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As development agency of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) has been involved in various meetings and activities in discussing possible partnerships and support in anticipation of the transition period for Bangsamoro.

Recently, BDA Executive Director met with the officials from the Embassy of Japan (EOJ) in the Philippines and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in exploring areas of intervention for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

According to Dir. Yacob, there were three areas discussed such as the capacity building, provision of facilities and possible international partnerships or pooling of multi-donor funds.

“On our part at BDA, we presented the existing programs and projects we have based on the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) I and II”, Dir. Yacob related.

He specifically stressed the priority projects on education like provision of facilities e.g. school building and on health, which is also on delivery of facilities.

“As development agency of the MILF, BDA should always be ready to present development gaps in Bangsamoro communities”, Dir. Yacob ended.

BDA is established in 2002 with primary mandate of relief and rehabilitation in the conflict affected areas in Mindanao.

In 2014, the agency received its added mandate of being the donor and coordination unit of the MILF thus the agency has been dealing with various partners in talking about development projects, programs and planning in the Bangsamoro.

 

 

 

Friday, 15 March 2019 06:10

EU, UNICEF meet BDA for courtesy visit

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Diana Daele - Head of European Union (EU) Development Cooperation in Manila, and Andrew Morris, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Chief of Mindanao Field Office visited and met with Mohammad S. Yacob, BDA executive director on March 08, 2019 in Cotabato City.

It was informed that all parties expressed willingness to continue working together towards the common goal to help in the Bangsamoro.

Both EU and UNICEF are long partners of BDA in promoting peace and development in the region through various projects/programs that benefited communities in conflict affected areas in Mindanao.

 

 

 

 

With the common aspiration for the future of Bangsamoro children, education sector in the Bangsamoro met recently on on September 6, 2018 at Pagana Resto in Cotabato City.

The body were composed of Bangsamoro leaders led by Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the GPH-MILF Peace Panel together with Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) executive director Mohammad S. Yacob, Ustadz Mohammad Alon, officials from Tarbiyyah Committee of the MILF and Department of Education-ARMM and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Accordingly, the meeting was about discussing plans on education in the Bangsamoro especially now that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is signed.

Iqbal told partners that education is one of the priorities in the Bangsamoro and the framework of learning system is still based on the Philippine Standard.

Meanwhile, Dir. Yacob said that the BOL is an opportunity to realize education suitable for Bangsamoro.

During the meeting, UNICEF officials expressed that this meeting is an initial support to BOL from their part.

“We are supportive for the Bangsamoro children; we will help the best that we can”.

From the UNICEF were Julia Rees, deputy country representative, Andrew Morris, chief of field office, Fransisco Benavides, education regional advisor, Roshni Basu, adolescent regional advisor and other staff.

To note, UNICEF has been supporting the implementation of the Tahderiyyah Program, which promotes a culture-sensitive curriculum design to cater educational needs of the Bangsamoro children.

The program was implemented by the BDA in close collaboration with the Tarbiyyah Committee and the DepED-ARMM.

 

 

 

Development planners in Bangsamoro composed of key officials from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) reconvened recently on January 29-31, 2019 at Cagayan de Oro City to continue working together for the crafting and completion of the Unified Bangsamoro Development Plan (UBDP).

Accordingly, the UBDP is part of the preparation for the Bangsamoro Transition that will help guide for development planning and initiatives for the upcoming Bangsamoro Government.

In a joint statement, the BDP Team composed of members from MILF and MNLF expressed that the deemed ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), motivated them more to continue working to contribute to the development of Bangsamoro communities through the UBDP, a recommendatory plan for the BTA.

Officials and representatives from the agencies of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) also joined the said activity.

The BDPT likewise thanked the Australian Government, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) for the continuing support to this endeavor for Bangsamoro.

Thursday, 10 October 2019 01:52

Consistent blood donors receive awards

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Fifteen bronze awardees ((18-24 donations) and six silver awardees (25-39 donations) who are volunteer blood donors to the Muslim Blood Donation (MBD) of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) received their respective awards in recognition of their life-saving commitment and deed on September 19, 2019 at Koronadal City. 

 

 

 

n a meeting with the United Nations-World Food Programmed on September 9, 2018, MILF Chairman Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim told partners of the need for more experts for the Bangsamoro government.

 

“We need more people with expertise on governance,” Chair Murad said.

He, together with Muhammad Ameen, MILF secretary, Mohammad S. Yacob, executive director of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and Engr. Windel Diangcalan, deputy executive director welcomed the visitors from the UN-WFP at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

Stephen Gluning, representative and country director of the United Nations-World Food Programme  visited the MILF to show support on the Bangsamoro and get updates and plans from MILF now that the BOL is signed.

In the meeting, Chair Murad shared story of the Bangsamoro struggle from beginning until it reached the current momentum of signing the BOL.

UN-WFP is among the donor partners who have already showed support to the BOL and have committed of continued help to Bangsamoro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Business Sustainability Framework in the Bangsamoro or BSFB is a very important contribution to the realization of a peaceful and prosperous Bangsamoro.”

This was the statement of Dr. Saffrullah M. Dipatuan, BDA chairman during the launching of the BSFB on 28 Sept 2018, at Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City.

BSFB was launched by PBSP in cooperation with Australian Embassy, Hineleban Foundation, Inc., RBOI-ARMM, Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) and other partners.

He added that this framework will serve as a practical guide for potential investors on how to make successful investments in the Bangsamoro territory.

Dr. Dipatuan further told that the road to prosperity in the Bangsamoro is thru the entry of investors that will open up opportunities for jobs and income generation on a massive scale.

“After all, the real engine for development in any country is the business sector”, he ended.

We at BDA as the development arm of the MILF that is expected to play a very important role in the forthcoming transition period, and having journeyed with PBSP, RBOI and other partners in the crafting of the BSFB, rest assured of our full and unconditional support in presenting the fruit of our efforts to the leadership of the MILF and the Bangsamoro government.

(Read full text of BDA chair Message during the Launching of the BSFB on September 28, 2018 at Makati City).

 

 

 

The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) through Muslim Blood Donation (MBD) recently received National Voluntary Blood Services Program Sandugo Award 2018 as one of the Top Performing non-LGU partner from Department of Health (DOH) Region-12 on August 23, 2019 at Greenleaf Hotel, General Santos City.

The said award was given to the BDA for the organization’s outstanding support to the National Voluntary Blood Services Program and for collecting a total number of 1, 018 Blood units for the year 2018.

MBD is a regular program of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) since 2008, which aims to contribute to the continuing blood necessity in Central Mindanao.

The program has received various awards and recognitions for the past years for the accomplishments it gained in advocating the importance of blood donation.

Carolyn Biruar, MBD Coordinator attended the 2019 Regional Awards Ceremony with the theme “Journey towards Excellence in Health” to receive the said award.

Biruar stated that everybody is welcome to join their MBD activity.

She shared a data from the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) that there are 15, 000 units of blood needed every month for patients of various health cases.

“This means that there is more demand of blood over the supply, that is why we really encouraged everyone to share their life and donate blood”, Biruar stated.

She also thanked all the donors who have been there for MBD for almost eleven (11) years.

“Whatever award we will get, the most important is the reward we can get from Allah (SWT). We are not doing this just for the award but to please the God (ALLAH)”, Biruar told.

The next MBD would be on September 15, 2019 at the City Mall Cotabato City.

 

JULY 26, 2019. The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) joined the meeting today July 26, 2019 in Cotabato City with Minister Mohammad Yacob of MAFAR-BARMM and potential Korean partners on improving agricultural and fisheries productivity in BARMM thru appropriate agricultural modernization technology. 

With the common commitment on education for Bangsamoro children, the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) together with key partners from Tarbiyyah Committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bureau of Madaris-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) welcomed Nelson Ireland, Education Adviser at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT-Australia) on June 7, 2018 at the agency’s central office located at Brgy. Datu Balabaran, Cotabato City.

The parties discussed about the issue on educating the Bangsamoro children with concerns on the use of the Tahderiyah curriculum as well as plan of action of both institutions in responding to the urgent need in educating the Bangsamoro communities.

BDA Deputy Executive Director Engr. Windel P. Diangcalan gave insights on the state of education in the Bangsamoro based on the agency’s expereince of program implementation and as informed by the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP).

Program on education is among the priorities of the BDA. The agency has implemented the Tahderiyyah Curriculum Program from 2006- 2018 which aim was to provide balanced and culture-senstitive education for Bangsamoro children.

The program was supported by the DFAT Australia with partners from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).