Koronadal City, South Cotabato – Selected members of the provincial planning teams from the Provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and the League of Barangay Secretaries of the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao were capacitated by the NEDA XII staff in formulating and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption in their respective long term spatial and development framework plans. The said activity was sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior of Local Government (MILG) on October 24-28, 2022 at Em Manor Hotel, Cotabato City.

The week-long activity aimed to train and supplement the knowledge and skills of the members of the local planning teams in setting the vision and the spatial development framework of their respective provinces by formulating their respective CDRA-enhanced PDPFPs. The series of lectures coupled with a writeshop/review enabled the participants to come-up with an updated version of their respective PDPFPs incorporating current data and appropriate spatial development trends.

The technical assistance is part of NEDA XII’s continuing commitment in capacitating the members of the BARMM Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) and its local planning teams in preparing their respective Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) enhanced PDPFP and in fulfilling their mandates. The team of resource persons was headed by Dr. Carmel P. Matabang, EnP, the concurrent Assistant Regional Director of NEDA XII with the RLUC XII Secretariat, EnP Romel Patrick E. Tanghal, EnP Gwyneth Grace B. Collado, and Engr. Ricardo L. Lamorena, III.

The participants recognized the important role of their CDRA-enhanced PDPFPs in setting the physical direction and in articulating the development agenda of their respective local chief executives. With the training, the RLUC-BARMM Secretariat was able to enjoin the provinces in fast tracking the preparation of the PDPFP, and hopefully completion within the 1st quarter of CY 2023.

The RLUC-BARMM member agencies particularly under the strong partnership of the MILG, the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority pursued the activity to transform and strengthen local governance. Through the training, the CDRA-PDPFPs is now aligned with the Enhanced 12-point Agenda, 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan and the Bangsamoro Spatial Development Framework 2023-2050. (GGBCollado, NEDA XII- PFPD)