Mindanao News
MinDA to scout for possible rural resettlement sites By Prexx Marnie Kate Trozo
DAVAO CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will identify at least five provinces in Mindanao as pilot areas for the “Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa Program (BPBPP) proposed by Senator Christopher Lawrence Go and supported by President Rodrigo Duterte. MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he will embark on a trip starting Tuesday to several provinces to engage local officials and partners and promote BPBPP in their areas.
identified as beneficiaries of the BPBPP in Zamboanga del Norte will only be former residents of the province who would like to go home. The first model of the BPBPP resettlement community should have a common undertaking or activity with a Piñol said their first destination is complete value chain,” he said. Zamboanga del Norte where Governor Alberto Uy, who will be presented with For instance, Piñol said that should a proposed BPBPP rural settlement in his the community choose hog raising or province for residents who are now living poultry raising, the activity should start in cramped places in the urban centers from the breeding for distribution to throughout the country. the beneficiary-families, feed making, common growing facility, processing, “Then, I will drive down to Lanao and marketing. del Norte, Bukidnon, and back to North Cotabato where we hope to engage the “Using this model, other BPBPP governors to partner with the BPBPP for Resettlement Communities could also be the establishment of rural settlements for involved in livelihood activities like broiler returning urban dwellers,” he said. production, egg layer production, freerange chicken production, fish cage Piñol said the effort is in line with production, vegetable production, the task assigned to MinDA by Go and strawberry production, sardines canning Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and dried fish making,” the MinDA chief to establish the first models of the said. resettlement communities. Likewise, he pointed out that “This means that those who will be another program will also be designed
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| May 2-8, 2020
