Mindanao Development Authority Chairperson Lualhati Antonino announced that more government agencies are pouring in bulk of their budget for Mindanao.
“This came after President Benigno Aquino III directed these agencies to prioritize Mindanao in the allocation of the national budget,” said Antonino.
She mentioned that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is pouring in 24 percent of the agency budget to Mindanao. Such is needed to ensure that Mindanao’s current infrastructure projects are well-funded and will contribute to the fast-tracking of the socio-economic development of the island.
Mindanao will also get 22.3 percent of the Department of Education budget, 39 percent of the health budget, and 45.82 percent of the Social Welfare and Development budget.
Antonino said that the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) promised a sharenof 40 percent of its budget to improve Mindanao’s irrigation systems.
In the proposed budgets of regional development councils, it recommended for a bigger share for Mindanao in the sectors of agriculture and environment and natural resources.
RDCs are pushing for an improved share given that Mindanao has a vast potential for agri-industrial growth to impact in the poverty alleviation efforts.
Modifying the national budget for 2012 was a big step for national government agencies to make their own Mindanao plan. “Something new is happening now for Mindanao,” Antonino said.
In the modification of the national budget, a broad-based participation from civil society organizations was applied for the preparation of the budget proposals of regional line agencies.
This is in line wit the Aquino Administration’s major agenda of governance which is to fight corruption and ensure transparency and accountability in governance.
