The $300-million Development Policy Loan (DPL) granted by the World Bank to the Philippine government should partly address the illiteracy and poverty problems of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which is plagued by deep-seated poverty and illiteracy, Team PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara today said.
Angara said that these twin problems, which affect more than 50 per cent of the people in Mindanao, have been the most serious in the country, adding that the underdevelopment should be tackled head-on, via empirical studies and data on how to reverse the situation.
The WB grants DPLs to countries that are on a determined path to reform and growth.
“A portion of the $300 million World Bank DPL loan should be devoted to studying the most effective policies to rein in the crippling poverty and illiteracy of Muslim Mindanao,” said Angara.
Angara said that Uganda, which was ruled by a dictator in the 70s, now has a higher literacy rate than the ARMM.
He said the focus on the underdeveloped regions of the country fits well into President inclusive growth agenda.
“If we tweak the growth of the Eastern seaboard toward a higher plane and make it at par with the growth in the western provinces, this would be a big boost to domestic productivity,” Angara said.
“Growth and prosperity should be across all regions and should not leave a single area behind,” he added.
Angara is a firm believer in building growth from ground up, which can be done by economically empowering the depressed areas.
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