Mindanao to get double its usual share from national budget in 2019

DAVAO CITY – The share of Mindanao in the national budget is expected to more than double the 11.45 percent it got over the past years, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Abul Khar Alonto said. In an interview on the sidelines of “Mindanao Today, Mindanao Tomorrow” at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao on Friday, Alonto told reporters that he was informed by Mindanawon lawmakers that a share of 24 percent for Mindanao in the 2019 proposed national budget was “feasible.” He said the additional share in the budget will be needed to undertake the necessary high priority projects in Mindanao, such as airports, seaports, bridges, road projects, hospitals, schools, and other development projects that will also enable Philippines to catch up with the development Southeast Asian neighbors. The approved national budget for 2018 is P3.8 trillion. “In all those decades, the average was 9 or 11 percent of national budget national expenditure. And it is sad because if we are talking about equity, and proper management of the resource of the country and finance, 32 to 34 percent is the minimum that should go to Mindanao,” he said.

MinDA executive director Romeo Montenegro said the Mindanawon lawmakers threw support behind the MinDA’s proposal for additional budget of R1.35 trillion that will be spread over a four-year period.

The interagency working group, composed of representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), MinDA, and House Committee on Mindanao Affairs, was formed to work out details to “map out strategies and address bottlenecks in terms of budget allocation and utilization for Mindanao” according to Alonto.

Mindanao’s 11.45 percent share in the country’s total budget over the last decade was less than southern Philippine island’s average contribution of 15.29 percent to the economy since 2007.

He added the budget increase will focus on the prioritization of sustainable infrastructure development that encourages development of industries, small and macro enterprises (SMEs), ecotourism, and other projects that contribute more to poverty alleviation.

He said the proposed budget includes an additional R603 billion to fund the priority programs and projects of under the Mindanao Development Corridors (MinDC), such as land transport connectivity, Mindanao gateways, and the Trans-Mindanao-High- Speed Railway system.

“We have all the potentials here – we are the source of food and industrial raw materials of the country. Building roads, upgrading ports and airports, and establishing economic zones are the key to unlocking Mindanao’s potentials,” Alonto said.

Alonto also proposed construction of TawiTawi Freeport and Economic Zone, Picong Freeport, airport, and industrial estate, the next segments of the Trans-Mindanao HighSpeed Railway Project, and the establishment of AgriEconomic Cooperative Zones in the Bangsamoro areas to address food security.