Mindanaoans have long been in search of a government policy that would make the island realize its potential as the proverbial land of promise, only to be disappointed after presidential aspirants promise Mindanaoans the moon, only to suffer amnesia after winning and completing their terms and leaving the island region not much better off.
Outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, highly criticized for various scams and corruption issues hounding her administration, can however bow out of office with some satisfaction where Mindanao is concerned. Mindanao Business Council chairman Vicente Lao admitted that despite the flaws of the Arroyo administration, she is perhaps the only president to be commended for putting up a lot of necessary infrastructure projects that encourage growth in the island’s agribusiness sector.
For one, Arroyo created the Mindanao Super Region (including the Davao region) that makes up roughly one third of the country’s total land area. The Region has a combined agricultural output of $2 trillion, thanks to its fertile lands, typhoon-free weather, robust river systems and a people with an agribusiness mindset. It contributes to the Philippine economy 50% of the country’s coconut production, almost 100% of rubber and pineapple production—which are considered among the country’s top agricultural commodities.
Despite this, deputy Presidential spokesperson Secretary Ricardo Saludo said, Mindanao remains vulnerable to conflicts and unrest given that it is home to the poorest regions and provinces in the country. The Arroyo administration’s strategy: lessen the causes of conflict and strengthen peace by increasing the number of people experiencing the benefits of progress in Mindanao. It hopes to achieve this by 1.Harnessing land, sea and climate resources for production; 2. Developing the agribusiness supply chain; 3. Backing such efforts with science, research and development and, 4. Promoting a government-driven business climate supportive of growth and development of the agri-food business.
Mindanao Economic Development Authority
The only existing Mindanao-wide government mechanism that coordinates and monitors the implementation of development projects in Mindanao is Medco, which was created through Executive Order 512 in 1992.
“The problem with Mindanao is that every time there is a new administration it takes on a different view of Mindanao, hence the development is not sustained,” Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) chairman Undersecretary Virgilio Leyretana said.
Leyretana said the approval into law last February 18, 2010 of the Mindanao Economic Development Authority (MEDA) bill gives a ray of hope for Mindanao because, unlike Medco which had always been vulnerable to the whims of the one in power, MEDA has a permanent character.
“MEDA will harmonize the peace and development efforts in Mindanao even after Arroyo’s term is over,” he said. Mindanao, he added, will finally be able to catch up with the mainstream national development.
MEDA will cover all provinces and cities in Region 9, 10, 11 and 12, Caraga and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Leyretana said he expects MEDA to be fully implementable after it became a law last March 4. As a result Medco will be converted into MEDA and will carry on the critical mission of ensuring consistency in the implementation of Mindanao’s development programs.
“The enactment of the MEDA bill is seen to enhance the potential role of Mindanao as the bridge to all cultures in this country and in BIMP-EAGA, as well as the linchpin of our country’s security and national interest,” Leyretana said in a statement.
MEDA will act as the Philippine coordinating office for the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga, the lead government agency in coordinating the formulation and implementation of all Philippine-Eaga activities, programs and projects.
Employment security
In the same manner, the chair of MEDA will have a more or less permanent character since the chair will have a full-fledged rank of Secretary and will sit in the Cabinet and in the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) board. With MEDA, the signing authority and the senior official for the BIMP-Eaga will now be lodged in one person.
Leyretana’s position as Medco chair is however co-terminus with the President, so even he is not sure if he will reap all these benefits accruing to the MEDA chair.
The lack of security to its employees has resulted to a brain drain. Leyretana said they have lost hundreds of talented people from Medco because of the lack of security of tenure prior to the MEDA law.
He said existing employees of Medco “shall remain in office” although of course they can retire.
All these positivism about Mindanao as a result of the MEDA law would give the ordinary citizen the impression that the newly-enacted Mindanao Economic Development Authority could indeed be the El Dorado of Mindanao. Mindanaoans should however be cautioned that while El Dorado is often referred to as any place where wealth can be rapidly acquired, it also represents a much-sought after ideal that may not even exist.
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