Before his six-year term ends in mid-2022, President Duterte wants a lasting and sustainable peace to reign in Mindanao as that region has been embroiled in conflict and violence for many decades.
This was emphasized by Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go during an in-person and virtual public hearing on the budgets for 2021 of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), the Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA).
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson heard the budget presentations as chairman of the Senate finance sub-committee ‘’C’’ from Carlito G. Galvez Jr., OPAPP chairman; Emmanuel Piñol as MinDA head; and Abdulgani Ajul Salapuddin, SPDA chief.
Go, former Special Assistant to President Duterte, said he fully supports the proposed budgets of the three agencies ‘’to ensure lasting peace in Mindanao.’’
He then asked the heads of the three agencies to hasten their projects that would help the region attain socio-economic development.
Galvez said his office continues to proceed with its project to decommission 12,000 armed soldiers of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). This represents 30 percent of the estimated 40,000 soldiers of the Bangsamoro Islamic force.
He also said that Nur Misuari, founder of the secessionist Moro National Liberation Front (MILF), has committed to President Duterte to make Sulu a peaceful place.
Salapuddin, on the other hand, said his agency is helping in the socio-economic development of the region.
Armed combatants who have joined the government would be settled in a proposed ‘’Peace Village’’ in Basilan.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, whose family is from Bukidnon, described the MinDA of Piñol as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) of Mindanao.
He said the 11.8 percent share for Mindanao in the proposed 2021 P4.5 trillion national budget is ’’very low, not acceptable’’ and ‘’we want a fair share.’’
Zubiri said he and his colleagues want the implementation of their projects likened to the ‘’Build, Build, Build’’ concept of President Duterte, and not ‘’Start, Start, Start.’’
He said he is confident that four other senators who are from Mindanao would help source more funds for the three Mindanao-based agencies.
The four others are Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Go, Ronald dela Rosa and Emmanuel Pacquiao.