THE WORLD BANK is considering an additional $4.2 million of funding for the second phase of the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) Reconstruction and Development Program.
According to World Bank project documents, the program is currently in the pipeline for approval.
The bank first launched the program in 2006, helping finance livelihood centers, solar driers, farmers’ pathways, water and sanitation systems, among others.
In 2012, the World Bank put up additional financing of $5.72 million.
The program aims to assist in the economic and social recovery of conflict-affected and vulnerable areas of Mindanao, and at the same time improve governance standards.
The program helps development partners to pool resources and coordinate their support for the program.
The MTF also brings local government units to work with the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the development arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, to deliver its own programs.
The on-going first phase of the program is focused on capacity-building and technical assistance, including learning-by-doing activities in conflict-affected barangays through the implementation of community and local sub-projects.
The second phase involves a scaled-up implementation of the rebuilding program and continued provision of technical assistance, and capacity building.
As of September 2016, half a million people in 225 villages have benefited from 379 completed sub-projects under the MTF, according to World Bank data. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
