I am feeling very queer about this so-called Bangsamoro Development Agency because despite its being established in accordance with the Implementing Guidelines on the Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and Development Aspects of the 2001 GRP-Tripoli Agreement, the GRP totally have no hand upon its control. A few international corporations such as the Japan International Corporation Agency among a few minor entities have been known to be committed to the agency headed by a Dr. Abas Candao as Chairman of the Board. Well according to the eMindanao Portal the BDA serves as a project -implementing body of the MILF which vision and mission consists of the following:
VISION
A prosperous, enlightened, self-reliant and healthy Bangsamoro community living in harmony, peace, justice and dignity with the rest of the world.
MISSION
To determine, lead and manage relief, rehabilitation and development activities in areas affected by armed conflict in parts of Mindanao.
To which, as of this PDI article, the World Bank recently granted a generous P21M aid for its operations. The WB denied the assertion which unsurprisingly originated from the lips of none other than MILF Chief Negotiator Mohagher Iqbal. I myself could not believe it, for even though the BDA functions for the rehabilitation and development of conflict-devastated areas in Mindanao, it would be very unwise for the WB to apportion such a prodigious amount of funds to an organization connected with a rebel group, especially when there are more reliable non-aligned NGOs working for relief in those areas that could have been entrusted with these funds.
Why the MILF issued such a nonsensical statement I do not know, but what is certain is that this BDA should better be dissolved or at least disregarded as a nuisance, for it does not stand to the ends for which it was instituted by the 2001 Tripoli Agreement but instead deflected into becoming an instrument of propaganda used by the rebels to feign for reconstructing a land which destruction they themselves acted as agents of. Never doing any measures to curb the hostilities their lost commands brought to the fore is very irrelevant to any of their “humanitarian” agency’s objectives, which renders the BDA’s existence as useless.
In the Bangsamoro Economy: A Legacy to the Next Generation and Beyond (rendered from PDF), there is this separatist thesis which significantly echoes those the MILF has been waging for so long:
“The annexation of [the Bangsamoro] to the Republic of the Philippines devastated their economy beyond recognition and almost relegated into limbo of irreparability. This remains the status of the BM economy until this very moment.”
It also relates to the 2nd International Bangsamoro Development Conference attended by 200 participants from both government and non-government organizations in Cotabato City more than a year ago, where BDA Chairman Candao had also called to the people of Bangsamoro “to put their best forward and exert effort to win back control of their economy and if possible in the near future, of their homeland as well.”
The call for a self-governing state has been ardent ever since, however truth has it that if sympathy could not spread onto the population like wildfire, it was because many have feared that this will cause Mindanao a more complicated peace, complete with imminent violence that would ensue in the afflicted regions. No wonder there is great distrust to any system about to be erected by a gang of brain-dashers and arsonists, and no one but those whose interests are fanned by a bribery of promises (or brainwashing) will support a cause done in a perverted method.
Furthermore has the BDA accomplished anything in Mindanao? Just what projects have it carried out in the past? Are we sure that there is no connection whatsoever between this funded organization and the clandestine supplier of arms to the MILF?
This article was written by Alvin d. C. Lopez of Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. At 19 years of age, he is the senior editor of Genré, the Central Student Publication of Wesleyan University-Philippines. Writing from Nueva Ecija he is watching the peace proceedings in Mindanao, which he frequently tackles in his blog The Pelican Spectator. He is a member of the Young Journalists’ Association of Region III (YJAR III) as well as the Kabataang Pangarap ni Rizal (KAPARIZ, youth arm of the Order of the Knights of Rizal), among others.
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It is evident that Alvin Lopez is questioning the credibility of a certain Dr. Abas Candao and why such huge fund should be apportioned to a rebel group, adding that there are other non-government organizations that are better choice for a recipient.
Lopez was not born in Mindanao and his palliative suggestion to answer the problems in Mindanao is to inject a biased campaign to delete the BDA and question the man who leads it. Such myopia was even worded in his unverified statement, “Are we sure that there is no connection whatsoever between this funded organization and the clandestine supplier of arms to the MILF?
Lopez should research and read more for it shows that his views are very stereotyped and biased.
As a young man, he must study the wisdom of history and open his mind to a more fair and objective assessment of the Mindanao problem by not knowing the facts and details of BDA.
Lopez asked what the BDA has done? Therefore he
does not know any of the achievements of the BDA.
If he does and it falls short on his expectations, then he must realize that the BDA was not created to meet the expectations of the skeptics.
LET ME REPHRASE THIS STATEMENT:
As a young man, he must study the wisdom of history and open his mind to a more fair and objective assessment of the Mindanao problem by KNOWING the facts and details of BDA.
Roberto,
Since you seem to know a lot about the BDA, perhaps it would be better if you shared with the readers here what you believe to be a “more fair and objective assessment of the Mindanao problem.” Most people don’t know about the BDA, its history, mission and record. Mr. Lopez appears to have done more than his share of trying to understand that problem. Perhaps you can help us all out with a simple Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of the BDA.
BDA is just another source of corruption…just like other agencies created by the government…lead and managed by corrupt officials…corrupt politicians…this includes christians, muslims or whatever…kurakot kurakot kurakot…pare peraho lang silang lahat.
yun lang…
kape na kayo sa starbucks..hehehe
Juwan_D:
Mukhang alam na alam mo ang ibig sabihin ng corruption. Pulitiko ka ba o talagang nangangamoy lang ang opinyon mo? I understand for it takes experience to know what you are talking about.
DJB:
You are asking the 4 Ws of BDA (Who,what,when and where?)…That should have been provided by Lopez. In fact he should have researched about it before he offered a biased opinion. Tira ng tira hindi naman pala alam ang buong detalye ng BDA.
Hermes,
kung nakabukas ang mata at ilong mo sa mga nangyayari sa ating bansa…sa nakalipas na maraming taong pakikinig sa mga politiko..sa entablado, sa tv at radio…at sa kung saan pa man…
iisa lang ang totoo….at yun ay lahat sila mga sinungaling at kurakot at magnanakaw…ang lahat ng iba..hindi na totooo hehehehe
wag mong sabihin di mo alam ang alam ko kabayan…hehehe
Juwan_D:
Alam ko kabayan…hindi lang ako ang tipo ng tao na parang “shotgun approach” ang pag-aanalisa sa sistema kasi damay pati hindi masama. Hindi lahat ng itlog ay bugok, wika nga…meron pa rin malinia.
Kapag sinabi kong “lahat”, iyan ay general statement. Kaya nga mahalaga sa atin ang maging kritikal pero hindi unfair at bias. Diyan pumapasok ang sinasabi nilang specifics–ALAMIN ANG DETALYE BAGO MAGING KRITIKAL SA ISANG ISYU.
Iyan ang sinasabi nilang OBJECTIVITY.
salam!!!!! gud morning to all filipinos, i was so curious regarding this so called BDA? kc alam naman ng lahat na yang mga milf ay kapwa nating pilipino rin at kapatid nating mga muslim! sana naman magkasundo na lahat at ibigay ung nararapat na bigyan ng pondo ung mga kahos sa pamumuhay, lumaki akong hindi maintindihan ang mga gulong nangyayari sa mindanao, babalik ako isang araw para ipaalam sa lahat na hindi lahat ng muslim ay masama!!!! gaya ng iniisip ng iba, thanks
Siguro nararapat lamang na umpisahan na ni PNoy ang kanyang pinangakong tamang daan. Kung ang BDA ang maaring source lamang ng corruption, bakit hindi pa-imbestigahan.
Hindi lang ako sang-ayon sa pagsabi na ang BDA ay isang nuisance dahil meron din naman silang proyekto dito sa Mindanao partikular sa CAAM (conflict affect area in Mindanao).