COTABATO CITY — Two days after the Committee on Finance, Budget and Management of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority approved the proposed FY 2023 budget of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), the environmental agency held an operational planning workshop on 12-15 December 2022 to ensure that the fund efficiently flows to the revamped banner programs and that priority activities are identified for next year’s program implementation.

“We need a plan to ensure the strongest future direction for the MENRE-BARMM and the Bangsamoro environment, natural resources, and energy sources,” MENRE Minister Akmad A. Brahim told the MENRE officials and employees present during the workshop.

“May we shape the contents of this plan and enable the roll out of a dynamic guide for Fiscal Year 2023. For the Bangsamoro,” Minister Brahim added.

Each Sectoral Service and Provincial ENRE Office of the Ministry presented to the panel their priority activities based on the approved targets and key performance indicators. The panel is composed of Minister Brahim, Deputy Minister Muslima A. Asmawil, Bangsamoro Director General Atty. Badr E. Salendab, Administrative and Finance Services Director Al-Sharif M. Tamburani, Atty. Mark Esmael R. Nor, Chief Accountant Jawhara K. Ali, Chief Planning Officer Jessie S. Ondoy, and Acting Chief Administrative Officer Rowaida D. Lalang.

The operational planning workshop aims to strengthen the implementation plan and serve as an important guide to help the Ministry succeed in the face of any challenges and find opportunities for strengthening its institutional capacity.

The BTA Committee approved MENRE’s budget in the Bangsamoro Expenditure Program (BEP) amounting to PHP 663,810,332.00 and even added 2.4 million pesos for the RTK surveying equipment for the Mines and Geosciences Service (MGS) and Land Management Services (LMS). In total, the FY 2023 budget has an increase of 23.3 million compared to the Ministry’s approved fund for 2022.

The 666.2 million pesos (the additional 2.4 million pesos included) allotted to MENRE will be utilized to implement the Ministry’s 1) Land Survey, Disposition, Records and Knowledge Management Program; 2) Environmental Regulation Compliance, Ambient Monitoring And Pollution Control; 3) Natural Resources Policy Enforcement, Conservation and Development Program; 4) Mineral Resources And Geosciences Development Program; 5) Biodiversity Management, Research And Protected Area Development Program; and 6) Energy Development Program.