CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--Peace is an integral part of sustainable, inclusive socio-economic development, as emphasized by Republic Act (RA) 9996, the law that created the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

In the Talakayan sa PIA media forum, September 20, 2023, at SM CDO Downtown Premier, Lordelie Enjambre, development management officer and OIC of MinDA-10, shared that they support all peace initiatives.

"RA 9996, the law that created us, actually mandates us to coordinate, harmonize, and integrate all programs or projects that would really secure the sustainable socioeconomic development of Mindanao. And when you say sustainable socio-economic development, peace is an integral part of that sustainable, inclusive socio-economic development," she said.

MinDA’s peace efforts are year-round. "We have Mindanao Transport Security; in this program, we are ensuring the safety of our transport passengers," she said.

In their second survey results of the Mindanao Trust and Respect, Safety, and Security survey, done twice a year and covering 7,000 respondents across Mindanao, Enjambre shared that Northern Mindanao has achieved the highest rating so far compared to other key cities in Mindanao.

"We have achieved about a 90% rating for safety and security, while if we average all key cities in Mindanao, that's an 87% safety and security rating," she said.

MinDA also does development work. "We introduce to them [Indigenous Peoples] not just investment but livelihood opportunities, especially under our peace and development program, supported by the European union, and in partnership with the country implementer, the German partner through GISAID," she said.

Peace and development

"We cannot have sustainable development without peace. So peace and development go hand in hand. We cannot just isolate one from the other," Enjambre said.

"Peace is the crucial ingredient for us to fully appreciate safety, security, and harmony. That is why we really ensure that all our efforts across our programs are already embedded in peacebuilding and peace-sustaining initiatives as well," she shared. (JMOR/PIA-10)