Celebrating hopes, successes and dreams of Bangsamoro

DAVAO CITY - The Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) in partnership
with The World bank for the Mindanao Trust Fund – Reconstruction Development

Project (MTFRDP), Programme for Local Economic Development through
Enlightened Governance

and Grassroots Empowerment (PLEDGE) and Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the

Community Development in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao
(CD-CAAM) Program is celebrating

accomplishments and success through a People’s Organization
(PO) Convention in Davao City.

Held at the at El Bajada Hotel, Davao City today until
tomorrow, 36 POs across the six Regional Management Offices (RMOs) of BDA
convene on this significant event to highlight and showcase the outcome of their
projects implemented on their community and the local products produce as being
material in the local economic development in their community.

Partners in development, the government, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) thru the BDA, donors, non-government organizations and
other stakeholders will also join in this celebration signifying the strong and
continuous commitment and support to the Bangsamoro.

Accordingly, the MTF launched in 2006 has provided support
for access to basic services (roads, water supply systems, sanitation
facilities, etc.) and livelihood (post-harvest facilities, farming equipment
and inputs, support for community enterprise development) to conflict-affected communities
across Mindanao.

Furthermore, the program’s community-based approach has
fostered social cohesion among diverse

Muslim, Christian, and IP communities, and empowered women to
take leading roles in planning and development.

To date, MTF-supported projects through the BDA have
benefited nearly 500,000 people in 214 barangays in 75 municipalities across 12
provinces.

PLEDGE which is one of the components of the MTF, is the
economic unit of the program. It has served 85 numbers of beneficiaries, 63 of
them are women during its pilot implementation in Barangay Koronadal Proper,
Polomolok, South Cotabato.

MTF is supported by various donors such as the European
Union the Swedish International

Development Agency the Australian Embassy in the
Philippines Foreign Affairs, Trade and

Development Canada the United States Agency for
International Development the New Zealand

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the World Bank,
which also serves as the Trust Fund Secretariat.

The Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and Mindanao
Land Foundation serve as trust fund recipients (TFRs) for the program while
the International Labour Organization (ILO) is the TFR specifically for PLEDGE.

Meanwhile, CD-CAAM piloted in 2012 that reached 120
beneficiaries and currently on its extension phase targeting 130 beneficiaries
is supported by the JICA in partnership with ICNet Limited as service provider.

BDA is the development arm of the MILF mandated to lead,
manage and determine rehabilitation and development in conflict affected areas
in Mindanao.