the ‘Development Partner’s Meeting’ held at the office of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) on Tuesday here, MinDa said in a press statement on Thursday.

According to MinDa, the donor agencies that joined the meeting included the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Food Programme (WFP), the European Union (EU), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The officials of the donor agencies provided updates on their Mindanao-oriented country programs and contributory projects focusing on economic, infrastructure, social, governance, and environment, MinDA said.

MinDA chairman, Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol lauded the donor agencies for the development assistance for Mindanao during the meeting, where MinDA presented its thrusts and priorities anchored on peace, prosperity, and poverty reduction.

“These initiatives from our development partners will help realize and achieve our vision of a peaceful, prosperous, and poverty-free Mindanao,” Piñol said.

Piñol assured that MinDA will collaborate with the donor agencies in capacity-building on governance in support of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

‘We will also interface with the donor agencies for projects on water, ecosystem management, energy, and human security,” he said.

Piñol said he wants to closely interface with the agencies in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of ODA projects using a results-based reporting system.

He recommends the inclusion of the Confederation of Provincial Governors, City Mayors and Municipal Mayors Leagues of Mindanao (CONFED-Mindanao) in the updating of programs and projects.

“In this way, we get feedback on the updates as project status is reported,” he said.

He pointed out that under RA 9996, MinDA is mandated to facilitate and integrate Mindanao-wide, inter-regional and region-specific programs including Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects to accelerate the socio-economic development in Mindanao. (PNA)