Foreign donors still keen on Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — International funding agencies have reaffirmed their support for the development of Mindanao in line with President Arroyo’s peace and development initiatives, the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) said yesterday.

In a statement, MEDCo chairman Jesus Dureza said representatives of foreign donor agencies expressed their commitment to continue assisting the government in developing Mindanao by continuing with their development programs there during the First Mindanao Working Group (MWG) Meeting in Manila recently.

"The MWG is a concrete manifestation of our collective resolve to vigorously pursue sustainable peace and accelerated development in Mindanao," said Dureza, who also chairs the MWG.

The MWG is a mechanism under the Consultative Group of the Philippines, which provides a forum for donor groups and government agencies to enhance their collaboration on foreign-assisted development efforts in Mindanao.

It was formed under the joint initiative of the World Bank, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and MEDCo.

Addressing the concerns raised by foreign donors about the recurrent armed conflicts in some parts of Mindanao, Dureza gave assurances that the government is exerting all efforts to pursue the peace process so that all foreign-assisted development projects can be completed without delay.

"The policy of the government is consistent that we continue the peace process in Mindanao. Let this be just a starter for the many things to come in Mindanao," said Dureza, who is also the presidential assistant for Mindanao.

He quoted the donor agencies as saying that they look forward to the implementation of official development assistance (ODA) programs and projects lined up for Mindanao over the next few months.

Japan, through the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA), has been one of Mindanao’s largest sources of foreign aid.

As of September last year, foreign-assisted projects in agriculture and agrarian reform had reached a total of $949.43 million; while $2.719 billion was infused in infrastructure; and another $784.77 million in the human development sector, MEDCo records show.

As of last December, the total ODA commitments for Mindanao reached $820 million, with 15 percent channeled to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.