BDA Communications
Values Training for development catalysts in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
Values Transformation Training (VTT) for development catalysts of Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) in Daguma Province on March 10-12,2019 at Kangkong Islamic institute Inc. Brgy.Kangkong,Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
Facilitators were municipal and barangay political committee chairpersons led by Victor Mopak Prov.Chairman of Daguma Prov. under the Central Mindanao Region of BDA.
Report by: Alex Balukol-BDA Central Mindanao
UNLIMITED LEARNING: Project Management Training for BDA, JTFCT
“Capacity building has no limit. In order to catch-up with the changing world, we should continue learning and capacitating ourselves”.
This statement was shared by Mohammad S. Yacob, Executive Director of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) to the more 50 participants of the Project Management Training held on September 8-10, 2018 at Alnor Hotel in Cotabato City.
The training was part of the capacity building interventions intended for the Joint Task Force for Camps Transformation (JTFCT) officers and members and the BDA Camps Project Support Team across the six major camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front where the Agency is currently operating.
Yacob added:capacitating you in this activity doesn’t mean that you are not good or you know less.
“In fact, viewing it from an Islamic perspective, if you learn more and more, you have the capacity to teach humanity”, he pointed out.
Moreover, he noted that the objective is to ‘modernize the skills and knowledge of the participants in order to face the challenges’ along the way as they move the path of development through the implementation of the Mindanao Trust Fund – Reconstruction and Development Project for Phase II (MTF-RDP/2) in partnership with the Community and Family Services International (CFSI).
Unity in schooling internationally for better service to B’Moro
Studying abroad opens doors of learning and growing. The opportunity to learn at the international context, exposures and experiences, modern technology, and among others are some of good things to acquire for those who decided schooling outside country land.
Along with those benefits is the journey of growing personally and professionally that accompanied by life’s challenges; new environment, people, culture, food, weather, language, etc.
For the group of Bangsamoro scholars studying in Turkey, this reality is what pushed them to organize themselves into one towards unity.
“We formed our group and named it as Moro International Students Association (MISA) in July 2015 to unite Bangsamoro students abroad”, Ashrap Omar disclosed.
Ashrap is taking masters in education in Anadolu University in Eskişehir, Turkey.
Turnover of motorcycle to JTFCT for the implementation of MTFRDP/2
Community-recipients of the Mindanao Trust Fund – Reconstruction and Development Project for Phase II (MTF-RDP/2), a project being implemented in line with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) are located in the six previously acknowledged camps of the MILF.
These are remote areas, hard to reach and accessible only by strong will and determination.
Recognizing this reality, implementing partners of the MTFRDP/2 like the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) agreed to provide support for easier transportation of the members of the Joint Task Force for Camps Transformation (JTFCT).
Training of teachers across camps on-going
For the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Component of the Mindanao Trust Fund – Reconstruction and Development Project Phase II (MTF-RDP/2), the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) is currently conducting the Training for Instructional Managers, which started on July 21 and will be until July 28 at the Al-Nor Hotel in Cotabato City.
According to Hashim Manticayan of BDA Human Resource Division, the first part of the training workshop was intended to discuss about BDA, understanding of the MTF-RDP/2; and a glimpse of what Islamic Values in promoting a wholesome personality of ALS implementers, demonstrate and appreciate it in planning and implementation process.
Moreover, it is also designed to expose the participants on management of ALS learning sessions on Basic Literacy, Accreditation and Equivalency, IP education and Infed Program, as well as the Usage of Functional Literacy Test, Weekly Log Lesson, Organizing the Individual Learning Agreement and portfolio assessment among others.
In his message, Abdulmaguid K. Salidatan, BDA Administrative Division Head, said that being one of the mobile teachers is not merely a post but more of a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.
“We have trust in you to deliver and perform your tasks/duties as expected”, he urged.
TFCT members learn updates on BARMM
Members of the Task Force on Camp Transformation (TFCT) of the MILF recently acquired updates about the Bangsamoro Government (BARMM) on August 16, 2019 at the Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO) - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in Cotabato City.
Atty. Lanang Ali, Jr., majority floor leader of BARMM, welcomed the TFCT members and gave updates about the newly established government, which filled the minds of the visitors of key information that are relevant as they perform their roles in the facilitation and monitoring of projects related to the normalization process.
Dr. Zulkarnain Abas, of the Ministry of Health- BARMM also greeted the TFCT.
TFCT are one of the key partners for the Mindanao Trust Fund- Reconstruction and Development Project Phase II (MTFRDP/2), a program partnership agreement signed between the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and Community and Family Services International (CFSI).
They are the target partners specifically for the capacity and institutional building components of the project wherein they were capacitated for, among others, project development and management, community organizing and monitoring and evaluation of projects.
Rhadzni Taalim, project coordinator of BDA shared that the activity was intended to present the proposed priority list of projects for the six MILF major camps for BARMM consideration for the development planning and programming.
The said list are consolidated based on the workshop and series of consultation organized earlier for the TFCT, community and BIAF members at the ground level.
Ali O. Salik and Prof. Abhoud Syed Linga of the project board of the MTFRDP/2 provided the overall guidance during the activity.
Aside from the visit to and updating from BARMM, the gathering of the TFCT was also pursued for the reflection session aimed for looking back at the activities conducted in line with the overall implementation of the project.
MTFRDP/2 aims to improve access of targeted communities in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao to basic socio-economic infrastructure and alternative learning system.
This intervention is comprised of engaging the communities through a community-driven development and alternative learning system with an end in view of making those productive, participative and peaceful communities. Moreover, this is in line with the Normalization Aspect of the CAB.
MTFRDP/2 is supported by the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) with various donors such as the European Union, the government of Sweden, Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand and the World Bank, which also serves as Trust Fund Administrator and Secretariat.
The Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development (AECID) is also supporting the project through the Supporting Access to Basic Services and Building Institutional Capacity in Conflict-affected Communities Mindanao (MTFRDP/2-AECID).
Sustaining camaraderie for better service to Bangsamoro
Sustaining good relationship in workplace results to better output of tasks. It can promote healthy work environment. One research shows that workers are happier in their jobs when friendship is there with their colleagues. They find their jobs more fun, enjoyable, worthwhile and satisfying. Moreover, good relationship at work creates a common sense of purpose and the mentality that we are in it together.
In this same manner on giving value to its workforce that, the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) is regularly organizing a weekly gathering for its management, staff and volunteers spearheaded by the agency’s Human Resource Development (HRD) Division.
Supporting the call for moral through values training in BARMM
In line with the call for moral governance in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) facilitated a three-day training on values transformation for the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) during its General Orientation for Pre-Service Induction Training for LGOOs on October 28-30, 2019 at Em Manor Hotel, Cotabato City.
Stories of appreciation, realization and commitment to apply values to be a good public servant were expressed and shared by the participants that demonstrated the impact of the training.
For the BDA as facilitator of the training, the experience was a great achievement and a level-up role since the participants for the activity were employees of the government.
“BDA has been conducting VTT since 2003 and the particants are mostly at the community level, but now, we have entrusted to do VTT for the BARMM employees in line with the call for moral governance”, Engr. Windel Diangcalan, BDA executove director said.
He expressed thanks to BARMM and the MILG for the trust to BDA to take responsibility for this noble mission to promote value-based governance for the reform aspired for Bangsamoro.
Engr. Diangcalan also thanked the facilitators of the VTT for the MILG for their courage and commitment to deliver the topics and share the knowledge to the participants.
To note, BDA has piloted the VTT for the employess of the RPDO-BARMM in May 2019 and is expected to do the similar values training for other BARMM agencies in the coming days.
Values Transformation Training or VTT was conceptualized during the early days of BDA in 2003 in line with the agreed principle of the agency on self-change first before overall development.
The VTT has become of the major programs of the BDA and is integrated as key components of all other projects. The objective is to develop a pool of catalyst with enhanced knowledge, appreciation and practice of Universals values that will help them in serving the most marginalized and indigent communities in Mindanao.
Serving communities living outside BARMM
The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) facilitated a workshop for Barangay Development Planning (BDP) in Panikian, Banaybanay, Davao Oriental on October 26, 2019.
According to Engr. Windel Diangcalan, BDA executive director, this effort is part of the agency's commitment to provide services for the communities outside BARMM areas.
"The agency isvery pleased to share our expertise and learning from the previous engagement most particularly in the formulation of Bangsamoro Development Plan in 2015, which serves as main reference in the crafting of the Development Road Map of the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
To note, the BDA had worked with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the formulation of the masterplan for the Economy and Infrastructure thematic areas of the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) in 2016.
In 2017-2018, the BDA collaborated with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) on the Mindanao Development Corridors-Joint Planning and Programming, particularly on the Bangsamoro Economic Development Corridors.
Rejuvenating the workforce- BDA’s teambuilding activity
For an agency tasked of the development projects for conflict-affected communities, along with other mission for the Bangsamoro, sustaining the spirit of its workforce is essential for effective and efficient delivery of services.
“We organized this simple team building activity for all of us at BDA to have some time to enjoy together away from our daily work even for a day only”, Sarah Panglima said.
Sarah is the human resource management officer (HRMO) of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA).
Officers and staff of the agency had fun together during the team building event on September 3, 2018 at Amaya Resort, Kusiong Beach in Datu Odin Sinsuat Maguindanao.
During the activity, various games such as sack race, tug of war, balloon bursting pinoy henyo and others were prepared and joined by active staff of BDA that made the event more fun and memorable.
“In this activity, you are to obey rules in playing the games prepared for you”, BDA Executive Director Mohammad S. Yacob told staff.
He also added that this fun-filled activity proves that we can be active players without compromising our religion. This is a ‘guided happiness’ we are undertaking, he noted referring to the delight that can be derived from this team building effort.
“This activity is very helpful in relieving stress”, one staff said.
Another staff shared that some physical games gave him body pain which made him realized the need to have stretching some times for stronger and healthier body.
After the games, BDA family all together join the “boodle fight” and savor the foods prepared by the beach.
Swimming at the sea followed where everyone enjoyed the cool water while some went banana-boat riding.
There were BDA members also who satisfied themselves by just watching the scenes and breathing the fresh air from the sea.
For the BDA Management, this team building activity is important in promoting and strengthening teamwork among staff.
“As one saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work!”
It also builds and develop further the established working relationship between and among employees especially from top to bottom.
BDA is a development agency mandated of the relief and rehabilitation in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao and of building the capacity of the Bangsamoro for long-aspired future governance role.
At present, the agency has over one hundred number of staff working together in managing various programs and projects all intended for the development of underserved communities.