MY ARTICLE last week serves as a good introduction for my theme today. It serves as an impetus to see more of all the possibilities of lifting our poor citizens from their abject state. The overstated fact that the Philippines has a GDP of 7.8 in 2013 earning a credit as a promising future tiger of economic standing in the whole of Asia yet the poor among the citizens do not feel the impact remains as a question which needs an answer. With some research, I have the answers to this puzzling fact.
First is this good news. Pres. Noynoy Aquino visited Davao to launch the Mindanao Inclusive Agribusiness Program (MIAP) as a component of the Inclusive Business in Mindanao (IBIM). For the first time, the national government is taking inclusiveness very seriously by being partners with the private sector. This will encourage them to invest in business ventures which will allow the low- income and the marginalized groups or the poor to take part in the production undertakings and benefit, as a result, from the supply production chain of events. The poor is incorporated to the bigger companies series of work events as producers, suppliers, distributors, and employees. The end results will show the achievement of our goals to reduce or totally eliminate poverty and generate jobs to end the unsolved problem of unemployment.
To further insure the success of these programs the (IBIM) invited the member companies of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) to the marginalized regions of Mindanao to see for themselves and identify all the opportunities for investments here where the much needed jobs can be availed of by the jobless manpower. Promising supporting movements are already present in Mindanao in the different sectors of its native inhabitants. Religious and some tribal leaders have supported the proposed palm oil plantations in Paquibato and Marilog districts. I have written about this in one of my columns.\ Investors from Malaysia and Thailand had offered business deals to cultivate about 100,000 hectares of land as palm oil plantations.
The Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) is also working on the propagation of their newly created Mindanao Brand referring to the island's agricultural products. They will encourage the "market penetration" of said products making them more competitive. All the Halal and ISO certified products meaning they are certified by the International Organization for Standardization will update all their products. Amo ng these are the coco sugar and brown sugar from North Cotabato. The Department of Agriculture has listed the following selected industrial crops, fruit crops, fisheries. Also cited are the rubber plantations, pineapple, banana, cassava, coffee, and coconut plantations.
The two promising plans which will help boost the success of the programs are worth mentioning here. The widow of former DILG secretary Jesse Robredo, Congress woman Gerona, Leni, Robredo has proposed An act, H B 4911 to be known as the People Empowerment Act of 2014. This allowed the common people to participate in the governance process.
With this ordinance, a people's council will be created to allow the common people's participation by giving them seats in Sanggunian committee with the power to vote on key measures to be passed by the counsel. I hope this Act will be passed. It worked effectively in Naga making it the ideal pattern to be duplicated throughout the country.
The last item which I will mention here is the DepEd officially recognizing the importance of the indigenous peoples’ education programs which are implemented by non- government and community- led institutions to improve access to culture- based educational benefits. DepEd recently recognized the first batch of private schools serving the IP's in 49 sites in the country. These two concerns to insure the success of all the programs cited in this column are valuable The success of the concrete efforts to eradicate poverty in our country depends on us as individuals.
For us who have more, let us do our part. The progress of our nation is our dream yet to be fulfilled. For comment text cp no. 09202112534.