Lanao Sur, poorest in PH, Maguindanao 2nd, NorCot, 5th place

COTABATO CITY -- Ten of16 poorest provinces in the country are in Mindanao, with Lanao del Sur leading the way with a 67.3 percent poverty incidence, a study said.Maguindanao came in second andNorth Cotabato in fifth spot. Published by Office of Sen. Bam Aquinoin June, the study showed that aside from Lanao del Sur, the following provinces from Mindanao areMaguindanao, Zamboanga del Norte, Saranggani, North Cotabato, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin, Sultan Kudarat and Sulu also made the list of the top 16 poorest provinces.However, Sen. Aquino's office did not clearly said which office or institution conducted the survey.Only two were in Luzon, namely Apayao and Masbate, while the rest were Negros Oriental, West Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar, the study said.The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-12) confirmed the study.More than half of North Cotabato's population of1,226,508 based on the 2010 national census of population were considered poor or 43.9 percent, according to PSA-12 statistical coordination officer 6 Herlita Caraan.Caraan said the study was conducted by the defunct National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) in 2012. She said in Region 12, North Cotabato led in the provinces with fastest growing number of families living below the poverty threshold.The next PSA study will be conducted next year.Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, two of the provinces comprising the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were not listed in the top 16 poorest provinces. Senb. Aquino said the problem exists despite Mindanao's vast natural resources, which remained untapped until now due to the decades-long conflict in the region.However, Senator Bam Aquino believes that things will turn for the better for Mindanao with the imminent passage of the Bangsamoro political entity and the ASEAN Integration in 2015. The expected approval of the Bangsamoro political entity and the ASEAN Integration in 2015 will turn Mindanao into a magnet for businesses and investors, said Aquino in a statement released by his Senate office.Aquino added that the 1st Mindanao Social Business Summit at the Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon, will play a key role in addressing problems hounding the region.With the theme, Wealth Creation with Justice and Peace through Social Entrepreneurship, the summit's goal was to achieve sustainable peace and prosperity in Mindanao through social innovation and entrepreneurship.