DBM, ARMM officials laud DPWH-ARMM for prudent use of savings

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 28 (PIA) --- Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) lauded the region's Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for its prudent use of its 2012 generated savings amounting to P110.5 million. 

Hataman said DPWH-ARMM has made remarkable and unprecedented accomplishments under the leadership of its secretary, Emil Sadain. 

"Secretary Sadain has enforced prudent fiscal management that allowed the department to generate savings used to fund the procurement of equipment and additional projects. This is part of the reforms we want to establish in ARMM," he said. 

Hataman's citation follows a commendation earlier issued by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) citing DPWH-ARMM for "a job well done"                       

"We commend your prudent approach in the utilization of funds for the purpose of improving ARMM's services. We assure you of our continued support in your efforts to implement cost-efficient programs and projects that led to increased DPWH-ARMM productivity," Tina Rose Marie Canda, director of DBM's Budget and Management Bureau-D, said in a letter. 

Canda noted that "the savings generated have been used to procure much needed heavy equipment for the maintenance of roads."

The ARMM government asked DBM's approval in the utilization of the savings. 

Lawyer Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, also congratulated Sadain and his department, encouraging them to "keep up the good work".

"Let us continue working for the fulfillment of the aspirations of the constituents of the ARMM," she said. 

Sadain, who is also an assistant secretary of DPWH-National, said prudent fiscal management has become the norm in DPWH-ARMM budget spending, resulting in the savings of P110.5 million for 2012.

"The generated savings were subsequently used in the procurement of heavy construction equipment and monitoring vehicles for the use of the regional office, our eight (8) district engineering offices and five (5) area equipment services in the provinces of ARMM," he said.

Sadain said he introduced policy reforms and institutional development to strengthen the capability and capacity of officials and employees of the department since his assumption.

He said this allows the department to contribute to the transformation of the ARMM into respectable institution able to respond to the needs of its constituents. 

"We welcome challenges that come our way. The DPWH-ARMM has remained steadfast from the start of its reform struggles, be it on its official mandate as infrastructure arm of the region, fiscal management on government funds, institutional development of the agency and capacity building of its personnel," Sadain said.

The department proposes a P5.5 billion budget for next year that includes the P2.052 billion allotment for OPPAP’s Road to Peace program.(BPI)

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KASALIMBAGO Movement inducts new officials, members

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 19 (PIA) --- The KASALIMBAGO (Reform) Movement inducted its newly-elected officers on Sunday, September 15, at the Marawi Resort Hotel, this city. 

Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Nasib Yasin swore in the new KASALIMBAGO officers  and members led by its chairman Professor Salipada Taman, vice chair Atty. Amenoden Macalandap, and secretary Hadja Nabihah 'Noni' Lao. 

The KASALIMBAGO Movement is a network of government and civil society organizations committed to the strengthening of democratic ideals in the province through electoral reforms and other activities that would broaden people's participation and representation in realization of peaceful, orderly, free and credible elections in the province. 

In his message, Tamano underscored the concept of bayanihan in the attainment of the Movement's aspirations. 

He said the goals of the KASALIMBAGO Movement are implemented by all concerned stakeholders using the principles of unity, solidarity and teamwork.

He further said that the Movement promotes "kapamagogopa" (bayanihan), bridging leaders of reforms and transformation and building strong and inclusive partnership between government officials and civil societyfor the general welfare of the people.

After the new officers and members took their oaths, the KASALIMBAGO Movement and the 103rd Infantry Brigade inked an agreement to further strengthen the partnership between the Movement and the Philippine Army.

The memorandum of agreement was signed by Tamano and Col. Glenn Macasero, commanding officer of the 103rd Infantry Brigade.

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KASALIMBAGO Movement pays tribute to Brigadier General Lucero

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 17 (PIA) -- Members of the KASALIMBAGO Movement gathered in Marawi Resort Hotel Sunday, September 15, to pay tribute to the late Brigadier General Daniel A. Lucero.  

Lucero, who reportedly suffered a heart attack while on scuba diving in June this year, served as the commanding officer of the 103rd Infantry Brigade based in Kampo Ranao, this city, before he became the Division Commander of the 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army.

During his stay as 103rd Brigade Commander, Lucero partnered with various stakeholders in the province and conducted massive operation against lawless groups that resulted to the recovery of 56 high powered firearms and 82 low powered firearms as well as confiscation of more than 100,000 illegally cut lumbers.

He supported the law enforcement agencies in the eradication of illegal drug activities and kidnapping in the province.

Lucero further initiated several human rights seminars and culture sensitivity education among military troops operating in the province which earned the respect of the local populace.

The 103rd Infantry Brigade, under his leadership, was also able to donate more than 600 armchairs to the different Madrasah schools in the province.

Moreover, he distributed more than 2,000 sacks of relief goods to 18 barangays in the municipality of Tagoloan and 13 barangays in Kapai after the onslaught of typhoon Sendong in the province.

Lucero also became instrumental in the formulation of a support call for the electoral reforms in the province. With a series of seminars and meetings, he held a peace caravan together with different radio forums and civil society organizations (CSOs) to campaign for a clean and peaceful voters’ registration in the province.

He became a member and adviser of the Lanao del Sur Peoples' Council in January 2012 and later on organized, together with CSOs in the province, the KASALIMBAGO (reform) Election 2013 Summit which later transformed into Task Force KASALIMBAGO and now the KASALIMBAGO Movement.

Aside from the members and officers of the KASALIMBAGO Movement, the tribute ceremony was also attended in by officials and members of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, CSOs representatives and media practitioners.

Meanwhile, Connie Lucero, wife of the late BGen, expressed appreciation to the KASALIMBAGO Movement for the tribute ceremony.

She said her husband led the 103rd Infantry Brigade not with an iron hand but with a heart of gold and his humble openness and utmost concern for the well-being of Marawi and Lanao del Sur is one of the best legacy he has ever left.

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ARMM sends additional help to displaced families in Zamboanga City

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 16 (PIA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government has sent  additional aid to families displaced by the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City Thursday, September 12.

Three truckloads of non-food relief items that include hygiene packs, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, sleeping mats and buckets were distributed to residents taking shelter at evacuation centers set up by the city government of Zamboanga.

The ARMM government had earlier provided 2,000 food packs to the evacuees.

Hundreds of city residents were forced to flee their homes Monday to escape clashes between government troops and members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)/Nur Misuari faction.

"We understand that this is a very troubling time for city and we like to help in whatever we can," ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said.

Hataman said the regional government wants to help in humanitarian efforts related to the standoff.

Lawyer Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said the relief items were raised with the help of the United Nations High Commission on Refugee (UNHCR).

"The City of Zamboanga is doing an excellent job in managing the crisis response. They have called on us for additional help, and we are glad to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable," said Arjun Jain, UNHCR’s head in Mindanao.

Although not part of the ARMM, Zamboanga city serves as an important hub and transit point to residents in the island provinces belonging to the region.(BPI-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)

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613 TESDA graduates in Lanao Sur land jobs

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept 11 (PIA) -- Six hundred thirteen (613) graduates of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) scholarship programs under the Transition Investment Support Plan (TISP) for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) landed jobs after graduation.

Tesda Provincial Director Tarhata Mapandi announced this during the Provincial Stakeholders’ Meeting on the implementation of TISP-funded programs and projects held on September 8, here.

She said Tesda-accredited institutions handling the scholarship programs reported that 91 graduates of the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (Pesfa), 131 Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) graduates and 391 graduates of Ulama and Youth Program are now employed.

Pesfa, TWSP, Ulama and Youth are the three components of the scholarship programs funded by the TISP and implemented by Tesda-ARMM.

According to Mapandi, 1,619 scholarship slots were allocated for the province, 355 of which were set aside for the Pesfa, 249 for TWSP, and 1,015 for Ulama and Youth program.

The implementation of the training is already completed and 99.57 percent of the allocation or 1,612 slots were utilized except for the seven slots on Food and Beverages Services which has no takers, she said.

Mapandi further said that 1,311 scholars have graduated from the three scholarship programs with 809 assessed and 463 certified as of September 3.

The number of graduates as well as the number of candidates assessed and certified is expected to increase once we get the reports of the remaining four techvoc institutions in the province, she added.

The TISP was provided in by the national government to the ARMM to improve the socio-economic conditions in the region.

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Lanao del Sur gets 12 fire station projects from ARMM's TISP

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 11 (PIA) -- Twelve  out of the 33 fire station projects under the Transition Investment Support Plan (TISP) for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) went to the province, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) here.

Provincial Fire Marshal SFO4 Maximino Vicente P. Ventura II said five of the fire station projects were already completed as of August 31, this year.

These fire stations, he said, are constructed in Balindong, Marantao, Saguiaran, Ditsaan-Ramain, and Balabagan.

He said the construction of the other seven fire stations costing P2.9 million each is on-going with different levels of completion.

According to him, the fire station project in Masui town is 90 percent completed and those in Piagapo, Lumba Bayabao and Poona Bayabao are 89 percent completed.

He said the construction of these projects started in October, last year.

Ventura also said the fire station in Madalum town is now 87 percent completed while those in Bayang and Bacolod Kalawi are 85 percent and 72 percent completed, respectively.

The TISP is a P8.59 billion fund earmarked by the Aquino administration to fast track key development initiatives and reforms in ARMM.

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DPWH bares TISP-funded infra projects in Lanao del Sur

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 10 (PIA) -- Four infrastructure projects funded by the national government's Transition Investment Support Plan (TISP) for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have been completed, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office 10 said.

Jacky Kim A. Obguia, chief of the monitoring section of DPWH-10, reported this during the local stakeholders meeting of the Project Management Office (PMO) of the Transition Investment Support Plan (TISP) for  Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Sunday, September 8. 

He said the widening of Marawi-Malabang road; upgrading of national road, Ganassi-Tubod section; rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged national road, Ganassi-Tubod section; rehabilitation of Bato-Bato bridge approaches and scour protection and completion of Kiaokaran bridge along Molundo-Maguing section were 100 percent completed.

He added that the rehabilitation/reconstruction/upgrading of damaged paved national road, Marawi-Malabang section is 93 percent completed while the upgrading of Molundo-Wao road, Molundo-Maguing section, is 95 percent as of August 31.

Obguia said these infra projects will bring the people in the municipalities closer to the city, facilities and commodities.

The TISP is a national government intervention to improve the socio-economic conditions in ARMM.

Out of the P8.59 billion TISP funding, DPWH got the share of P2.8 billion for preventive maintenance of national arterial or secondary roads, rehabilitation/reconstruction of damaged paved national roads, upgrading of secondary roads, and replacement of national bridges.

According to DPWH-10, a total of P911 million was allocated for infrastructure projects in the province.

Obguia said DPWH-10 is also implementing other projects in the province in support to the TISP.

These include the road upgrading of Molundo-Wao road, Bumbaran section, which is 35.46 percent completed.

He said the project contracted by Fiat Construction has a cost of P127,327,005.09 with target completion on January 21, 2014.

The other project which is only 9.64 percent completed is the reconstruction of Agus Bridge II along Marcos Boulevard, this city.

The project started last April 3, 2013 and we are expecting full blast of activities for this project because the materials was already delivered on site, he said.

This project, with a total cost of P138,753,665.80, is expected to be completed on May 22, 2014.

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TISP Project Management Office holds stakeholders consultation in Lanao Sur

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur Sept. 9 (PIA) -- The Project Management Office (PMO) of the Transition Investment Support Plan (TISP) for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) held a provincial stakeholders' meeting Sunday, September 8, to communicate the progress of projects funded under the TISP to local stakeholders.

The stakeholders' consultation, held in Mamitua Saber Research Center in Mindanao State University Marawi campus, was participated in by representatives of implementing line agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), local government units (LGUs) and media practitioners.

Prof. Jurma Tikmasan, deputy program manager of TISP regional PMO, said the meeting was aimed to provide project implementers the venue to present details of the progress of their TISP-funded projects.

She said it was also intended to validate the reports of implementing agencies and monitoring CSOs, address the discrepancies between these reports, and establish a close coordination between implementing agencies, CSOs, and the PMO.

The TISP is part of the Aquino administration’s commitment to fast track the reform agenda in ARMM.

The P8.59 billion TISP was formulated in by the national government because the President wanted to give  ARMM the opportunity to catch up with the rest of the country, Tikmasan said.

TISP programs and projects cover 11 implementing agencies and 106 municipalities in ARMM and includes the delivery of quality and essential public programs services as well as infrastructure projects, she said.

The implementing agencies and its corresponding allocations are: Department of Agriculture, P1,060,000,000; Department of Environment and Natural Resources, P49,586,000; Department of Interior and Local Government, P1,275,790,202; Department of Energy-National Electrification Administration, P200,000,000; Department of Health, P956,000,000; Department of Science and Technology, P24,650,000; Department of Transportation and Communications, P80,000,000; Department of Public Works and Highways, P2,851,155,000; Department of Social Welfare and Development, P1,971,145,000; Department of Trade and Industry, P60,000,000; and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, P61,638,000.

With CSOs serving as project monitors, Tikmasan said, the TISP also seeks to create enabling mechanisms to promote and sustain public-private partnerships between line agencies, LGUs, and CSOs in economic development and good governance.

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Agriculture office distributes farm animals to farmers coops in Lanao del Sur

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 5 (PIA) --- The Provincial Office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) distributed eight carabaos and 60 goats to identified farmers cooperatives and associations in the province.

The animal distribution last August 23 was part of the Agri Pinoy Livestock Program of the department to help farmers in the area to be more competitive, said Daud M. Diapar, chief livestock coordinator of DA-Lanao del Sur.

He said the carabaos will be used by the beneficiaries in their farm work while the goats will be utilized for milk production in their respective barangays in support to the Kambingan at Gatas sa Barangay program.

Recipients of the carabaos were Inungka Islamic Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) in Tubaran town, Micolabo-SCFO MPC in Picong, Ilian-Salipongan Integrated Farmers MPC in Taraka, Catogonan Farmers Association in Buadi-puso Buntong, Ilian Farmers Assocciation in  Pagayawan, Tadman Farmers Producer Cooperative in Bubong, Maguing Farmers Marketing Cooperative in Maguing, and Tamlang Producer Cooperative in  Pualas town.

The goats, on the other hand, were distributed to Modern Farmers MPC in Ganassi, Mandara R.R. MPC in Ditsaan-Ramain, Kapai Farmers MPC in Kapai, Sugod Farmers Association in Madalum, Rinabor Farmers Association in Bayang, Rainbow Farmers Association in Pagayawan, Kadingilan Farmers Marketing Cooperative in Madamba, Macaorandig Farmers Association in Malabang, and Rockland Agrifarm Producer Cooperative in Balindong.

Diapar also said the DA provincial office is planning to distribute four cattles, four carabaos, 120 goats and 180 native chickens next year to other cooperatives and associations who were not included in the distribution this year.

Aside from animal distribution, Diapar said the Agri Pinoy Livestock program also include animal treatment, artificial insemination, anti-rabbies vaccination, and seminars and trainings in the different municipalities.

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ARMM partners with MNLF on Pamana implementation

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 7 (PIA) --- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government builds up its partnership with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in pursuing socio-economic growth in formerly war-affected areas through the implementation of the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program.

The regional government held a convergence forum with MNLF senior leaders Sunday, September 1, to discuss, among others, the status of the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement they signed with the Philippine government.

ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia said the forum also facilitated the roll-out of development programs in ARMM communities identified as beneficiaries of the Camp to Communities (C2C) project of the Pamana.

Pamana includes projects on peace and development, education, livelihood, and health. 

“C2C would help transform these once conflict-stricken areas into peaceful and productive communities,” Alamia said.

She said that years of warfare have stifled the growth of hundreds of communities in ARMM.

Alamia said the present ARMM administration aspires to be as inclusive as possible in the pursuit of socio-economic programs.

The ARMM government oversees the implementation of the C2C project, having its funding included in the region’s 2014 approved annual budget.

According to Alamia the national government has allotted between P1.4-billion to P2.6-billion for Pamana projects for 2013 and the succeeding year.

“Our partnership with the MNLF and close coordination with the national government allow us to give primacy to the welfare of our constituents and cuts back interventions from political groups,” she said.

Senior MNLF leaders meanwhile lauded the government efforts to improve the condition of communities which are largely under their influence. (BPI-ARMM/PIA-10)

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Residents in Lanao del Sur receive relief goods from ARMM govt

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept.3 (PIA) -- Around 1,000 residents in the province received relief goods from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government on Saturday, August 31.

Spearheaded by Office of Regional Vice-Governor, the distribution of relief goods was held in Ganassi town and in Brgy. Tuca, this city.

Each of the beneficiaries received three  kilos of rice, two  cans of sardines, two  cans of corned beef and packs of noodles.

ARMM Vice-Governor Haroun Alrashid Lucman Jr. said the distribution of relief goods is one of their strategies to alleviate poverty in the region.

"Relief goods are not only for those affected by disasters, there is also a need to go to the ground and provide basic services to the poor," he said.

Lucman is also the concurrent secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) in ARMM.

Aside from the relief goods, the Department of Health (DOH) in the region also provided free medical services like consultation and vaccination, free circumcision and haircut during the event. 

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