THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) has identified Jolo, the capital of Sulu province, as a priority development area after Taraka town in Lanao del Sur.

“We will come up with a comprehensive proposal and present it to the President,” MinDA Chairperson Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a statement Friday. The development program will be similar to the one recently launched in Taraka, which involves the establishment of model learning centers mainly for agricultural livelihood activities.

Among the key sectors eyed for Jolo are chicken and cattle farming, and solar-power energy for both electricity supply and water desalination. Sulu, a part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is composed of composed of several islands and has been known as the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, a kidnap-for-ranson group that has in recent years allied with the extremist Islamic State.

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