ARMM inaugurates the Office of the Bangsamoro People

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 31 (PIA) ---  The newly-refurbished building of the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) located in Cotabato City was inaugurated Wednesday, July 30, in an occasion that is festive and symbolic of the present administration’s brand of leadership.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, who led the inauguration, said they are formally renaming the building as the Office of the Bangsamoro People to emphasize a pro-people and inclusive leadership.

 “Gusto nating iparamdam na itong opisina ay hindi lamang office ng Regional Governor. Opisina ‘to ng ating mga kababayan at kabahagi sila dito," he said.

Hataman said the 32-hectare compound housing the different offices of the ARMM government will now be called the Bangsamoro People’s Complex.

The Office of the Bangsamoro People took six months to renovate and costs P60.3 million, with funds taken from the savings generated by the ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways.

The building was built in 1975 to serve as the defunct Office of the Regional Commissioner (ORC). It has since been considered a historical landmark.

Known as the ‘Little Malacañan of the South,’ the premier edifice has been ARMM’s symbol of power with seven of the region’s elected regional governors, including the present, holding their office here.

It is expected that it will also serve as the seat of the envisioned Bangsamoro government, the autonomous political entity set to replace the 25-year old ARMM.

ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Lamitan and Marawi. (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)

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IPHO-Lanao urges parents to get their children vaccinated against measles

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 28 (PIA) --- The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) here in the province is urging parents to have their children immunized against measles in any government health center.

The call was made by IPHO chief Dr. Alinader Minalang after the province registered 118 measles cases from January to July, this year.

The measles cases are quite alarming but parents have no excuse not to let their children be immunized because we have walk-in barangay health centers in every municipality, Minalang said.

He said vaccination is a regular program wherein parents can go any day at any government health center.

Minalang further gave assurance that they have enough supply of measles vaccines.

“We never had shortage of vaccines,” he said.

Measles is a viral infection. According to Minalang, the infected one cannot sometimes tell whether he is already infected not until the rashes appear.

“Measles is also very contagious four days before the rashes appear and four days after the rashes has gone that is why immunization is the best prevention,” he further said.

Meanwhile, the IPHO is intensifying its information drive to prevent the spread of the disease.

Minalang said they are regularly conducting information dissemination through text brigade and airing of radio plugs.

IPHO also holds measles control and prevention meeting in municipalities and conducts mass immunization of children in the affected barangays.

Minalang said they also conduct prompt investigation of reported cases and provide Vitamin A and supportive medicines to measles cases. (APB with report from Johaniah N. Yusoph/PIA-10)

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Feature: Celebrating Ramadhan, Eid’l Fitr

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 28 (PIA) --- You wake up daily as early as 1:00 a.m. to pray and eat. You pray Tahajud (early prayer) and eat breakfast until 4:00 a.m. or when the call of prayer (dawn prayer) is heard.

That breakfast serves as your morning, lunch and mid-afternoon meals. It has to sustain you for the next 14 hours because you’ll break your fast once the dusk prayer (6:00 p.m.) is heard.

But fasting isn’t about getting hungry and thirsty. It’s not about burning calories. It’s about burning the bad habits until you are trained to do nothing but all forms of goodness.

Fasting also means fasting of the senses. It’s about “see no evil, hear no evil, and talk no evil.” This practice lasts for a month and hopefully, it won’t just be good for this month but for the rest of our lives.

Eid’l Fitr is a one day celebration of the Muslims after having completed a one whole month of fasting. Muslims get up early and prepare themselves to go to Masjed (Mosque) to perform the Eid’l Fitr prayer.

The Eid’l Fitr prayer is usually performed at 7:30 a.m. Before going to Masjed, each family are busy preparing foods in the kitchen because they have to eat before proceeding to Masjed.

Oh the feeling is unexplainable! You’ve been used on eating so early that the sky is still dark and yet here you are going to eat with the clear blue sky. It’s just not the same.

Some have mixed emotions. Some are sad because Eid’l Fitr is an official reminder that the Holy Month has just ended; while some are happy simply because they feel the high spirits of others.  

On this day, fellow Muslims are also too busy for their “Sadaqatul Fitr.” Sadaqatul Fitr is an obligation of every Muslim who can afford to give. It could be in form of rice (2 kilos will do) or cash to be given to the relatives who deserve it. But most Muslim scholars advise to give rice instead of cash.

Every member of the family has to give “Sadaqatul Fitr.” For the children, it will be the parents who will provide for them and give to the needy ones.  

After performing such, you’ll see fellows rushing to the Masjed to join the “Takbir.” Takbir are statements you utter to praise The Almighty. You keep on repeating it until the Imam, the one who leads the prayer, initiates the Eid’l Fitr prayer.

The Eid’l Fitr Prayer is just short. It won’t take you fifteen minutes. After the prayer, people will then scatter and you start to hear collective voices and laughs.

Fathers, mothers, aunts, cousins, sisters, brothers and friends will go to one another, hugging, greeting, and asking each other’s forgiveness. You get to see contagious smiles painted in each other’s faces and you cannot help but beam at them too.

Each family will then proceed to their homes. Some gathered at one place and they celebrate, eat, share some talks and of course, in our modern time, taking pictures is always included in the day’s activity.

Indeed, Muslims start the Ramadhan right by asking forgiveness from one another and it has to end like that too. No negative feelings, no hatred, just happiness and pure gratitude. (Johaniah N. Yusoph/APB/PIA-10 Lanao del Sur)

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Multi-sector groups converge for a Greener Marawi

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 28 (PIA) --- The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) of the city together with representatives from various organizations here converged on July 23 at the DxSR Sallam Radio conference room to discuss how they can contribute to the ecological solid waste management program of the city government.

“Marumi City, Langaw Del Sur (Dirty City, Fly Del Sur) is the impression being thrown to Marawi,” said SWMB Board Chairperson Mokiin Malna.

She said the problem on garbage is not new in the city. “It has been a problem decades ago because a large part of the population in the city were not accustomed of throwing their trash properly.”

According to her, the SWMB was created to make the city greener through proper solid waste management.

Among the attendees of the meeting were representatives from the Ulama League (religious group), Philippine National Police (PNP), and members of the media.

Representatives from USAID’s Enhancing Governance Accountability & Engagement (ENGAGE) led by its communications specialist Luis Mendoza Jr. also graced the meeting. ENGAGE has been providing technical assistance to the city government in the implementation of its SWM program.

Discussed during the meeting were the efforts of each sector to make the program successful.

The religious sector through the Ulama Council integrates the value of cleanliness in Islamic teachings. They convince people by emphasizing that cleanliness is mandatory in Islam.  They also discuss the health issues on garbage mismanagement in religious fora.

DxSR Sallam Radio, on the other hand, has a program on air dubbed “Matanos a Marawi” which tackles the importance of cleanliness and other topics related to proper solid waste management. It also targets the youth by educating them on how to throw garbage properly.

Philippine Information Agency (PIA) also expressed support to the program as it has just launched its newest advocacy on climate change “Nagbabago na ang Panahon, Panahon na para Magbago.” The advocacy campaign focuses on four priority areas which include solid waste management.

Malna reiterated that the five-year SWM program will be successful through the collective effort of the agencies and stakeholders stressing that a collective effort will really make a big difference. (Johaniah N. Yusoph/APB/PIA-10)

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PAMANA-ARMM MNLF beneficiaries participate in project planning

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 25 (PIA) – Around 21 members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) from seven barangays in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur participated in the formulation of  management plans for the implementation of livelihood programs under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program.

The participants also identified and listed down their counterpart activities as preparation for the delivery of their approved project items.

The two-day Orientation-Workshop on the Implementation of PAMANA- ARMM Livelihood Programs for the MNLF Communities held July 15 to 16, 2014 in Cotabato City was facilitated by the Office of the ARMM Regional Governor through the PAMANA Management Office (PMO).

The activity, conducted through a participatory process, was aimed at coming up with a project operation and management plan for each target MNLF community.

MNLF Commander Abukhair A. Amirol, one of the MNLF senior leaders, expressed his satisfaction on the activity. “The orientation-workshop is more than 100 percent successful because we became more aware on the program as we, the beneficiaries, are the one planning for the sustainability of our livelihood project,” he said.

Another objective of the activity was for the beneficiaries to acquire practical understanding on the different production technologies.

Hence, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries-(DAF) in the region, the MNLF members learned the practical technologies on corn production, upland and lowland rice production, vegetables, perennial crops, and livestock.

Hadja Jalica D. Mangacop, High- Valued Crop Development (HVCD) Program Coordinator of DAF-ARMM thanked the PMO for involving them in the activity.

“I am very grateful to Engr. Dong K. Anayatin who personally visited my office and asked for resource persons. I am glad that we are involved here because we want to make this project more sustainable,” she said.

The HVCD Program Coordinator also congratulated the PMO staff for the efficiency in conducting the workshop. “This is my first time to see young individuals in ARMM facilitating workshop like this. We need this kind of people”, she added.

DAF- ARMM PAMANA Focal Person Engr. Guiomla Satol also challenged the MNLF Beneficiaries. He emphasized that the entrepreneurial and management skills are essential flavours of successful and farm sustainable farming activity. “Farming is a business, which means it should be continuously cycling to provide income and employment, thus economic development of the community”, he explained.

Meanwhile, Engr. Dong K. Anayatin, Program Manager of the PAMANA Management Office who is also the Assistant Regional Secretary on Special Concerns, expressed his warm appreciations to the MNLF members for coming up with such great workshop outputs.

“I am amazed with what I have witnessed. You have done a very good output which is very essential for the development of your respective livelihood projects,” he said.

He further underscored that the success and failure of the projects are in the participants’ hands.

PAMANA in the ARMM is concentrated on providing development interventions and socio-economic packages to conflict-affected areas in the region. One of its components is PAMANA for MNLF Communities in support to the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MNLF ensuring security of the communities. (Naz Buisan/PAMANA-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)

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News Feature: Meranaos Unite in Prayer for Gaza

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 23 (PIA) --- “How could innocent children die just like that? How could people lose their lives just like that?”

This is the stand of Meranaos who gathered at the Peace Plaza of Mindanao State University (MSU) Main Campus on July 17 for a solidarity prayer rally for the people in Gaza.

The rally was organized by the faculty of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) and Supreme Student Government (SSG) to express their protest on Israel’s massive military actions against Palestine which had killed innocent civilians, including women and children.

Some of the faculty, students, and civilians who joined the solidarity event were waving the flag of Palestine. Others were holding slogans expressing their emotions and opinions and branding the military actions as brutal and barbaric.

“You don’t have to be a Palestinian to stand for Gaza. You just have to be human,” they expressed.

Professor Tirmizy Abdullah, a History Professor, was very emotional in his speech. He said he has witnessed how the Palestinians are being mistreated in their own land. He was crying out loud while narrating his story and told the audience “…Palestinians don’t have the right to renovate their own houses while Israelis are building their own. Do you know that?” He also claimed that before Palestinians used to be the sole dwellers in Palestine, but now they are only five percent of the population.

While he was speaking, participants of the prayer rally who could no longer hold their tears started to cry.

A lady professor also advised the participants to pray for Gaza, and at the same time for the Israelis to be enlightened.

Former Assemblywoman Samira Gutoc also conveyed her sentiment. She reiterated that what is going on in Gaza is totally against humanity. She said they should not be doing the attacks as the Palestinians are already suffering for decades.

As she shouted “kapayaan (peace),” the crowd would respond “hustisya (justice)” and vice-versa.

The rally ended at 6:00pm through a collective prayer.

Indeed, kindness requires no specific religion. What is going on now in Gaza is something that we must be concerned of. We have to save humanity. Much as we want to stop or freeze the rockets being thrown to Gaza, we simply cannot. But we have powerful prayers that may save the people. (Johaniah Yusoph/APB/PIA-10 Lanao del Sur)

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More than 100 Badjao families enjoy early Ramadhan treat from ARMM govt

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 24 (PIA) --- More than one hundred Badjao families temporarily living in Cotabato City were treated Wednesday, July 23, to a meal and a night of fun and enjoyment by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in keeping with the spirit of Ramadhan and the approaching Eidl Fitr.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said they want to highlight the support of the regional government to the plight of the Badjao or Sama Dilaut people.

“We want to give every Badjao man, woman and child the opportunity to live under acceptable and decent condition just like everybody else in the region,” he said.

Years of discrimination, illiteracy and the incursion of commercial fishing boats into their traditional fishing grounds have forced some Badjao families to beg for food and money for sustenance.

“We are working to establish long-term solutions to the plight of most Badjao people,” Hataman said.

The ARMM government also provided free medical service and medicines to the families in addition to the rations of goods and food items they received.

“We are really thankful for the assistance we received. They have not just given us rice and food to eat, they’ve given us hope,” Radja Tanggay, 26 and mother of two, said in vernacular.

“I am happy my family had something to eat now,” said Faima Diya, 8 and the third child in a brood of 9, who hails from Basilan province.

She said she had to stop schooling and join her family in begging for food and money on the streets of Cotabato City after migrating last year.  (Bureau of Public Information/APB/PIA-10)

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Night fun run helps raise funds for ARMM’s young athletes

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 24 (PIA) --- Close to 300 employees of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) including some of its officials, has joined the Ramadhan night fun run Tuesday, July 22.

The night fun run was organized by the ARMM to help raise funds for the region’s contingent to the Batang Pinoy, an annual sporting event of the Philippine Sports Commission.

 Al-Trekee Dayan, ARMM regional sports coordinating office (RSCO) director, said they are trying to raise funds to support ARMM’s young athletes who will compete in at least four sporting events in this year’s Batang Pinoy.

He said ARMM’s contingent will compete in beach volleyball, volleyball, swimming and taekwondo.

“These are sports where our athletes have demonstrated a comparative edge, especially during the recent Palarong Pambansa,” he added.

According to him, the qualifying leg for Mindanao participants will be held in the second week of September in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

With two event categories, 2km run for female and 3km run for male, the night fun run also highlighted calls for an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

“I want to express my sympathy with my Muslim brothers and sisters in Gaza and also support our athletes who will compete in the Batang Pinoy,” said Nash Camo, winner of the fun run’s male category. (Bureau of Public Information/APB/PIA-10)

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Feature: DSWD improves people’s status

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, July 23 (PIA) --- There are various causes why poverty arises. Fortunately, we have government agencies that help in uplifting the lives of the people.

One of these agencies is the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The department has always been dedicated in creating programs and projects that aim to support affected areas and people in ARMM who need financial assistance.

The programs such as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipiono Program (4Ps), Pamayapa at Masaganang Program (PAMANA) and ARMM Social Fund Project (ASFP), among others, have different ways of extending help and support to targeted communities in the province. But they have common denominator and that is to eradicate poverty and empower marginalized communities.

DSWD- Lanao Del Sur A had its ASFP started from 2004 to May this year. “The project lasted for ten years,” said Hayanifah G. Macagaan, the Cluster Provincial Facilitator.

She said the program has identified areas to support through a survey. They used measurements and indicators to ascertain that a certain community is poor such as lack of government facilities, the physical set-up of the barangay, no access road, income of the residents and others.

Many projects have been implemented in different municipalities including Marawi City. These projects included Day Care Centers, Warehouses, Barangay Health Centers, and Livelihood assistance for women, among others.

“Dowa ako e wata na aya pkhakowa aken sa 4Ps na sobra telonggibo olan-olan (I have two children so I get more than P3,000 per month from 4Ps)” said 36 year-old Linambae, a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilya from the municipality of Kapai.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households. It provides cash grants to beneficiaries provided they comply with the set of conditions required by the program.

The Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) is the latest project being implemented by the department here.

“It started May this year and is expected to end August 2014 but there is a possible extension,” said Eaman R. Usman, the Provincial Development Officer II.

Under the program, the target barangay is being grouped. Each group must have 30 members and each member represent one household. Each group are given P300,000 to spend for livelihood and engage in income generating project.

To assess the project on its success, the group must have pre-identified beneficiaries because there is a transfer of scheme. Once the group is successful in generating income, the pre-identified beneficiaries will then receive the same and generate income as well, Usman said. (Johaniah Yusoph/APB/PIA-10 Lanao del Sur)

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