GENERAL SANTOS CITY, September 26 – Speakers and discussants from various sectors in Mindanao gathered at the Greenleaf Hotel in this city to take part in a forum focused on enhancing the quality of life for the middle class in celebration of 22nd Development Policy Research Month (DPRM).
The Mindanao Policy Research Forum (MPRF) is an event co-hosted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) in collaboration with the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) and Mindanao State University-General Santos City (MSU-GenSan).
photo by Ashley Loyloy
With the theme “Navigating Global Trends, Mindanao’s Future: Opportunities and Strategies for Expanding the Middle Class”, the event emphasized the role of the middle class in driving the country’s development.
This year’s forum is in the line with the broader goal of DPRM in making the Philippines’ Ambisyon Natin 2040 possible through overcoming global and local challenges.
The Ambisyon Natin 2040 is a goal that aims to make the country a “middle class society where no one is poor” by 2024.
In his opening speech, JD Usman D. Aragasi, Chancellor of MSU-GenSan, emphasized the importance of collaboration and how it allows the faster achievement of goals.
“It takes humility and courage to accept our weaknesses and enhance continuously our strength as an academic institution. Therefore, we need each other and it’s not anymore an option to be isolated with the various entities working for a meaningful development for our people,” he said.
Aragasi also pointed out how the promise of a better quality of life for the middle class can only be realized through rigorous research and scientific inquiry, “which hold the potential to yield solutions that benefit not just Mindanao but the society in general”.
The forum also featured presentations from Dr. Roehlano M. Briones, Senior Research Fellow of PIDS and Dr. Mario P. Aguja, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) of MSU-GenSan and discussed the perspectives of various stakeholders.
Land of promise, land of contradictions
In his presentation, Dr. Aguja highlighted how Mindanao, “land of promise”, remains riddled with social and economic challenges such as high poverty rates, literacy problems, child stunting and malnutrition affecting its development.
“We are producing a lost generation up to today. We are producing kids who are not capable for active citizenship, who are not capable of contributing to society,” he said.
According to Dr. Aguja, places in Mindanao which produce the most stunted kids are where peace and order problems exist.
“Cost-wise, it is better to spend now than to spend later for jails, running after criminals,” he pointed out as he suggested a deep investment in health and education to combat the said issues.
The dean of MSU-GenSan’s CSSH also outlined other solutions such as developing and updating comprehensive land use plans CLUPs) of local government units (LGUs), job creation beyond ayuda, and addressing peace, security, and land issues.
The middle class
According to Leo Tereso A. Magno, Chairperson of MINDA, the middle class consists of families with a monthly income of at least 23 500 for lower middle class and 81 000 for upper middle class categories.
“In Mindanao, the middle class is comprised of approximately 1.8 million people with an annual family income ranging from 313 000 to 2 045 000 pesos,” he added.
Magno further explained that middle class families are those able to meet their basic needs and enjoy some discretionary spending for education, housing, and health services.
“This represents the critical segment of the country’s population that contributes to and benefits from economic growth but faces vulnerabilities from economic shots, natural disasters, inflation and conflicts especially in the rural provinces that could push them back to lower income brackets,” he emphasized.
The MPRF is a regional event that started in 2015 aimed at providing a venue for development actors and stakeholders in Mindanao to discuss the DPRM theme and their perspectives and on their studies and learning from programs and projects.
The DPRM is celebrated every September to encourage Philippine policymakers, government leaders, and the public to appreciate the importance of policy research in crafting evidence-based policies and programs.
It is the second time MSU-GenSan is hosting the MPRF.
Comentarios