The increase in the budget for the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the continued budgetary support for the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) would boost economic growth in Mindanao.
This was expressed by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa as he defended the proposed 2025 budgets of the agencies which are mandated to cultivate socio-economic progress in the country’s major island in the south.
The Senate finance subcommittee headed by Dela Rosa, who hailed from Mindanao himself, increased the budget of MinDA by P67 million to accommodate more programs that would ensure continuous development in the island.
For 2025, the Senate has proposed a P334.515 million budget for MinDA under its version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
The P67 million hike covered the MinDA Digitalization Innovations Program, support for sustainable operations of the Mindanao River Basin Program, and the Strengthening of the Indigenous Peoples in Mindanao Program Year 2.
Dela Rosa stressed the need to continue the research on the Mindanao River Basin Program, which covers eight river basins across the regions in the island, as this concern 4.5 million people living near the waterway and it is considered as home to the largest wetland ecosystem in the Philippines.
To ensure a harmonized development in the southern part of the Philippines particularly in infrastructure programs, Dela Rosa also disclosed that MinDA has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“BARMM sits in the MinDA board as one of its board members. MinDA entered into a memorandum of cooperation with the BARMM Development and Planning Authority (BPDA). MinDA designated a focal person for the BARMM and BPDA is provided with an office in MinDA for their use when they’re in Mindanao,” Dela Rosa said.
For 2025, the Senate has proposed a P334.515 million budget for MinDA under its version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Meanwhile, the Mindanaoan lawmaker defended the P80.29 million budgetary support for SPDA–a government-owned and controlled corporation which mandate is to promote the Southern Philippines by initiating business projects of corporate and economic in nature in various sectors such as agriculture, power, infrastructure, energy, land development, etcetera.
Dela Rosa explained that while SPDA has other sources of income, they need budgetary support as there was no income that was generated from one of their subsidiaries, specifically the Marawi Resort Hotel Inc.
During the Senate deliberations of the proposed 2025 budget, the SPDA was also commended for its investments on abaca production, poultry, fish pond estate projects, and pineapple fiber project.
“In fact last weekend, I was their guest of honor in their inauguration of their poultry farm in my home province in Sulop, Davao del Sur. So hindi po nasayang ang ating pondo na nilalagay sa ating [national budget]. They are really working hard to alleviate the living standards of mga tao sa laylayan (people who are at the bottom),” Dela Rosa remarked.
