On February 11, 2019, the Community Members of Barangay Datalpandan, Guindulungan, Maguindanao formally accepted the Water System Level II and the Solar Panel Project for the Indigenous People during the Turn-Over Rites.
“We thank Allah SWT for blessing the camp as the first to complete the sub-projects,” said Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) for Camp Badre Chairman Kashmir Mohammad. Several stakeholders also expressed gratitude and appreciation for this endeavour.
Rhadzni Taalim, Project Coordinator of BDA for MTF-RDP/2 also addressed to the community the significance of the project, stressing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) as the foundation of its implementation. Ustadz Abdulrasheed Ambil, Community Development Officer of the BDA also explained the Policies in the Operations and Maintenance Manual for the proper utilization of the projects. He also commended the contractor on the efficiency and quality of work exhibited during the project implementation.
The Water System, amounting to a total of Php 1,344,706.50, was built originally with five (5) water tap stands which were installed in every Sitio in the barangay. However, to ensure equal access of the 75 households, the JJHAK Construction, contractor of the project, opted to reward the community with two (2) additional tap stands for free.
Meanwhile, 30 units of solar panel amounting to Php 495,000.00 were distributed to each of the IP households in the barangay.
“No more dark nights for the IP Community,” Indigenous People’s Organization President Sanny Sebio said in his message of acceptance. “These are the kinds of blessings that we will cherish,” he concluded.
“I still can’t imagine how these projects would reach us,” said Sheikh Bashir Abdulbayan, co-chairman of the JTFCT. “I thank the implementers and those who made these (projects) possible,” he added. In his closing remarks, he inculcates some values in relation to the turn-over program. He ended saying that the real definition of Jihad is the genuine service to the community which can be connected to the usefulness of the projects.
With the success of these infrastructure developments, the community members may now enjoy the benefits of clean and potable water from the water system, as well as the safety and convenience of the energy converted from the Solar Panel Unit, for the Indigenous People who lived in the far-flung areas of the community.
Barangay Datalpandan is within the ward of Camp Badre, one of the six (6) major camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It has been targeted as one of the communities in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao to be delivered with socio-economic development projects along with Camp Abubakar as-Siddique, Camp Bilal, Camp Bushra, Camp Omar and Camp Rajamuda.
These ventures are under the Mindanao Trust Fund- Reconstruction and Development Project Phase 2 (MTF-RDP/2), a program implemented through the project partnership between the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and the Community and Family Services International (CFSI). These are supported through the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) and administered by the World Bank.
The MTF-RDP/2 implementation is in accordance with the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB). Its objective is to transform targeted areas in the six previously acknowledged MILF camps into peaceful and productive communities.
The Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) supports the program with the donors such as the European Union, the government of Sweden, Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand and the World Bank. The World Bank also functions as Trust Fund Administrator and Secretariat.
In support to the objectives of the MTF-RDP/2, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) provided complementary assistance directly to CFSI through the project referred to as “Supporting Access to Basic Services and Building Institutional Capacity in Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao.”