By Joy Sevilla
ALABEL, Sarangani (November 11, 2009) - Governor Migs Dominguez yesterday stressed that Mindanao region needs accountability in governance and a strengthened institution to attain sustainable peace and development for the next 20 years.
This he bared during the focus group discussion group (FGD) between the Regional Development Council (RDC) 12, which the governor chairs, and the Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco) regarding the Mindanao 2020 Framework Plan at Isla Parilla Resort in Alabel.
The FGD was participated in by government officials, local government units, private sector, and other stakeholders. Mindanao 2020 is the upgraded sequel to Mindanao 2000 Development Framework Plan.
It is a strategic plan for modernizing Mindanao."My dream for Mindanao is to have a strong institution in which we feel the rule of law, a region where people have safety and can freely soar and reach their dreams," Dominguez said.
He added that sustainable peace and development could not be attained with weak institutions. He pointed out that "unless we're not able to fix the root cause of the conflict in Mindanao, we will always fall down."
Dominguez said the solution to the issues in peace and security, economy, environment, and social and human development always depends on the kind of governance a region has.He noted that the "government cannot take care of the welfare of the people, but it can provide a stable atmosphere where people can prosper, and can have equal access to opportunities. It is also responsible for providing security where people can stop being fearful of a certain area."
As to the economy, the governor said one way of developing it is that the government must initiate moves so that the business sector can come in.
He said the government must provide incentives to the private sector and must encourage entrepreneurs to invest.
Meanwhile, in his observation, Mafin Tan, who represented the business sector, said the peace and order in Mindanao is very critical.
He said the problem is more of the image perception that Mindanao is not a safe place to do business."Once a businessman will develop a certain business, the government should cooperate because investments is one of the keys to solve poverty. Businessmen should get protection and infrastructure support from the government," he said.
Tan also stressed that the role of the media for a sustainable peace and development in Mindanao is very essential. He urged newsmakers to focus on good and developmental news instead of throwing bad news about Mindanao."The media is very commercial. They see that good news is not news for the people, they are focused on the negative issues," he said.
On the other hand, Teresita Socorro Ramos, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority 12, said that to attain a sustainable peace and development, the e-governance must be applied.E-governance for her means effective, efficient, equitable, and economical governance.
"We will have to depend on the kind of leadership. One of the tangible ways to have e-governance is how we select the leaders that we put in the position. I observe that there's something wrong in the way we select our leaders at malaki ang epekto ng edukasyon ng tao in choosing the right kind of leaders," Ramos said.
The focus group discussion was one of the activities conducted by Medco to transform the existing Mindanao 2000 Framework into a more refined roadmap which is the Mindanao 2020.
Other activities include Assessment of Mindanao 2000; Review of related studies and documents; Planning consultations; Formulation of Mindanao 2020; Validation and finalization; Launching of Mindanao 2020; Advocacy activities; and Monitoring, evaluation, review and updating. (Joy Sevilla/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment