The administration has vowed to turn Mindanao from a “land of promises” into a “land of promises fulfilled,” Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said over the weekend.
Pangandaman, the only Filipina Muslim member of the Cabinet under President Marcos, said the efforts at developing Mindanao under the “Bagong Pilipinas” program are bearing fruit.
“Along with our leaders in BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), we have been working very hard to maintain and sustain peace in Mindanao while developing the region into a land of prosperity,” she said.
“As a matter of fact, as co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Body for the National Government, with Minister Mohaqher Iqbal for the side of BARMM, I am happy to report that for the first time, all seven mechanisms of the IGRB have been activated in less than a year, including holding for the first time the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum,” Pangandaman said.
The DBM chief’s statement came after former president Rodrigo Duterte pushed for Mindanao to secede from the country.
She added that the government also established the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) regional/satellite office in BARMM, as well as the recognition of the Bangsamoro Land Transportation Office (BLTO).
“We are even commemorating the establishment of Islam in the Philippines, to emphasize the importance of our Muslim heritage in Philippine history. All these efforts are directed at making Mindanao a shining example of peace and development in the Philippines,” Pangandaman said.
“The future of Mindanao is bright and as long as we stay focused and united, I am confident that our dreams for the economic transformation and upliftment of this region will be fulfilled,” she added.