The extension of the agreement will focus on the socio-economic rehabilitation of Marawi City and the rest of Lanao del Sur province.
This is made possible after the Mindanao Development Authority sealed a new agreement with the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support and fund on-going peace and development initiatives in Mindanao.
Recent signing of bilateral agreement extends the implementation of the Mindanao Peace and Development Program (MPAD) until September 2019, and brings in a total of USD 11.45 million to fund rehabilitation programs in Marawi City, and other conflict affected areas in the province of Lanao del Sur. Specifically, support will focus on ensuring good governance and social cohesion in the identified areas.
MPAD, a USAID grant assistance currently under the MinDA, aims to promote economic growth in the identified areas through expansion of economic opportunities, infrastructure, development, as well as improvement in governance and social services.
The agreement was signed by MinDa secretary, Datu Abul Khayr Alonto and USAID- Philippines acting mission director, Patrick Wesner. MPAD agreement was first signed and institutionalized on September 2007.
“We are hoping to make the most out of this extended agreement by fast tracking implementation of responsive and culturally sensitive program and projects in Marawi City and its nearby provinces,” said Alonto.
While the current agreement is set to focus on delivering a comprehensive support package for Marawi, Alonto assured that it will continue to explore similar assistance agreement to be implemented in other Mindanao regions.
“As a matter of fact, we intended to revitalize the convergence forum for Donor Agencies operating in Mindanao, which we referred before as Mindanao Working Group (MWG), in the next few months,” he added.
The MWG is a platform to coordinate and harmonize requirements of development partners in implementing assistance in Mindanao Communities. (Angie Saveron)
