The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the rest of the island-region can expect greater development after the successful consultation for the Comprehensive Reform and Development Agenda, which President Rodrigo Duterte launched in October.
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Guiling Mamondiong on Thursday said residents of ARMM and Regions 9, 10 and 12—conflict-affected areas in Mindanao—will see their lives uplifted with the CRDA program.
The areas that will benefit from CRDA, Mamondiong said, are the towns of Jolo (Sulu), Bongao (Tawi-Tawi), and Marawi City (Lanao del Sur), and the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.
Aside from the ARMM areas, other beneficiaries of the initiative are Zamboanga City, Ipil (Zamboanga Sibugay), and Pagadian (Zamboanga del Sur) in Region 9, Tubod (Lanao del Norte) and Lanao del Norte province in Region 10, and Isulan (Sultan Kudarat) and the cities Kidapawan (North Cotabato), Koronadal (South Cotabato) and General Santos City in Region 12.
Consultation with Mindanao’s residents was the first phase of the CRDA program, the Tesda chief said. The second phase involves infrastructure development, while the third phase focuses on economic development, he added.
Various government agencies are helping the poor residents of Mindanao, Mamondiong said. Through the CRDA, the national government could easily identify the projects in the region that need funding under the General Appropriation Act from 2016 to 2022, he added.
Coordinating with the CRDA are the local government unit heads and representatives, planning officers, engineers, people’s organizations, ARMM region heads, and the academe, among others.