ADB
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN
MINDANAO
Joel Mangahas
Asian Development Bank
© 2010 Asian Development Bank
All rights reserved. Published 2010.
Printed in the Philippines.
ISBN 978-92-9092-079-3
Publication Stock No. RPT102219
Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Asian Development Bank
Making a difference in Mindanao.
Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2010.
1. Development.2. Development assistance.3. Mindanao, Philippines.
I. Asian Development Bank.
The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent.
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Acknowledgments
This report on Mindanao was prepared by Joel Mangahas, country specialist, Philippines Country Office (PhCO), Southeast Asia Regional Department (SERD), under the guidance and leadership of Neeraj Jain, country director, PhCO, SERD. The author is grateful for the helpful inputs of Claudia Buentjen, Aziz Haydarov, Florian Steinberg, Giap Minh Bui, Rita Festin, Dulce Zara, and Claire Villarico as well as for the administrative assistance of Olive Rillo, Sheila Callet, and Leah Pati-an. The author also thanks Peter Julius Villarta, Jose Tiu Sonco, and Maynard Matammu for research assistance and Manraj Grewal for editorial assistance. Special thanks to Carolyn Dedolph Cabrera, Ramoncito Dela Cruz, Ma. Priscila del Rosario, Miguel Paulino, and staff of the publishing team of the Department of External Relations for the invaluable support in publishing this report.
Land of Opportunities and Challenges
Mindanao is one of the three island groups of the Philippines, occupying 102,043 square kilometers or 30% of the country’s total area. Although Mindanao is the main source of agricultural produce in the country, the sole producer of rubber, and the repository of an enviable amount of mineral wealth, it has yet to capitalize on its development potential. Many parts of this island group continue to grapple with abject poverty, glaring disparities, and numerous impediments to sustainable growth.
The island group, comprising Mindanao island and the Sulu archipelago in the southwest, has six administrative regions that are further subdivided into 26 provinces, 33 cities, and 423 municipalities.
By island grouping, Mindanao has the highest poverty incidence with a rate of 39%, accounting for 33% of the country’s total poor families in 2006. By region, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has the highest rate at 55%, followed by Caraga with 45% (Table 1). Many provinces in this island group also rank poorly in the Human Development Index (HDI). In 2006, 7 out of the 10 provinces at the bottom of the HDI ranking were in Mindanao (Table 2).1 Three provinces in Mindanao, however, bucked the trend to land among the top 20 provinces of HDI ranking.2
Table 1 : Poverty Incidence among Families (%)
... = no data available; ( ) = negative; ARMM = Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; SOCCSKSARGEN = South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos.
Source: Mindanao Development Authority. 2009.
Table 2 : Human Development Index Ranking, Bottom 10 Provinces, 2003 and 2006
HDI = Human Development Index.
Source: Philippine Human Development Network. 2005, 2009. Philippine Human Development Report, 2005, 2009.
Rapid population growth is another challenge for Mindanao, the eighth most populous island of the world. From 2000 to 2007, its population grew at an annual average of 2.4%, compared with the national average of 2.0%. Most of this growth came from ARMM, which grew at the rate of 2.4%; and South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos (SOCCSKSARGEN), which grew at 5.5%. ARMM is the most populous region in Mindanao.
The high population growth is accompanied by poor life expectancy. Those born in four ARMM provinces in 2006 can only expect a life span of between 53 and 58 years, the lowest in the country.
The island group also fares poorly on the basic education enrollment rate, with 7 Mindanao provinces among the bottom 10 in the ranking of provinces in 2004. The provinces of Misamis Occidental and Surigao del Sur, however, were among the top 10 performers nationwide.
The unceasing peace and order concerns confronting Mindanao have also taken a heavy toll on Mindanaoans. From 1970 to 2010, the conflict has resulted in at least 120,000 deaths (civilians and combatants) with an undetermined number of wounded and disabled.3 The number of people displaced by conflict in Mindanao reached 1 million in 2000, which decreased to about 400,000 in 2003 and then to 220,000 in 2009.4 Most of them are in the southern region of Mindanao, where the government has been fighting secessionist Muslim rebel groups.
In 2006, subsistence poverty rates among the population are highest in the conflict-affected areas of Caraga (30.3%), Zamboanga Peninsula (29.2%), and ARMM (27.5%).5 Five ARMM provinces remain the poorest and they belong to the bottom 10 of the national human development indicators ranking of the 2008/2009 Philippine Human Development Report.
Despite these drawbacks, Mindanao’s share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was 18% in 2008. Metro Manila, also the National Capital Region, and Luzon contributed 33% each, while the Visayas accounted for 16% of GDP. Figure