ARMM signs Regional Public Works Act of 2016

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Dec. 19 (PIA) --- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has passed the Muslim Mindanao Autonomy (MMA) Act No. 325, or the Regional Public Works Act of 2016, on December 17.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and Datu Roonie Sinsuat, Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) speaker, signed the law with regional legislators witnessing the event.

MMA Act No. 325 authorizes the appropriation of a P10.1 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2016 for the region’s Public Works and Highways Department (DPWH-ARMM).

It is stated in the Act that consistent with the 2016 National Expenditure Program, the public works budget shall be used in the construction, development, upgrading, and operation or maintenance of roads, highways, bridges, water supplies, flood controls, ports, airports and other infrastructure projects excluding buildings.

The appropriation will be effective even beyond Fiscal Year 2016, or until fully released, obligated and disbursed for the purpose.

Governor Hataman said the DPWH-ARMM regional office will implement the projects, or these may be decentralized to district engineering offices.

Status of project implementation, based on the approved program of work, project specifications, and time frame of completion will be validated by the Regional Project Monitoring Committee that would include RLA members or representatives.

It also allows the release of mobilization fund of at least 15% for a project implemented by contract, and also with a memorandum of agreement, and 50% for a project implemented by administration.

Engr. Don Mustapha Loong, DPWH-ARMM Secretary, said the projects are designed for the region’s constituents to improve their lives. “The DPWH-ARMM infrastructure fund for next year is in support of peace and development of the Hataman administration,” he added.

Sec. Loong said the bigger budgetary allocation allows DPWH-ARMM to construct new roads and other infrastructure facilities. He also said the massive infrastructure program for the region is expected to generate a significant number of jobs. (BPI/PIA-10)

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10,000 OSY in ARMM get training from Australian-funded program

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Dec. 19 (PIA) --- The Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM), a program funded by the Australian government currently implemented in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has provided livelihood skills training to roughly 10,000 youth beneficiaries since it was launched in 2013.

In the province of Tawi-Tawi alone, at least 2,000 out-of-school youth were trained under the program.

“BEAM-ARMM provides our out-of-school youth with opportunities to live a better life,” said Tawi-Tawi Governor Nurbert Sahali during the first visit to the province of an Australian delegation comprising of high-ranking officials.

On Friday, December 11, Australia’s Federal Justice Minister Hon Michael Keenan MP and the Australian Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, David Dutton, were in the provincial capital of Bongao to meet with local government officials and out-of-school youth representatives.

A statement from the Australian embassy said the visit “was part of Mr Keenan’s trip to the Philippines to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation under the comprehensive Australia-Philippines partnership.” The Australian government is one of the largest donors to the country’s education sector with an annual investment of approximately P1.3 billion.

A five-year initiative, BEAM-ARMM is a comprehensive education and youth development program that contributes to poverty alleviation and emergence of peace in ARMM through targeted investments in basic education and the training of out-of-school youth in technical-vocational courses.

The training courses include small engine servicing, masonry, electrical installation maintenance, carpentry, dressmaking, cooking, solar lamp installation and maintenance, and baking, among others.

Yasser Usani, 21, a young man trained to be a barber, said he is already earning from working part-time at a barbershop established last year with support from the program. “The training helped me pursue my college education,” the statement said, adding, Usani was not able to enrol in college in previous years due financial constraints.

Another beneficiary, Sonora Sampang, 26, said she is now a dressmaker expressing hope to put up her own dressmaking shop to earn bigger income. Out-of-school youth who completed the BEAM-ARMM training receive Technical Education and Skills Development Authority certificates that can be used in applying for local and foreign-based jobs, the statement added. (BPI/PIA-10)

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Hundreds of residents in Ganassi town receive free services

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, December 19 (PIA) --- Hundreds of residents from the town of Ganassi in the province are thankful to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government for the free services offered during the Provincial People’s Day last December 8, 2015.

The free services offered include medical check-up such as blood pressure taking, blood sugar testing and dental check-up. The Department of Health-ARMM in cooperation with the Department of Education-ARMM and Integrated Provincial Health Office-Lanao also distributed medicines and vitamins.

The PAMANA Program of the DSWD-ARMM also turned-over post-harvest facilities to farmer beneficiaries of Ganassi town.

Checks worth more than P1,000 each were further distributed to 171 indigent senior citizens as social pensioners of DSWD Lanao.

Similar Provincial People’s Day are being held in all provinces of the ARMM. It is part of the continuing efforts of the Hataman administration to bring direct services closer to the public. (BPI/PIA-10)

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DILG-ARMM, NAPC hold BuB confab, 97 patrol cars turned-over

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, December 18 (PIA) ---  Stakeholders of Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) gathered for a two-day summit in Cotabato City to further enhance the program and strengthen government and basic sector partnership.

Dubbed ‘ARMM BuB Summit,’ the activity started on December 16 until December 17. It was convened by the region’s Interior and Local Government department (DILG-ARMM) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

Over 90 local chief executives and 111 representatives from civil society organizations from different towns and provinces, officials of regional line agencies such as Departments of Health, Social Welfare and Development, and Education, as well as representatives from national oversight agencies participated in the BuB activity.

“This program seeks to increase citizen’s access to local service delivery through demand-driven budget planning process, and to strengthen government accountability,” Anwar Malang, ARMM’s secretary of Interior and Local Government said.

Meanwhile, Jose Eliseo Rocamora, NAPC secretary said the BuB Summit also covered the current implementation of the program in the ARMM, generate solutions to problems identified in the implementation and lay-out fundamental agreements on the proposed direction for BuB in 2017.

A total of P20 billion will be allocated for BuB 2017 program nationwide.

Bottom-up Budgeting is an approach in formulating budget proposals of national government agencies, taking into consideration the development needs of poor cities, or towns, as identified in their respective local poverty reduction action plans. Such plans are formulated with strong participation from basic sectors and civil society organizations.

Among the BuB-funded projects implemented in the region are provisions of community water supply systems and new health centers, and initiatives on gender and development.

From 2013 to 2015, a total of 119 projects under BuB have been completed and 144 more projects are on going.

Meanwhile, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman formally received 97 brand new patrol cars as part of BuB program for the region. 

DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento led the turnover of the patrol cars, which would be distributed to the different police offices in the region.

Hataman said the patrol cars will boost the region’s law enforcement capability specifically at local government level. The Police Regional Office-ARMM headed by Chief of Police Ronald Estilles and other officials were present during the turnover ceremony.

Local government units in the ARMM have been part of the BuB program implementation since it started in 2012. The reform program is implemented by the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster of the national government with the objective of attaining the Philippine Development Plan’s goals of inclusive growth and poverty reduction, and to promote good governance at the local government level. (BPI/PIA-10)

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