PNP to set up assistance desks in schools

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 30 (PIA) --- As part of its security measures for the opening of classes, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Office will set up assistance desks in various schools in the province.

Police Senior Inspector Ramon Christian S. Laygu, provincial police spokesperson, said that students can report cases of bullying and other security concerns to the assistance desks.

“Mayroon po tayong ilalatag na Public Assistant Desk bawat eskwelahan. Kung may mga katanungan at problema na sa tingin nila ay makakatulong ang PNP, pwede po silang lumapit sa Public Assistant Desk natin,” (We will set up Public Assistant Desk in each school. If they have questions or problems which they think the PNP can help, they can always approach our Public Assistant Desks), he said.

He said the police assistance desks will be operational during the opening of classes and will continue to serve the public until the resumption of classes becomes orderly and peaceful.

Laygu further said law enforcement units will also be deployed in strategic areas in every municipality so that they can respond immediately in cases of security problems in schools. (APB/PIA-10)

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Traditional leaders in Lanao urged to help in peace building

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 22 (PIA) --- The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has encouraged the traditional leaders of the royal houses in Lanao to play an active role in the peace process.

OPAPP Undersecretary Maria Cleofe “Gettie” Sandoval said the Sultanate is a valuable partner in the journey toward the fulfilment of peace in the proposed Bangsamoro region.

“Kaya’t nananawagan ako sa inyo, mga tradisyonal na pinuno ng Sultanato ng Lanao, nawa’y patuloy tayong magtulungan upang mabigyan ng katuparan ang ating pangarap sa tunay at wagas na kapayapaan. (So I call upon you, the traditional leaders of the Sultanate of Lanao, may we continue to work together to fulfill our dream of real and genuine peace), she said during the 1st anniversary celebration of the Federation of the Royal Sultanate of Lanao (FEROSULA) held at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall on May 15.

Sandoval, who led the oath-taking and induction ceremony of the FEROSULA members, also cited that achieving peace is expected to bring prosperity and better future for the Bangsamoro, Mindanao and the entire country.

Despite the challenges and barriers, she said the fight for a lasting peace will succeed if everyone will work together hand-in-hand.

“We shall succeed as we remain committed to the vision of shared peace and shared prosperity for all,” she added.

FEROSULA President and Sultan sa Pagayawan Macmod Dalidig said the Federation was established a year ago by the men from the Sultanate of Pagayawan, Sultanate of Ditsaan Ramain, Sultanate of Amanga Didagen, and Sultanate of Marawi under the advisorial guidance Provincial Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr.

As FEROSULA President, he expressed thanks to President Benigno S. Aquino III for answering the call of the Bangsamoro for peace and development in the Bangsamoro homeland.

He said the recent signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro was a manifestation of the government’s sincerity to bring peace and development in the Bangsamoro homeland.

“I agree with President Aquino when he said that the ARMM is a failed experiment. Many of the people who feel that there is no way out will continue to articulate their grievances through the barrel of a gun. We cannot change this without structural reform,” he further said.

Thus, he urged his fellow Sultans to support the peace agreement and the Basic Law and further unite to strengthen, promote, and preserve their cultural heritage. (APB/PIA-10)

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Madaris in ARMM to receive financial assistance

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 20 (PIA) --- More than 80 madaris or Islamic schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will get financial assistance from the region’s Education Department this school year. 

Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Undersecretary for Madaris Education Alzad Sattarsaid the agency has earmarked P5,000 financial support for every madrasah student.

The fund, he said, would be used to support infrastructure improvement of madaris and the salaries of their instructors.

“We like to help Madaris operating in the region keep up with the education standard we want to establish in ARMM,” said Sattar.

Most of the madaris, Sattar said, face financial difficulty.

“Pilot madaris should be at par with other private educational institutions, if not today, maybe in the near future. Once we achieve quality management and quality education, we will produce quality leaders who can lead the Bangsamoro,” he said.

According to him, a madrasah must have a permit to operate from the DepEd and follow the prescribed basic education curriculum to qualify for the financial assistance.  

The curriculum is a combination of Islamic studies and Arabic Language (ISAL) with core madrasah subjects like Qur’an, Aqeedah (Theology) and Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Seerah (Prophet's Biography) and Hadith (Prophetic Traditions) and the Revised Basic Education Curriculum such as English, Science, Math, Filipino and Makabayan (Social Studies).

Pilot madaris in ARMM have recently adopted the Standard Madrasah Curriculum or known as Refined Enhancement Madrasah Curriculum.  (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)

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DSWD-ARMM strengthens partnership with LGUs to fast track dev’t in Lanao Sur

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 20 (PIA) --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) has strengthened its partnership with the provincial government and the provincial league of mayors to spur development in the province.

The three parties recently forged a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the implementation of the Family-Based Livelihood Enterprise cum Cooperative Program under the Pillar II component of the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), the national government’s program and framework for peace and development in conflict-affected areas and communities.

A complementary track to peace negotiations, the primary aim of PAMANA is to contribute to lasting peace by reducing poverty and vulnerability in conflict-affected communities. Its Pillar II component facilitates the delivery of improved basic services at the community level through community-driven development (CDD) and community livelihood interventions to build conflict-resilient communities.

Under the tripartite MoA, DSWD-ARMM shall conduct regular monitoring and assessment in all phases of the project implementation, ensure that the provisions of the MoA are followed within the timeline, monitor the implementation of CDD interventions, releases the community cash grants directly to the joint-account of the community livelihood associations with notice of fund transfer to provincial PAMANA teams, and facilitate the conduct of program review and feedback workshop of all stakeholders involved, among others.

The provincial government, on the other hand, shall support the implementation of the program through the provincial PAMANA team which shall act on a supervisory role, and extend technical assistance to municipal PAMANA teams in the implementation of CDD interventions, and in preparing project proposals and financial plans.

Meanwhile, the municipal governments manages the implementation, facilitate organization on barangay assemblies to orient communities about the program and identification for priority projects, provide technical assistance to community facilitators in program implementation or troubleshooting concerns in the ground, among others.

ARMM Vice Governor and DSWD-ARMM Secretary Haroun Alrashid Lucman Jr. said the Family-Based Livelihood Enterprise cum Cooperative Program targets to benefit all the barangays in the province.

He said each barangay will receive P300,000 in the form of livelihood projects such as aqua-culture projects, animal dispersal, cottage industry development, and post-harvest facility. (APB/PIA-10)

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ARMM hires over a thousand new teachers

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 18 (PIA) --- Over a thousand new teachers have been hired by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) this month to address teaching gaps in the region.

Nine hundred three teachers took oath en masse Friday, May 16, and will be assigned to permanent teaching slots in at least 1,364 different schools in ARMM’s mainland provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur and city of Marawi.

Of the 903 new appointments, 505 will be deployed in Maguindanao, 325 in Lanao del Sur and 78 in Marawi City.

Eighty nine percent or 797 of the sworn-in teachers are women.

ARMM Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan said 450 others will take oath on May 30 in Zamboanga City and will be assigned to schools in the island provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

All 1,353 newly-hired teachers have passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) and underwent screening process used by ARMM’s Department of Education (DepEd) in considering applicants for teaching post.

Kulayan said they opted to hold a mass oath taking ceremony to boost the morale of the teachers and solemnize their commitment to the profession.

The newly-hired teachers will join the 23,000 educators in ARMM.

Meanwhile, Mubarak Pandi, DepEd regional information officer, said there are still around 2,645 teaching posts for the region to be filled this 2014.

“We are optimistic these vacancies will soon be filled before the year ends, with the massive turn-out of new teaching aspirants undergoing Teachers Assessment and Competency Exam (TACE),” Pandi said.

TACE, an innovation on screening process ensures competency and aptitude of new recruits. It involves set of paper examination, panel interview and teaching demo to rank qualified applicants as to hiring priorities.

The present ARMM leadership puts premium on improving the quality of education in the region starting with the hiring of qualified and competent educators. (Bureau of Public Information/PIA-10)

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ARMM trains ‘little cultural ambassadors’

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 15 (PIA) --- A group of Moro kids are learning to play the music commonly featured in traditional banquets and enjoyed by their forebears with the help of a cultural workshop introduced by the Bureau on Cultural Heritage in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BCH-ARMM) this summer.

The kids, aged 7-12, are training on theater arts and in playing the kulintang, a traditional percussion instrument, in the course of three weeks.

 

“This is part of our efforts to preserve and promote the vibrant culture of the Bangsamoro, especially among the younger generations,” said Ardan Sali, BCH-ARMM director.

 

He said they also hope the group of 23 kids taking part in the summer workshop will serve as the ‘little ambassadors’ of Bangsamoro culture.

 

“We know these kids can help us promote and keep the vibrant traditions of the Bangsamoro alive,” he said.

 

Aside from the summer workshop, BCH-ARMM is planning to hold a Regional Cultural Summit this June to bring together the movers and shakers of the Bangsamoro cultural scene. (Bureau of Public Information/PIA-10)

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Campaign on gender equality continue to move forward in Lanao del Sur

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 12 (PIA) --- Amidst various issues confronting gender equality, the campaign on the promotion of women participation in the public realm continue to move forward here in the province.

Lilia Perez, national program coordinator of Paz Y Desarrollo (PyD), said during the seminar on media and gender equality held recently here that seven barangays in Balindong town and another seven in Marawi City are currently benefiting from the implementation of PyD’s regional program to promote gender equality in political participation.

Anchored on a communication campaign dubbed “Female Forward” with taglines “Stand up, Step up, Speak up,” the program which started in 2010 was designed to accelerate women’s equal leadership and participation in the political and public life of the community where they belong.

Perez said the first year of the program focused more on the establishment of a baseline and conduct of various researches regarding the situation in identified areas.

“Right now, we have many networks of gender pools established in the communities. We have also identified gender advocates in the universities and even in student organizations,” she said.

According to her, the program was able to raise awareness on gender issues in the identified 14 barangays in the province through series of trainings on leadership and negotiation skills to capacitate women to be active citizen of the communities.

These barangays were Banggolo, Dulay West, Dulay Proper, Papandayan Caniogan, Sugod, South Madaya, and Moncado Kadingilan in Marawi City. In Balindong, we have Bubong Cadapaan, Poblacion Cadapaan, Cadayonan, Lilod, Paigo-ay, Lombayao, and Poblacion Balindong, she added.

Meanwhile, the seminar on media and gender equality held at the Mamitua Saber Research and Training Center in Mindanao State University main campus on May 8 was attended by several media practitioners in the province.

PyD conducted the seminar because they believe that media can help in raising public awareness on gender issues, Perez said.

She said that three groups played an important role in development projects, the rights holders, duty bearers and moral bearers which include the academe, non-government organizations (NGOs), and media among others.

We need to collaborate with these sectors to have a better impact and wider dissemination of information, she added.

PyD is an NGO founded in Spain in 1991. It has been working with civil society, governments, and educational institutions from various nations in carrying out programs and projects that seek to promote equality and social justice as a means to achieve social change.

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ARMM bags 3 golds in Palarong Pambansa

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 8 (PIA) --- The delegation from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the 2014 Palarong Pambansa bagged a total of three gold, two silver and four bronze medals in Wrestling and Taekwando competition as of today, May 8.

ARMM contingent already registered nine wins. They bagged three gold, one silver and one bronze in the Taewando pomsae or exhibition.

Further, they garnered one silver and three bronze medals in the wrestling division.

Now on its fifth day, the Palarong Pambansa is held in Laguna from May 4 to 10.

It is participated by 447 athletes representing the region led by ARMM Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan.  

“We have improved a lot from our last Palarong Pambansa participation,” said Regional Sports Coordinating Office Executive Director Al-Trekee Dayan.

Dayan, along with Kulayan, is in Laguna to supervise and see the performance of the ARMM delegation.

In last year’s Palaro in Dumaguete, ARMM was one of the only two regions that did not win a single gold medal.

“We made a big leap because of the hardwork of the athletes, trainers and coaches. And the unwavering support of the regional government through its education department headed by Atty. Kulayan,” Dayan said

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman congratulated the winning athletes and said that the region is proud of them. He also thanked the officials, coaches and teachers that supervise the regional athletes.(Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)

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Fisherfolk Directors Program highlights Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s month celebration in ARMM

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 7 (PIA) --- A seaweed grower and trader from the island of Tongsibalu in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, Al-Hasil Nahul, will serve as ‘Mangingisdang Direktor’ or Fisherfolk Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the whole month of May as the bureau celebrates this year’s Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month.  

BFAR-ARMM director Janice Musali said they are hoping to give Nahul a good insight of the workings of BFAR as he performs the functions of being the agency’s director for a month, although on a limited one. 

Musali will go to Nahul’s province to stay in a fishing village in the coastal town of Languyan for an immersion program.

The seeming role reversal known as BFAR’s Fisherfolk Directors Program is one the highlights of the yearly celebration of the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month.

“It aims to strengthen the partnership between fisherfolk and the government as embodied in the Department of Agriculture Special Order No. 88 and BFAR Officer Order No. 080,” Musali said.

With this year’s theme “Mangingisdang Direktor tungo sa Mas Matatag na Balikatan,” BFAR-ARMM will work with Fisherfolk Director Nahul to bring the advocacy on the sustainable use of aquatic resources and promote the Fisherfolk Registration (FishR) program to wider audience.

Nahul is set to do radio guesting, market and fish landing tour, and take part in the national congress of fisherfolk directors.

Nahul said he is elated to have been chosen as this year’s ‘Mangingisdang Direktor’.

“Di ko inaasahan na ako na laging babad sa init, nakababad sa alon, andito ngayon sa opisinang naka-aircon,” a candid Nahul said.

He said he will do his best to be helpful to both the BFAR and his fellow fisherman.

“I hope I can inspire everyone to work even more and encourage further cooperation between fisherfolk and the government,” he said. (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)

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Peace advocates in Lanao join rally to push for Bangsamoro Basic Law

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 5 (PIA) --- Thousands of peace advocates in the two Lanao provinces joined the massive peace rallies Sunday, May 4, in support to the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

As early as 7:00 a.m., peace supporters in Marawi City started walking to Plaza Cabili in Banggolo for the program. Participants from various parts of Lanao del Sur also flocked to the plaza, on board jeepneys and trucks, to join the appeal for the swift passage of BBL.

Peace advocates in Lanao del Norte, on the other hand, staged the rally in a madrasah in Zapacan, municipality of Balo-i.

The rallies were organized by the Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP), an organization of different civil society groups in Mindanao, to call on Congress to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law as soon as possible.

Duma Mascud, vice-chair of the MAP, said the rallies which they dubbed as “The People’s Popular Ratification of the BBL” were meant to show their support to the proposed BBL.

He said the mass actions were aimed to appeal to the Congress to fast-track its deliberation and approve it without undue delay.

To show their support to the call, the Ranaw Confederation for Peace issued a statement urging all peace advocates, whether individuals, national or international organizations, to help them in calling on the Congress not to deprive the Bangsamoro and the Filipino people of a peaceful and prosperous co-existence.

They also expressed their appreciation to those who helped in the negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front all the way to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Meanwhile, similar rallies were also held in the cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Isabela, Tacurong and provinces of Sulu and North Cotabato. (APB/PIA-10)

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