The program for Local Economic Development through Enlightened Governance and Grassroots Empowerment (PLEDGE) implemented by the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) shared program experience with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Dipolog City during the Implementation Support Mission (ISM) conducted for the latter’s program by the World Bank on June 3-6, 2015.

“This ISM is similar with that of BDA conducted by World Bank under the Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Program (MTFRDP). The World Bank also do same activity for their assisted projects implemented by DSWD. DSWD invited us, the BDA to join them to share experience and also see their program implementation,” Julhaina Cadon, PLEDGE coordinator said.

Accordingly, the mission was conducted in Barangay Benigno Aquino and Brgy. Bago in Sindangan municipality; and Brgy. Balok and Brgy. Soguilon in Siayan municipality, all in the province of Zamboanga del Norte.

“We were able to share our experience here at BDA. We were able to share with them our PLEDGE program and how it differs given that we are serving communities that are conflict-affected, especially our context here in Mindanao”, Cadon said.

Cadon was joined Rahima Hassan, monitoring and evaluation officer during the activity.

Accordingly, they also got ideas from DSWD program implementation especially on economic enterprise development since PLEDGE focused on same component.

The Community Driven Enterprise Development (CDED) is a program of DWSD that target farmers in the said communities supported by the World Bank.

Cadon related in the activity were DSWD officials as implementing agency, World Bank officials and representatives from local government units (LGUs) of said communities.

ISM is conducted by the World Bank every six months as one of their monitoring activities to see program status their assisted projects.

Same monitoring activity is conducted

World Bank administers the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF), a fund facility supported by various donors that funds the Mindanao Trust Fund-Reconstruction and Development Program (MTFRDP) implemented by BDA.

PLEDGE is the livelihood component of the program which aim is to contribute to confidence and peace building efforts through local economic development and sustainable livelihood creation in conflict affected areas in Mindanao.