Mindanao development agenda up in forum today

TOP officials of various government agencies are expected to arrive in Davao City today, Friday, to grace the 1st Mindanao Development Forum that will tackle issues concerning Mindanao's development thrust, climate change and the peace process.

They will be joined by at least 300 heads and representatives of various Official Development Assistance (ODA) offices including some members of the diplomatic community.

The forum is slated at Marco Polo Hotel Davao, starting at 8 a.m. today. It is set two days ahead of the annual Philippines Development Forum (PDF), which will be held in Mindanao for the first time, also at Marco Polo Hotel on February 4-5.

In a briefer, the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda), which organizes the event, said that the forum is expected to take on several issues, such as the impact of climate change and the proposed long-term measures; strengthening the foundations of peace and development under the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro; the role of Mindanao as the country's agribusiness hub, and the attainment of Millennium Development Goals targets.

"The MDF is a high-level multilateral meeting designed to provide the platform for dialogue and public discourse on Mindanao's development agenda," the briefer said.

All concerns raised during the MDF, particularly on Mindanao perspective in the overall national development direction, will be presented during the PDF for discussions.

Co-chaired by the World Bank (WB) and the Department of Finance (DOF), the PDF provides the venue for facilitating substantive policy dialogue among stakeholders on the country's development agenda.

It also serves as a process for developing consensus and generating commitments among different stakeholders toward critical actionable items of the government's reform agenda.

In today's forum, participants are also set to tackle concerns that are seen to influence the peace and development efforts including governance, ecosystems-based economy, justice, and peace and security.

Expected to speak at the forum are Sec. Luwalhati Antonino of Minda, Sec. Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority, Sec. Teresita Deles of the Office of the Presidential Assistance for Peace Process, Sec. Mary Ann Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission, Sec. Joel Rocamora, National Anti-Poverty Commission, and Usec. Austere Panadero of the Department of Interior and Local Government.