Grand Pilipinas Ballroom, Grand Regal Hotel, Lanang, Davao City
14 May 2012

President Benigno S. Aquino III attended the People’s Organizations Congress of the Mindanao Rural Development Program 2 (MRDP2) spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture. With a theme: “DA, LGUs and POs, Sharing a Common Vision for Mindanao”, the MRDP Adaptable Program Loan Phase 2 implements poverty reduction programs to poor communities in Mindanao, expanding its scope to 26 provinces and 225 towns.

The President also led the awarding ceremony or the “Parangal sa mga Bosing ng Kanayunan”, wherein the best performing local government units across the region was recognized for their effective program implementation. The outstanding LGU’s received cash prizes ranging from 1-5 million pesos worth of rural infrastructure project, post-harvest facility and natural resource management sub-project.

In his speech, President Aquino hailed the people’s organizations behind the program which contributed up to 17 percent of their yearly income.

The MRDP2 is jointly funded by the World Bank, the National Government and the Local Government Units to further improve income in the rural areas and achieve food security through agri-fisheries infrastructure, livelihood enterprise and biodiversity conservation projects. The program consists of four (4) phases in a span of fifteen (15) years. The Adaptable Program Loan Phase 1 commenced last December 2004.

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