PRESS RELEASE – May 30, 2024

I-click dito para sa press release sa Tagalog.

COTABATO CITY – Residents of the six major camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are set to enjoy more livelihood opportunities as the construction of new socio-economic infrastructures have started.

On May 30, a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of an agricultural warehouse with solar dryer and a business center was held in Brgy. Dungguan, Datu, Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur. The event was witnessed by the representatives of the Local Government Units (LGUs), Bangsamoro Government, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), and the government and MILF co-chairs of the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (JTFCT).

Groundbreaking Ceremony – photo by BDA Inc.

A total of 26 socio-economic infrastructures will be built in 12 barangays within the six MILF camps such as Abubakar, Badre, Bilal, Bushra, Omar, and Rajamuda.

Community members expressed optimism about this development. Alvin Montawal, 31 years old, a farmer and president of Kadingelan Agriculture Cooperative, shared the projects to be built in their barangay will bring renewed hope and progress to their area.

“Nakikita ko ang magandang idudulot ng proyektong ipapatayo sa aming barangay, lalo pa at pagsasaka ang pangunahing trabaho dito ng mga tao. Hindi na kami pupunta sa karatig lugar para sa pagbibilad ng aming mga agricultural products,” Alvin added. (I can see the contribution of this project, especially that farming is the main livelihood of the people here. We will no longer go to neighboring areas for the drying of our agricultural products.)

Women and youth, on the other hand, believe that expanding their income sources to non-agricultural livelihood activities can stabilize their income. Some of them prioritized starting food processing businesses, handicrafts, buy-and-sell of apparels, and retail internet, complemented by a multi-purpose development center with solar power where they can conduct training sessions and display their products.

This additional support to MILF communities is part of the Bangsamoro Camps Transformation Project (BCTP). Launched in July 2023, the BCTP is implemented by Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA Inc.), with funding from the multi-donor Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF). Supporting the normalization efforts in the MILF camps, the BNTF is supported by Australia, Canada, European Union, and United Kingdom, and is administered by the World Bank.

“By increasing access to socio-economic services and basic infrastructure in the communities in the six MILF camps, the project also strengthens local capacities of project participants such as farmers’ cooperatives, transitioning combatants, as well as women, youth, and indigenous peoples,” stated Noraida Abdullah Karim, CFSI Director for Mindanao Programme.

In addition to community infrastructures, the BCTP provides capacity strengthening support to cooperatives and other community groups to enhance and diversify their livelihood activities and ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure and machineries provided.

“Ang gusto ko pong ipaliwanag dito ay ang Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund. Ito po ay kasama sa kasunduan ng Gobyerno ng Pilipinas at Moro Islamic Liberation Front na kung sakaling may mga sitwasyon na hindi sapat ang pondo na manggaling sa Gobyerno ng Pilipinas, magkakaroon po tayo ng Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund para po yung mga areas that require funding, doon po natin mahuhugot sa BNTF. Ang pondo po ay kailangan sa normalization,” said Mohagher M. Iqbal, Chairman of the Peace Implementing Panel. (What I want to talk about is the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund. This is part of the agreement between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front stating that in cases where funding from the Government of the Philippines is not enough, the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund will be there to fund areas that require it. Funding is needed for normalization.)

With assistance from BDA and CFSI, community members themselves identified their priorities that would be supported by the project. A Landscape Planning approach was applied and enabled community members to understand and assess exposure to different natural hazards, the different uses of their lands, the existing infrastructure within their communities that can be maximized, and opportunities that the community can benefit from with proper planning.

“The project applies community-driven development, where the communities are the decision-makers around the types of sub-projects they choose,” said Kadafy Sinulinding, BCTP Project Coordinator from BDA Inc.

The project is also supported by the Bangsamoro Government through a Technical Working Group with representatives from the Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism (MTIT), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Ministry of Health (MOH), Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC), Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA), Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG), Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), Bangsamoro READi and Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health (MOH) and Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE). The Technical Working Group had their second meeting on 28 May 2024 in Cotabato City before the ground-breaking ceremonies.

The BCTP is guided by a Project Board (PB) with Co-Chairs Lt. Gen. Danilo G. Pamonag representing the Philippine Government, and Member of Parliament Hon. Ali O. Salik representing the MILF. The PB also includes Member of Parliament Baintan A. Ampatuan, Mr. Mohaimen Usman, and representatives from OPAPRU, BPDA, BDA Inc., and CFSI. The World Bank serves as a PB observer.

The BCTP is implemented to support the normalization efforts in the MILF camps. This is one of the projects funded by the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF), supported by Australia, Canada, European Union and United Kingdom, administered by the World Bank.

For more information, please contact:

Noraida Abdullah Karim

Director for Mindanao Programme, CFSI

0917-844-4773, nakarim@cfsi.ph

 

Kadafy Sinulinding

BCTP Project Coordinator, BDA Inc.

0906-364-3661, kadafy_1983@yahoo.com.ph