ARMM holds ports management authority summit

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug 31 (PIA) --- To increase the efficiency and the capacity of port terminals in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Regional Ports Management Authority (RPMA) conducted a one-day ports management summit in Zamboanga City, Tuesday, August 30.

With the theme ‘Collaboration and Information Sharing as Key Factors to Promote Development Initiatives in ARMM Ports,’ this year’s summit is a maiden flagship initiative of the RPMA-ARMM.

Ersan Imban Warad, general manager of RPMA-ARMM, said the conduct of the summit was aimed at soliciting diverse regional platforms from various investors, port operators, stakeholders and port users to explore potential business opportunities, discuss management strategies and development initiatives in the ports sector.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said the years before were challenging times for the ports authority as it only earned P9.4 million in 2013. “But in the years that followed, our good governance agenda paved the way for reforms. We sought out the problems and we worked hard to find solutions,” he said.

The authority was restructured and made sure that its roadmap is aligned with the region’s reform agenda.

“As we move forward, we will continue our efforts on information sharing and collaboration with our clients. The reforms we implement in our ports are only as good as their continued engagement,” Gov. Hataman added.

Arthur Nogas, harbor master of the Philippine Ports Authority-Zamboanga City and one of the presenters during the summit, discussed the best practices on ports management and operation that may be applied in the region.

Engr. Jun Macalawan, supervising investment specialist of the Regional Board of Investments-ARMM, meanwhile, tackled the investment opportunities in the region. As of August this year, the authority generated P5.7 million income from its seaport operations.

During the summit, the authority distributed equipment for the various base and sub-ports in Jolo and Siasi in Sulu; Bongao, Mapun, Sitangkai and Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi; and Lamitan City and Maluso in Basilan.

The participants confirmed their solid commitment in achieving the vision of the regional government based on safe, reliable ports facilities and secure sea transportation, protection of the maritime environments and the promotion of the rules of national and international maritime law.

“We are continuously working to develop safe, integrated and sustained seaports network in the ARMM,” Warad said. (BPI-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)

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DENR-ARMM intensifies drive to promote solid waste management

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, August 26 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DENR-ARMM) is intensifying its advocacy to promote solid waste management thru the program, ‘Basuranihan.’

Earlier this week, 50 trash bins were turned-over by the regional government to the City of Marawi in Lanao del Sur and to the town of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao.

DENR-ARMM Secretary Kahal Kedtag said the distribution of trash bins is an advocacy to promote waste disposal and management in the region. The first 100 days action plan of each department in ARMM is a marching order of Governor Mujiv Hataman to continue the reform agenda in the region.

In Marawi City, officials of DENR-ARMM and Lanao del Sur PENRO Cosain Abbas handed over 40 trash bins to City Mayor Majul Gandamra in a simple ceremony held at the Marawi City Hall on August 22. The trash bins will be distributed to selected barangays of the city.
Mayor Gandamra said one of his priorities is solid waste management, which has been an unsettled problem in the city. “We are grateful that DENR-ARMM chose our city as one of its priority beneficiaries of the Basuranihan program,” mayor Gandamra said.

The DENR-ARMM is also set to conduct a three-day orientation on the Basuranihan to officials in the 96 barangays in Marawi City.

“This is the result of our consultation before the formulation of our 100 days action plan. In Lanao del Sur, tinanong natin ang mga tao sa ground kung anong gusto nilang tutukan natin at ‘yung problema sa basura ang isa sa mga most prevailing issues (We asked the residents what issue they want us to focus on and they said the garbage problem is one of the most prevailing issues),” secretary Kedtag said.

“Simple advocacies like this can make a change, may magandang resulta ang lahat ng programa ng gobyerno basta magtutulungan tayong lahat (Government programs would have good results if we help each other),” Kedtag added.

Over all, more or less 250 trash bins have been distributed by the DENR-ARMM through the Basuranihan program since it started in 2014. (BPI-ARMM/PIA-10)

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BSP bestows ‘outstanding partner’ award to RBOI-ARMM

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug. 29 (PIA) --- The Regional Board of Investments in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) was again recognized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as an outstanding partner for its report on regional economic development.

Atty. Ishak Mastura, RBOI-ARMM chairman, received the ‘Dynamic Balance, Philippine Eagle’ trophy crafted by visual artist and multi-awarded sculptor Ferdinand Cacnio.

RBOI is the first agency from ARMM to receive such award.

With the theme ‘Sustained Partnership, Sustained Economic Growth,’ the awards ceremony and appreciation lunch on August 23 was held to acknowledge the agency’s successful partnership with stakeholders and to honor its exemplary support to BSP’s statistical undertakings, information needs, and advocacy programs.

“Due to the value, comprehensiveness, and timeliness of the information/reports, the agency has provided BSP an annual publication of the report on Regional Economic Development in the Philippines,” Atty. Mastura said.

The agency also has a high track record of cooperation, which is another criterion for the said award category.

Atty. Mastura said the agency has been open to the public through its official website and has been intensifying its information dissemination through the help of media networks.

“This is part of our active participation in upholding transparency and open governance by the Hataman administration and in support to President Duterte’s executive order on freedom of information that we in the government are mandated to full public disclosure,” said Atty. Mastura.

“We make sure that relevant information is being shared with its stakeholders and partners who need ARMM’s investment-related data like the BSP. This is also our way of providing useful knowledge that will further contribute to the advancement of an informed government and society as a whole,” he added.

BSP has been giving recognition to its outstanding partners annually as a way of expressing gratitude for the strong support it receives from its partner institutions. (BPI-ARMM/PIA-10)

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OCD confers Gawad Kalasag awards to outstanding local disaster councils in ARMM

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug. 22 (PIA) --- The Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM) honored local disaster risk reduction and management councils (LDRRMCs) that have shown outstanding performance in disaster-resiliency. 

The GAWAD KALASAG (KAlamidad at Sakuna LAbanan, SAriling Galing ang Kaligtasan) is an annual recognition scheme in search for excellence in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and humanitarian assistance, said Myrna J. Angot, Officer-in-Charge of OCD-ARMM. 

The award is given to outstanding performance of Local DRRM Councils, Civil Society Organizations, Volunteer or People’s Organizations as well as Government Emergency Response Management sectors and individuals in providing response to people needing prompt rescue and humanitarian assistance to disaster-affected communities in the region. 

 “It also provides the mechanism in obtaining sustained commitment and support from the highest level of governments by recognizing the exceptional contributions of various DRRM practitioners in rebuilding the resilience of nations and communities against disaster,” Angot further said. 

This year’s GAWAD KALASAG regional winners are: Best LDRRMC (Provincial Category) 1st Place - Maguindanao Province and 2nd Place - Lanao del Sur Province; Best LDRRMC (City Category) 1st Place - Lamitan City, Basilan; Best LDRRMC (Municipal 1st - 3rd Class Category) - 1st Place, - Upi, Maguindanao, 2nd Place - Wao, Lanao del Sur, 3rd Place- Pagalungan; Best LDRRMC (Municipal 4th-6th Class Category)- 1st Place, Kabuntalan, Maguindanao, 2nd Place- Buldon, Maguindanao, 3rd Place - Guindulungan, Maguindanao.

The Best Civil Society Organization (CSO) was awarded to Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace and Development Advocates, Inc (1st place)., Community Organizers Multiversity (2nd place),  SULADS (3rd place); while the Best Volunteer award was given to the Bangsamoro Rescue Team (BARET) and the Heroic Act Awardee for the year is  Myrna Jocelyn Henry of ARMM-HEART (Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team).

Special Recognition Awards were also conferred to Hadja Pombaen Karon Kader of DSWD-ARMM, His Eminence Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo, OMI DD, Zenaida Naga of Marawi City MDRRMC, and the ARMM HEART. (Gilmhar Lao/OCD-ARMM/PIA-10)

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ARMM commemorates 40th year of the 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake, tsunami

 
MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug. 18 (PIA) --- In commemoration of the 40th year of the 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami, the Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM) conducted a multi-hazard simulation drill on August 17, at the Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.



The drill was done in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Cotabato City Regional Medical Center and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.


“The drill is a venue to enhance the preparedness of the communities around the affected areas in case destructive events occur. We could also assess the response capability of various government agencies, even private and volunteer responders,” Myrna Angot, officer-in-charge director of OCD-ARMM said. 


She said the drill aims to test, assess, validate and evaluate the actual ground set-up of the local emergency operation centers and communication system, and strengthen all existing concept of response cluster particularly with the first response.

“During the disaster, life-protecting actions must be taken immediately, so this drill will also help the responders to act as quickly as possible,” she said. Other participating responders were the Philippine Coast Guard; Philippine National Police (PNP)-Scene of the Crime Operatives; PNP-Regional Health Service; Philippine Red Cross; Bangsamoro Response Team; Bureau of Fire Protection-Emergency Medical Services; Office of the Provincial Fire Marshall-Maguindanao; Philippine Air Force-Tactical Operations Group XII; Cotabato City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office; and PNP-Regional Public Safety Battalion.

The activity also conforms with the national government’s four-point plan on disaster preparedness namely public information, education, communication, and disaster response. The earthquake on August 17, 1976, generated by movement along the Cotabato Trench hit the island of Mindanao. The off-shore earthquake produced a massive tsunami killing about 6,000 people making it the most disastrous tsunami to hit the country.

In a post-disaster Phivolcs report, waves as high as nine meters struck the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat. It inundated almost all coastal towns of provinces bordering Moro Gulf namely Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Cotabato and Zamboanga. (BPI-ARMM/PIA-10)

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Residents urged to join clean-up drive

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, August 18 (PIA) – In a bid to address the adverse impacts of solid waste to health and eco-tourism, the city government of Marawi is calling all residents in the city to get involved in the on-going clean-up drive.

The intensified cleaning activity dubbed “Limpiyo a Marawi: Pantag ka, Limpiyo Inga” (Malinis na Marawi: Tapat Mo, Linis Mo) is launched to stir-up the value of having a clean environment.

It also aims to encourage residents to maintain cleanliness in their respective areas.

The clean-up drive also included the clearing and declogging of canals, cutting of grasses, and removal of unnecessary tarpaulins in the 96 barangays of the city.

Government offices, schools and private establishments are urged to join the cleanliness campaign by keeping their areas clean and clutter-free.

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Tugaya town in Lanao del Sur to enforce curfew

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, August 17 (PIA) – The municipality of Tugaya will impose a curfew for minors starting next month.
                 

Town mayor Alfatah B. Pacalna has approved Municipal Ordinance No. 01-16 prohibiting minors to loiter, wander or stroll in streets, highways, public places, vacant lots and other unsupervised places within the municipality from 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

Curfew violators will be brought to the Municipal Police Station for verification before turning them over to the Curfew Center.

The Center will be manned by social service providers and volunteers and supervised by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office.

To support the implementation of the curfew, the local police will also conduct roving patrols while barangay officials and tanods will help in monitoring and reporting violators in their respective barangays.

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ARMM, national gov't team up in fight vs poverty

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Aug. 15 (PIA) --- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and several national government agencies will jointly implement anti-poverty programs in the region starting this month.

In a recent cabinet meeting, President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the national office of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to lead the implementation of the anti-poverty programs in the ARMM and other conflict-affected areas found in Regions 9, 10 and 12.  

Officials from the ARMM and the TESDA held a consultative and action planning meeting on August 11 in Cotabato City to discuss the initial details of the programs and projects  that will be implemented.  

Rosanna Urdaneta, TESDA national deputy director for policies and planning, said President Duterte wants “to bring the programs and services of the national government to the ARMM and other conflict-affected areas.”  

"The president would really want to focus on poverty reduction programs in the ARMM and other conflict-affected areas," she added.  

The socio-economic agenda of the Duterte administration focuses on the eradication of hunger, establishment of potable water systems, provision of shelter, free college education and technical and vocational skills training, free access to health facilities, energy in the barangays, support to agricultural development, and job generation to combat unemployment and underemployment.  

The initial plan is a product of the meetings of the national cabinet last week, and will be implemented from 2016-2019.  

Based on the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the ARMM is the poorest region in the country with a poverty incidence of 53.4 percent. Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, two of the five provinces that make up the region, are considered to be the poorest and second poorest province with 70.2 percent  and 50.4 percent poverty incidence, respectively.  

Aside from the TESDA, the ARMM will also be working with the National Economic and Development Authority, Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Labor and Employment and the Commission on Higher Education.  

The ARMM is undertaking several programs to combat poverty, which include the ‘Apat na Dapat’ at the household level, the ARMM-Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Security, and Synergy (HELPS) at the barangay level, and the ARMM-Humanitarian and Development Action Program (HDAP), a relief, rehabilitation and livelihood project in calamity-affected communities in 15 towns in Maguindanao.  

"We hope that the national government would help us bridge the gaps the programs we are currently implementing," said lawyer Laisa Alamia, ARMM’s executive secretary.  

ARMM officials proposed the inclusion of irrigation projects, halal industry development and agriculture skills training and climate change mitigation efforts in the poverty alleviation and development plan.  

“There will be a series of meetings to consolidate all the suggestions to significantly alleviate poverty in the identified regions,” Urdaneta said. (Bureau of Public Information/PIA)

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DA, ATI train rural women on organic veggie production

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, August 5 (PIA) – To boost the advocacy on organic farming, the Department of Agriculture Provincial Office in collaboration with Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Region XII conducted a training on organic vegetable production for rural women on August 2-4, 2016.

Twenty women and 10 farmers from the different barangays of the municipality of Balindong participated in the training to learn the basics of organic farming.

Aside from orienting them about Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of the Philippines, the participants were taught on the concepts and best practices on organic vegetable production and integrated pest and disease management on organic vegetable farms particularly on the preparation of liquid organic fertilizers and vermicompost production.

The participants also received packets of vegetable seeds after finishing the training.

The municipality of Balindong is a member of the League of Organic Agriculture Municipalities (LOAM) of the Philippines. LOAM is a national organization of local chief executives that commits to actively promote and implement the sustainable organic agriculture program in their respective municipalities. (APB/PIA-10)

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Marawi CPOC tackles security threats

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, August 5 (PIA) – The local government of Marawi convened members of the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) on August 3, to address the recent security threats in the city.

During the meeting, the council, headed by City Mayor Majul Gandamra, discussed prevailing security issues particularly on the campaign against illegal drugs and local terror threats.

Police Inspector Parson Asadil, city chief of police, reported that 65 drug personalities were captured during police operations.

Col. Roseller Murillo, commanding officer of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, gave updates on the joint military and police law enforcement operation in Butig, as well as, the interception of improvised explosive devices in the city last month.

He said documents and videos were also recovered which can be used to run after those involved in the terror attack.

To address security concerns, the council members resolved to increase police visibility in critical areas and intensify checkpoint and chokepoint operations in strategic areas.

They further raised the possibility of reviving the barangay peacekeeping action teams, establishment of a local hotline for faster response, and inclusion of major public schools in the patrol routes of the military.

The council also recognized the importance of cooperation and teamwork among the different sectors in protecting the city.

In attendance during the meeting were officers from the 103rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine National Police, and Bureau of Fire Protection, as well as, city councilors, city department heads, barangay chairmen, and representatives from the public education sector, media, and religious groups. (Sittie Ayeesha Dicali/APB/PIA-10)

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