Davao City — November 26, 2025 — The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) placed water security at the heart of Mindanao’s long-term development strategy during the opening of the 1st Mindanao Forum on Waters and Natural Resources, underscoring that the island’s economic future depends on how it protects and manages its rivers, lakes, and watersheds.
Speaking before more than 200 participants—scientists, local chief executives, indigenous leaders, and representatives from 13 state universities and colleges—MinDA Executive Director Usec. Janet Lopoz stressed that Mindanao’s growth story must be anchored on stable and resilient water systems.
“We cannot claim to be the food basket of the Philippines if our irrigation sources are drying up. We cannot power our industries if the Agus and Pulangi complexes are compromised by low water levels,” Lopoz said in her keynote message, pointing to the island’s growing vulnerabilities amid climate change and resource degradation.
At the center of MinDA’s thrust is the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) approach under its flagship MindaNOW (Nurturing Our Waters) program, which seeks to harmonize planning across political boundaries and ensure that environmental management informs all levels of development work. As Secretariat of the Mindanao River Basin Management Council (MRBMC), MinDA is also advancing a “Spiral Model” of governance—a continuous loop of conceptualization, coordination, implementation, and evaluation meant to adapt to the ever-changing realities of river systems.
Lopoz emphasized that this model places a heavy responsibility on the academic community. She challenged researchers to act as “guardians of the spiral,” providing evidence-based monitoring and evaluation to determine whether government interventions—such as dredging, reforestation, and water quality measures—are effective and sustainable.
The three-day forum, organized by the MinSuPala-Innovative Research and Development Consortium (MinSuPala-IRDC), highlighted initial findings from Phase 1 of its research program. The assessment flagged mounting threats to Lake Lanao, the Ligawasan Marsh, and the Rio Grande de Mindanao, including eutrophication, invasive species, and the socio-economic vulnerabilities of riparian communities who depend on these water bodies for livelihood and food security.
Forum organizers said these efforts align closely with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s national development agenda, which centers climate resilience and food security as core elements of inclusive economic growth. The President has repeatedly underscored that protecting natural resources is essential to sustaining the country’s momentum toward a more resilient and prosperous future.
By bringing together scientists, policymakers, and grassroots leaders, the forum signals Mindanao’s commitment to advancing the Marcos Administration’s vision for a united and future-ready Philippines—one where economic progress is strengthened, not undermined, by responsible and science-based environmental governance.
The forum runs until November 28 and features breakout sessions on watershed profiling, water quality analysis, and socio-economic assessments led by partner universities across Mindanao.