DAVAO CITY -- The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will debut a web series on February 9 that will highlight Mindanao’s beauty and economic strengths.
Dubbed as “The Beauty and Bounty of Mindanao”, the first episode will feature the Asik-Asik Falls in Alamada, North Cotabato, which will be viewed through MinDA’s official Facebook and YouTube pages.
The falls is known for the water that gushes out of the sides of a cliff and showers the headwaters of the Libungan River in Cotabato, flowing to the vast Liguasan Marsh that covers the provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat.
In a statement, MinDA said the show would serve as a social media campaign that seeks to project a more positive image of Mindanao.
“The lack of deeper knowledge of Mindanao and the fear created by the negative media reporting have stunted the growth of the islands,” said MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who will host the show.
Piñol said that despite Mindanao’s strong economic performance, a negative image remains attached to the island-region due to some incidents that he considers as “minor aberrations” to what Mindanao can offer.
“There is more to Mindanao than the Marawi Siege, Maute, Abu Sayyaf, BIFF, New People's Army, and the bombings. We produce 56 percent of the country’s total food requirements and our economic growth of 7.2 percent is almost two notches higher than the national record,” he added.
Succeeding episodes will feature the Sheik Karim al Makhdum in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, which is known as the oldest mosque in the country; various tuna fishing and processing plants; the gas deposits in the Liguasan Marsh; the municipality of Turtle Islands; and Lake Lanao.
“We hope this will result in greater attention given by our economic planners to the development of Mindanao so that the peace gains of the Duterte administration will be sustained,” Piñol said. (PNA)
