Yesterday, July 15, the Iranun Development Council (IDC) took a significant step in strengthening its alliance through an exposure visit to the Palma+pb Alliance, one of Mindanao’s most well-established and functional inter-LGU collaborations.

The activity brought together the IDC Secretariat led by Executive Director Saipona Zaman and Deputy Executive Director May Quesada, alongside the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs), Municipal Agriculturists, Engineers, Accountants/Treasurers, and MDRRM Officers from the member municipalities of Barira, Buldon, Matanog, and Parang.

Participants had the opportunity to learn firsthand from Mr. Orly Maraingan, Program Manager of the PALMA+PB Alliance, about the alliance’s governance structure, operational processes, and best practices. During the open forum, additional insights on project implementation, resource sharing, and financial management were shared by Mr. Arnold Ferenal, former Program Manager of PALMA+PB, who now serves as the Municipal Economic Enterprise and Development Officer of Libungan.

In the afternoon, the team visited one of PALMA’s project sites in Barangay Nalin, Midsayap, where bamboo plantations under their Treevolution Program are thriving. These bamboo stands not only serve as natural barriers against flooding and landslides but also create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods through value-added bamboo by-products. This is just one of the projects of the alliance, alongside their most well-known initiative, the Kabalikat PALMA Infrastructure Program, where member LGUs pool their infrastructure equipment, machinery, personnel, and expertise to collectively implement road-building projects across member towns.

During the reflection session, IDC participants highlighted the importance of community involvement, transparent and non-politicized governance, and shared resources in sustaining inter-LGU alliances. They were inspired by PALMA’s model of functional collaboration and strong local ownership, particularly valuing the involvement of the community. Moving forward, they recommended institutionalizing the IDC through clear vision-setting, strategic planning, focused project implementation, and sustained efforts beyond external support.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Institute for Autonomy and Governance 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘈𝘌𝘊𝘐𝘋).