In spite of the decades of advocacy for a greater share of the national budget, Mindanao only received 16% share for 2020.
For 2021, it was learned during the Senate hearing on the budget of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) that the budget share of Mindanao would be less than 12%.
This is in spite of the fact that Mindanao produces about 42% of the country’s agricultural output and the predominance of Mindanaoans in top posts in government today, including five Senators.
Next week, MinDA will attempt a last ditch effort to address the needs of Mindanao as the 6-year-term of the first Philippine President coming from the region comes to an end mid-2022.
MinDA will hold a series of face-to-face and virtual consultations with leaders of the region in a program called “Mindanao Speaks Up!”
It will start in each of the five administrative regions and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao where provincial leaders will be asked to submit a bucket list of at least two projects which they would like to be implemented before President Rody Duterte steps down mid-2022.
The proposed projects will follow the following criteria:
1. It is doable in terms of the amount of funding;
2. It would greatly improve the economy of the locality;
3. It would address poverty, productivity and sustain peace.
Top officials of the Duterte Administration who are from Mindanao will be asked to engage and receive the wish lists of the local government officials for inclusion in the 2021 budget preparation for the last President’s Budget in 2022.
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
(Infographics on Mindanao were prepared by the MinDA Media Team while the map of the Philippines showing the poor regions in red was downloaded from a public website.)
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