ARMM to double funding for Marawi next year

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said it will double its assistance to the war-ravaged Marawi City to P930 million in 2018 from P450 million this year.

In his state of the region speech on November 20, Governor Mujiv Hataman said expressed optimism that Marawi - which was ravaged by ISIS militants in May this year - will rise from current challenges as rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the city begin following the defeat of jihadists in October.

He said lessons learned from the crisis could lead to new opportunities. “Ayon sa banal na Qu’ran, Fa inna ma’al ‘usri yusra, ang anumang pagsubok ay laging may kaakibat na ginhawa,” he said, citing the 2015 Mamasapano incident, which was followed by development initiatives and new opportunities for the town’s residents and those in nearby areas.

Hataman was referring to the killing of 44 police commandos during a clandestine operation against the terrorist Marwan inside an area under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

He said ARMM's Humanitarian and Development Action Plan, or HDAP, which was developed in response to the Mamasapano incident, released roughly P2.23 billion for 15 municipalities in Maguindanao as of last year. The plan covers various government projects specifically, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction that promote peace and alleviate the situation in calamity-affected communities

The Marawi crisis, he added, could speed up the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, noting more legislators will hopefully now realize the urgency of such a measure which has received anemic response from many legislators in the past.

Hataman also noted socio-economic efforts that have been aggressively pursued in the region these past years. He said the ARMM’s Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Governance and Synergy, or HELPS, program has extended assistance amounting to P4.3 billion to over 400 barangays since 2014. The program is geared towards developing peaceful and progressive communities with each beneficiary barangay receiving P10 million for infrastructure development.

ARMM’s Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment, or BRIDGE, is another initiative which targets poorest barangays as recipients, was launched in 2015. It now covers 119 communities with 5,800 family-beneficiaries. The program covers food and shelter, as well as of electricity and water supply, according to Hataman.

Meanwhile, ARMM’s efforts to uplift the condition of the region’s educational sector succeeded as literacy rate in the region went up to 88.7% in 2015 from 80.3% in 2010, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Hataman, however, said that more challenges need to be hurdled, such as ARMM’s 59% average scoring in the National Achievement Test compared with the national passing score of 75%. Strides were also achieved in the public health sector in recent years. Maternal mortality rate in the region has gone down to 53 per 100,000 live births in 2016 from 65 in 2012. Infant mortality rate also went down in 2016 to 5.81 per 1,000 live births from 7.23 in 2012.

In the agriculture sector, the region has remained the nation’s top producer of in white corn and seaweeds. The ARMM distributed 558 units of corn farming machineries, equipment and facilities benefiting close to 20,000 farmers.

Support of the regional government to farmers has been consistent notwithstanding its limited resources. From 2012 to 2016, the ARMM has provided 1,823 units of various farm equipment and facilities to 1,662 cooperatives whose membership runs to more than 58,000 farmers.

Hataman also cited a significant improvement in the economic condition of fishermen in the region based on figures monitored by government agencies. Average monthly income of fishermen in the ARMM increased to P7,005 last year from P3,495 in 2014.

Even as sectoral accomplishments were achieved, specific operations of government agencies showed marked improvements. Revenue collection from the Polloc Port in Maguindanao has grown significantly during the Hataman administration – from only P75,194 in 2013, to over P19 million in 2014, and close to P135 million last year, he said.

He said private and public investment figures in the region have been excellent despite reports of perceived security threats. From 2012 to present, proposed investments that passed through the Regional Board of Investments total P17.783 billion. As private investments come in, government infrastructure funding for the same period, comprising of 1,900 projects, have reached P26 billion.

He noted the installation of 363 units of water systems in various parts of the region, worth over P2 billion. The regional government also initiated the construction of flood control structures, drainage facilities, and bridges, all amounting to more than P3 billion.

The regional government, Gov. Hataman underscored, recognizes the role of local government units (LGUs) in promoting good governance in the ARMM. This is reflected in the local government's achievements these past years. In 2015, the region passed the Good Governance Conditions set by the national government.

From 16 LGUs in 2015 that passed the Good Financial Housekeeping standards set by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), 63 LGUs were given such recognition this year. From six LGUs awarded the Seal of Good Local Governance by the DILG, the number of awardees has grown to 22. (Bureau of Public Information)

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