More ODA pledges for Mindanao eyed

MINDANAO has now been placed in the radar of foreign countries extending Official Development Assistance (ODA) after it hosted the 2013 Philippines Development Forum (PDF) which was attended by development partners and ODA providers.

"This is the beauty of holding the conference here because the ODA partners now get a feel of Mindanao," Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said.

While the stock of ODA commitments now is the result of processes prior to the Conference, he said, that will definitely change hopefully in favor of Mindanao which was given a special session during the PDF.

But it was not just Mindanao which was discussed, he said, since the main agenda was the social contract of President Benigno S. Aquino III to the people. The conference included other pressing issues like governance, economy and climate change.

“The donor partner financing is very small and is less than five percent,” World Bank country director Motoo Konishi said. However, he added, the goal of the ODA is not money but the sharing and transfer of knowledge to the Philippines.

As provided under Republic Act 8182 or the ODA Act of 1996, the ODA loan is granted to the Philippines to “promote sustainable social and economic development and welfare.”

“The purpose of the Forum is to let the bilateral partners know the priorities and directions the government is pursuing,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

Instead of our development partners going their own ways, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman said, “there is a more cohesive approach to our partnership in the next three years.”