Community volunteers thank BDA, MTF partners
This was during the community interaction in the recent 13th Implementation Support Mission (ISM) on July 17-22, 2016 in various project sites across the six regions and two provinces of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) for the programs on Bangsamoro Assistance for Development and Community Empowerment (B-ADVANCE), the Program Partnership Agreement (PPA) Solidarity and the Programme for Local Economic Development thru Enlightened Governance and Grassroots Empowerment (PLEDGE).
In Brgy. Upper Idtig, Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Aldren Kunak, People’s Organization (PO) President said, “The projects can help us in our survival.”
“Like free flowing, we can assure that the water we drink is potable”, he added.
Parida Kho, PO Secretary of Sapu Masla, Malapatan, Sarangani expressed huge thanks to BDA and MTF.
“We are greatly thankful to BDA and MTF for this project. This is very important for us women and for our children who often suffer from common illnesses due to unsafe water. We will not worry anymore and hopefully, this water system project can be started soon”, she stated.
In Tawi-Tawi, hopes for better life are also expressed by the community.
“The coming of this project from BDA-MTF is a hope for us because as this water flows, our lives will also do which gives us hope towards progress”, Imrada Usama, PO Treasurer in Brgy. Brgy. Tup-Tup Banaran, Sapa Sapa said.
According to Sawadjaan J. Manulon, PO President of Banaran Tonggusung, Sapa Sapa, the whole community is now focused on their organization.
“Now, we are focus with our organization. I can see in their eyes the thirst not only for clean water but also the hope for a project coming from Bangsamoro”, Manulon told.
PO in Brgy. East Migpulao, Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur shared that they are enlivened by the project.
“We thank you and hope that this is not the last time of your coming here in our barangay. Our barangay is once again enlivened. We chose tire path because during rainy days, our children find it hard to walk through muddy roads and it is very hard especially when there is emergency situation”, Ali Salipada of East Migpulao.
ISM is monitoring activity spearheaded by the World Bank as secretariat of the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF), a fund facility supporting the implementation of the B-ADVANCE and the PPA Solidarity.
PPA Solidarity is a program focused on ten (10) mixed communities while B-Advance with fifty (50) sites is conceptualized in support to confidence building measures of the GPH- MILF as provided in the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB). This was also in respond to the clamour from the communities especially on the implementation of basic services including livelihood opportunities.
Said programs are supported by the MTF with various donors such as such as the European Union, the Swedish International Development Agency, the Australian Embassy Philippines, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada, the United States Agency for International Development, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the World Bank.