Vice President Sara Duterte does not forget where she came from, assuring the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) that it has the support of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in bringing progress to the region through various “big-ticket projects.”
Hailing from Mindanao herself, the official stressed how her office can help the region.
“I feel that providing a space, a table, in the Office of the Vice President is not enough to support the Mindanao Development Authority,” she said as the guest speaker at the 13th Founding Anniversary of MinDA on Thursday, Feb. 16, in Acacia Hotel, Davao City.
“I always said that if there are big-ticket projects coming from Mindanao, from across the regions, I always remind them to let us know — the Office of the Vice President — so that we can help push the agenda, the projects on the national stage,” she added.
Duterte celebrated with MinDA and proudly reflected on her roots.
She lauded the achievements of MinDA in opening the “gateways for sustainable peace and advancement of the people of the island.”
The official talked about the region’s sordid past of terrorism, rebellion, and constant power outages, and lauded how it was turned around to becoming “the government’s arm in extending comprehensive development plans and investment programs that drive Mindanao’s rural and urban development.”
“And of course, 13 years after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9996 in 2010 mandating the creation of the Mindanao Development Authority, we could say that we have made it, that Mindanao made it, that Mindanawons have made it,” she said.
Calling MinDA a “reliable agency,” she recognized how it has promoted inclusive socio-economic growth through the participation of our partners in the private sector and civil society.
“Over the years, you have fostered equitable development efforts and demonstrated our shared ideals of good governance and strong leadership,” Duterte said.
“MinDA has successfully placed Mindanao on the map of commerce, of business, of trade, of development,” she added.