Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News July 2014

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News

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Seal of ARMM

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs. Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion. But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened . Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions. Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE? Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace? WHY?? There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance: The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Vast ‘all organic’ banana plantation in Maguindanao launched

• Source: http://zamboangatimes.ph/zamboangatimes/top-news/11643-vast-all-organic-banana-plantation-in-maguindanao-launched-.html
• Thursday, July 31, 2014 11:59

(Zamboanga Times)

Maguindanao residents on Monday witnessed the launching near the site of the infamous “Maguindanao Massacre” of Asia’s first ever 1,500-hectare the international Del Monte fruit firm.

The entity to run the farm in Barangay Masalay in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao, the Al-Mujahidun Agro Resources and Development, Inc. (AMARDI), will also put up an Islamic school, a hospital, and a “halal” food processing plant in the area to help address poverty and underdevelopment in the municipality.

The term halal is an Arabic description for food that Muslims can eat.

An emotional Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu told reporters the foreign capitalists of the “all organic” banana farm were ushered in by their own curiosity on how they can help change the image of Ampatuan town, tarnished by the gruesome politically-motivated murder in the area on November 23, 2009 of 58 people, among them his wife, Jenalyn.

The victims were in a convoy, on their way to Shariff Aguak town, seat of the provincial government, to submit there the certificate of candidacy for provincial governor of Mangudadatu, then vice-mayor of Buluan town.

They were flagged down by armed partisans, led by leaders of the Ampatuan clan, herded into hill in the west of Barangay Masalay, and, there, killed with assault rifles and machineguns one after another.

The Ampatuans had wanted their favored bet for governor, now detained Andal Ampatuan, Jr., then mayor of Datu Unsay town, to run for the highest elective post in the province virtually unopposed.

“These agricultural ventures coming in were paid in blood, sweat and tears of the massacre victims, my spouse included,” Mangudadatu said.

Also present in the on-field launching rite was Costa Rican entrepreneur-technocrat, Gonzalo Ordeñana, who is helping put up the banana farm, and his counterparts in the AMARDI, cleric Abdulwahid Sumauang, and Akmad Bullecer.

The farm will initially employ 2,000 Moro workers to propagate Cavendish bananas on contiguous rented lands owned by local residents.

The symbolic start of the plantation’s operation was jointly officiated by Mangudadatu, local officials led Mayor Rasul Sangki, Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, and Agriculture Secretary Makmod Mending, Jr. of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Mending said the ARMM government is thankful to Mangudadatu for convincing foreign investors to help establish the organic banana plantation.

“We are encouraging free enterprise here. The ARMM just helped in the legalization of their entry to Maguindanao and provided them with technical support needed to hasten the realization of their dream to have this plantation in this once hostile area,” Mending said.

The figurehead of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, had earlier expressed support to AMARDI’s agriculture venture in Barangay Masalay, home to hundreds of MILF guerrillas.

Sumauang said the plantation will use only organic agricultural farm inputs to showcase the viability of environment-friendly agriculture, which is essential in the protection of the environment.

“This is, certainly, the first ever organic banana farm in Asia,” Saumaung said.

Pangilinan, who was deputy commander for the Mindanao peace process of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City prior to his assumption as 6th ID commander last May 2014, said the establishment of the banana farm will improve the security situation in Barangay Masalay and surrounding areas.

The 6th ID has jurisdiction over Central Mindanao’s adjoining Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat towns.

Pangilinan said providing Moro rebels with employment will bolster the efforts of the government and the MILF to foster normalcy in the province.

MAY MALACANANG NA ANG BANGSAMORO / Refurbished ARMM building to open to the public today

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/92242/may-malacanang-na-ang-bangsamoro--refurbished-armm-building-to-open-to-the-public-today
• Wednesday, July 30, 2014 10:08 am

By Dennis Arcon (InterAksyon.com)

COTABATO CITY – Refurbished to serve as the Office of the Bangsamoro People, the former office of ARMM governor in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao compound will formally open to the public today.

The rehabilitation of the so-called Malacanang of the South was led by ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways and funded from the P25 million from its savings.

The work on the building is a preparation for the Bangsamoro government, said ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Alamia.

The public opening will coincide with the celebration of officials and employees and the Bangsamoro of the Eidl Fitr, or the end of Ramadan.

A kanduli or a thanksgiving ceremony will be held today, and governors from the five ARMM provinces, including Maguindanao’s Esmael Mangudadatu, Lanao del Sur’s Mamintal Adiong, Basilan’s Jum Akbar, Tawi Tawi’s Nurbert Sahali, and Sulu’s Abdusakur Tan II, are expected to attend the event.

Earlier, Maguindanao Governor Mangudadatu promised to send a truckload of bangus and the other governors roasted cows for the kanduli.

Financial aid given to ambush victims

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2014/07/29/financial-aid-given-ambush-victims-356610
• Tuesday, July 29, 2014

By Bong Garcia

GOVERNOR Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) extended financial assistance to the victims of Monday’s gruesome ambush in the province of Sulu.

Twenty-three people, including women and children, were killed while nine others wounded when a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits ambushed two passenger jeepneys around 8:30 a.m. Monday in the villages of Lower Talipao, Talipao, Sulu.

Hataman flew aboard a military helicopter Tuesday afternoon from Isabela City, Basilan and proceeded to a hospital where some of the victims were transferred from a medical facility in Jolo, Sulu.

Two of the five victims who were taken to a hospital in Zamboanga City unfortunately died Tuesday.

The rest of the victims are admitted in the hospital in Jolo, Sulu

Hataman was accompanied by military, police, and Armm officials when he visited the victims at the hospital in Zamboanga City.

Earlier, Hataman met with top military and police officials in this city as they monitor the situation in the different parts of Armm while celebrating Eid’l Fitr.

He strongly condemned Monday’s ambush staged by the Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Idang Susukan and Sibih Pisih.

The perpetrators must be brought before the bar of justice.

ARMM welcomes SONA with optimism for next year; lauds peace efforts, infra projects

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=9&rid=667012
• Monday, July 28, 2014

By Edwin O. Fernandez [(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF]

COTABATO CITY, July 28 (PNA) -– President Benigno Aquino III’s 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) was welcomed with high optimism in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Inside the ARMM compound, the regional government put up a makeshift viewing venue for ARMM employees and others who would like to listen to the SONA.

”We are glad the President announced a P51-billion infrastructure project for ARMM,” said Johainna Abdullah, an employee of ARMM, who was among those who viewed and listened to the SONA inside the compound.

A streamer written with “Magsama-sama tayo dahil SONA natin ito” was posted in front of the makeshift stage where the TV monitor was placed. Beside it is the photo of President Aquino.

”I was a bit anxious the President would not touch on the Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Susana Modz Kautin, 29, said in the vernacular after the SONA.

”But he vowed the draft law will be forwarded to Congress and hope to be approved before the year ends,” she added, giving a sigh of relief.

In his report to the nation, the President said he was determined to complete the Bangsamoro Basic Law and vowed to do it in the name of peace.

”My hope remains, peace is coming and that is my feeling,” said Wyncell Obales, college student, who was dreaming for a peaceful Mindanao.

”I am still hoping peace will come under President Aquino because he was very sincere,” another student, Romulo Bernales, said.

”While P-noy has setbacks in his desire to attain genuine reform, we should recognize what he has done in the last four years, we should not be blinded by claims of few militants who have vested interest and vested agenda,” a government teacher, who only gave her first name, Divina, commented.

”We should remember he cannot do it alone, it needs more people like us who toe the “daang matuwid,” she added.

The announcement of more budget for ARMM came as a good news just in time when Muslims, majority of whom are in ARMM, are celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

”At least we have something to look up to next year, more development projects for our region,” Nailani Hussein, a resident of Cotabato City, said.

GUESS / How is ARMM trying to make farmers productive?

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/92022/guess--how-is-armm-trying-to-make-farmers-productive
• Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:27 am

By Edwin O. Fernandez (Philippines News Agency)

COTABATO CITY – The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) has adopted an unusual program in Tawi-Tawi to make farmers productive and earn additional income.

On Saturday, it distributed goats to members of 17 farmer-organizations in Tawi-Tawi, including Muslims who were deported from Sabah, Malaysia.

Makmod Mending, regional secretary of DAF-ARMM, said the distribution of 374 goats to farmers was part of the P23 million-worth halal goat-raising project of his office.

The livestock dispersal program covers five ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Mending said simple guidelines must be followed by the beneficiaries so the project will continue and benefit other farmers.

”The offspring of the goats the farmers received will be shared with their neighbors in their farming communities to maximize reproduction,” he said.

Mending said recipients are prohibited from slaughtering any of the animals for celebration purposes. They are also prohibited from selling the livestock.

The goats were distributed to officials of farmer-organizations during a symbolic rite at the compound of DAF-ARMM’s provincial office in Bongao, capital town of Tawi-Tawi.

Mending said goat dispersal will also be held in other provinces of the region.

Gov't rebuilding ancient 'Chinese pier' in Tawi-tawi

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2014/07/26/1350610/govt-rebuilding-ancient-chinese-pier-tawi-tawi
• Saturday, July 26, 2014 2:31 pm

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — An old "Chinese pier" in Tawi-Tawi is being rebuilt by government to revive an ancient trading network connecting seafaring traders from island towns to the capital of the province.

The reconstruction of the historic Chinese pier in Bongao island, seat of the provincial government, is sourced from a P75 million development allocation from the 2013 and 2014 infrastructure budget of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The pier, originally built at the main seaside trading center in Bongao town, is a major entry point for products and people coming from island towns in Tawi-Tawi and from Sabah, Malaysia.

The ARMM's Department of Public Works and Highways is presently constructing a 400-meter long watercraft berthing spot at the Chinese pier, and a concrete bridge and road that would connect the facility to the Bongao seaport, where bigger cargo and passenger boats dock.

The DPWH-ARMM has earmarked P50 million for next year's improvement of the newer and larger Bongao seaport.

Hadji Emil Sadain, regional secretary of DPWH-ARMM, said the old Chinese pier is also known as the "circumferential docking area" in Bongao owing to its lengthy stretch that straddles through seaside trading sites.

The Chinese pier connects to the Ridjiki Boulevard in Bongao, which leads to the municipality’s bigger seaport in the west of the island town.

"This old Chinese pier was destroyed by strong waves in the 1970s. The ARMM government is fixing it now to accelerate the economic growth of Tawi-Tawi," Sadain said.

He added that the DPHW-ARMM is grateful to Tawi-Tawi Gov. Nurbert Sahali and his sister, Rep. Ruby Sahali, for their support of efforts to improve the Chinese pier.

Sadain, accompanied by Assistant Secretary Numeiry Jalani of the ARMM's services convergence office for the Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (Basulta) area, inspected the project site last Thursday.

Sadain said he is satisfied with how the project is being implemented. He said he will report his findings on Monday to ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Hataman, to ensure transparency, even enlisted the help of various non-government organizations and different media outfits in the monitoring of the project, Sadain said.

Bongao Mayor Jasper Que, whose office is helping oversee the project, said his constituent-merchants in Bongao are anticipating dramatic improvements in the local economy once the Chinese pier’s improvement is complete.

The business communities in Bongao, known as the country's "southern backdoor," and those in surrounding island municipalities, have robust, centuries-old trade links with merchants in Sabah, Malaysia and in Indonesia.

PAMANA-ARMM MNLF beneficiaries participate in project planning

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1521406252415
• Friday, July 25, 2014

(Naz Buisan/PAMANA-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)

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.

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

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1521406124144
• Thursday, July 24, 2014

(Bureau of Public Information/APB/PIA-10)

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.

DA to start its first Farm-to-Market Road Project in ARMM

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1781406040928
• Wednesday, July 23, 2014

(da.gov.ph)

QUEZON CITY, July 23 -- While the Department of Agriculture‘s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) has ended in June this year, the DA is now set to roll out its bigger, wider and biggest foreign-assisted program dubbed as the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).

Secretary of Agriculture Proceso J. Alcala said in a press statement that PRDP aims to establish a government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agriculture and fishery sector. It also complements the DA’s major initiatives particularly in reducing poverty, creating broad-based or inclusive growth and creating more jobs and livelihood opportunities.

Bankrolled through the country’s World Bank loan proceeds, the six-year program gets an allocation of about $670 million or P27.50 billion to cover and finance as many project proposals from the Local Government Units and farmers’ and fishers’ groups nationwide. Two-thirds of the said PRDP funds or about P18.50 billion is allotted to infrastructure while P6.90 billion will go to value-chain agri-fishery enterprises.

Maguindanao will be the pilot province of PRDP in ARMM, where the very first concrete farm-to-market (FMR) road project will be established in Talayan town as a result of the acceptance of support of ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman and Maguindanao Governor Esmail Toto Mangudadatu during a stakeholders consultative meeting with the WB officials held recently in Davao City.

In another stakeholders consultative meeting held in Talayan on July 12, DA-ARMM Regional Secretary Atty. Makmod D. Mending, Jr. expressed his commitment of support to the project, urging the local officials to unite and support the construction of the 12.3 km. concrete FMR that will traverse at least five barangays. Ninety percent of the P147.60-million project will be funded by PRDP, while 10% or P14,70M will be shouldered by the LGU.

RPCO-ARMM head Kalunsiang Dimalen said the four components of the PRDP namely: i-PLAN, investment in agri-fishery modernization plan; i-BUILD, intensified building up infrastructure and logistics for development; i-REAP, investment in rural enterprises for agriculture and fisheries productivity and i-SUPPORT or implementation support. Under the program, the priority commodities in ARMM are oil palm, cassava and banana, coconut, coffee, rubber, tilapia and mallard duck, Dimalen added. er, wider and biggest foreign-assisted program dubbed as the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).

DAP supports reform programs in ARMM, PHL peace process

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=1&rid=665027
• Tuesday, July 22, 2014

(PNA), LAM/LDV/SGP

MANILA, July 22 (PNA) -- The regional government has undertaken significant reforms and development initiatives in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), including ensuring quality road infrastructures in the region, through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman, during Monday's general assembly of employees and staff of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), said reforms in the region include validating licensed teachers to weed out ghost teachers.

Hataman said these are also capacity-building programs for ARMM agencies, particularly the Department of Public Works and Highways, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Education towards the goal of having ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification for these offices, which used to be very susceptible to corruption.

He said the ARMM regional government aims to attain positive results and benchmarks before its elected officials step down once the Bangsamoro region is created with the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The regional governor added that the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) also helped boost investments in ARMM this year.

“In 2014, the target investment was 2.5 billion. After the CAB was signed, we reached P2.7 billion by early June,” he said in a statement.

"Reforms are very important for the region," Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles, for her part, said.

In terms of the peace process, Deles noted that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) received additional allotment from the DAP amounting to P1.82 billion in 2011 and P248 million in 2012.

She said the amount supported its crucial work on achieving negotiated political settlement of armed conflicts and peace and development initiatives as a complementary track under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program.

"The funds were utilized for priority development projects for communities nationwide affected by and vulnerable to armed conflict as well as areas covered by existing peace agreements," Deles said.

These include the provision of immediate and livelihood assistance to former rebels, the consultation and capacity-building interventions in support of addressing women’s issues in situations of armed conflict through the “Localization of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security”; and the conduct of information, communication and monitoring activities in line with the peace process.

Deles said these programs benefited the people in the desire for inclusive peace and progress.

"As OPAPP is not an implementing agency, the funds were transferred to line agencies and local government units who signed memoranda of agreements with OPAPP, for the implementation of the projects," the peace adviser noted.

PNP-ARMM intensifies search, rescue for 1 more kidnapped DSWD worker

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=664512
• Monday, July 21, 2014

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

CAMP SK PENDATUN, Maguindanao, July 21 (PNA) –- Police in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Monday intensified its efforts to rescue, through peaceful means, the fourth social welfare worker seized by extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Talipao, Sulu last week.

The heavily armed ASG is still holding Roberto Saputalo, a social welfare worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-ARMM), in the hinterlands of Talipao, according to reports from Sulu police provincial director Senior Supt. Abraham Orbita.

Four social workers, namely, Lerma Jura; couple Nurhati Sicangco, coordinator for Talipao of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and her husband Agusto; and Saputalo, were conducting survey for 4Ps when the ASG flagged down the vehicle they were riding in Barangay Sinupaan Thursday.

Lerma, sensing something wrong, quietly fled from the group and walked for about a kilometer until village officials found her.

The victims were brought to the hinterlands of Talipao and the Sicangco couple was freed Saturday.

No ransom was paid but police learned the family paid “board and lodging fee” to the kidnappers.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman has ordered the local government officials in Talipao to secure the release of the remaining victim without paying any ransom as a matter of government policy.

(SONA) Mindanao Peace Process, Aquino's greatest achievements in Mindanao his 3 predecessors failed to achieve

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=9&rid=664315
• Sunday, July 20, 2014

By Noel Y. Punzalan and Edwin O. Fernandez [(PNA), CTB/NYP/EOF]

COTABATO CITY, July 20 (PNA) – The Mindanao peace process is among the greatest accomplishments of the Aquino administration in southern Philippines which his three predecessors failed to achieve.

The Bangsamoro people, meaning the Muslims in Mindanao and elsewhere in the country, considered the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in March this year as “unprecedented, historic and showed the President’s desire for lasting peace in the land of promise,” said Ghadzali Jaafar, vice chair for political affairs of the MILF after the GPH and MILF peace panels forged the peace deal.

Started during the time of then President Fidel Ramos in 2007, the peace process leaped former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and gained momentum early on the term of President Benigno Aquino.

Like his mother Cory Aquino whose administration forged a peace deal with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1986, P-Noy has been making history, starting with his surprised meeting with MILF chieftain Al Haj Mohammad Murad in Japan.

That meeting offered high hopes to Bangsamoro people wanting to live peacefully and out of armed hostilities that accompanied them for decades in Mindanao.

Murad said he felt the President’s sincerity when he met and talked with him in Tokyo and the signing of the peace deal in March proved his instinct right.

It was followed by the visit of the President to the bailiwick of the MILF in Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao in October last year to launch the Sajahatra Bangsamoro aimed at bringing peace and development projects to the Bangsamoro who, due to armed conflict, have been denied with government services and projects.

Mohaymen Bagan, a resident of Sultan Kudarat and a supporter of the MILF, described the government peace initiatives as “gift of Allah to the Bangsamoro.”

”Now is the time for us to live in peace in Mindanao and that Mindanaons, more than any other human beings, desire more for peace in our homeland,” he said in the vernacular.

International peace advocates recognized the achievements of the Mindanao peace process with the Malaysian and other Muslim countries declaring both the government and the MILF religiously abide by the ceasefire agreement.

Representatives from the European Union repeatedly visit Mindanao for them to feel the “real peace” building up in previously conflict affected communities in the region.

Following the signing of the CAB, European Union member-representatives, led by EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux led diplomats in visiting Central Mindanao to back the Mindanao peace process.

Ledoux met with officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and MILF leaders in its bailiwick in Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao.

Ledoux told reporters then that their visit in Mindanao shows EU’s continuous support for the peace overtures of President Aquino and development in the region.

”The signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the completion of the draft of the Bangsamoro Law, a peaceful transition in Mindanao is essential for the country’s economic and social development, especially in conflict communities in Mindanao,” he said.

The EU has been funding various peace and development projects in southern Philippines aimed at addressing poverty and underdevelopment and under-education in far-flung Muslim communities.

President Aquino’s desire for peace in Muslim Mindanao earned the “all out support” of the country’s second highest Catholic Church leader – Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, archbishop of the archdiocese of Cotabato.

The MILF described President’s Aquino’s winning peace in Mindanao as unique and comes from the heart as proven by his repeated meeting with the MILF chieftain.

In its website, the MILF said it lauded the government efforts and focused on winning the peace in Mindanao.

The Mindanao peace process has been met with an outpouring of good wishes for the Philippines. Both the GPH and MILF had been welcoming the conclusion of the peace talks with high optimism, the MILF said.

Murad was quoted as saying that the peace process must be completed and enforced within the term of President Aquino because there will be uncertainty when the efforts are passed on to the next chief executive.

DSWD coordinating with ARMM leaders to ensure safety of 3 staff abducted in Sulu

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=1&rid=664063
• Saturday, July 19, 2014

(PNA), JBP/LSJ

MANILA, July 19 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Saturday assured that they are currently closely coordinating with Autonomous Regions of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) leaders for appropriate actions to be taken to ensure the safety of its three staff abducted while validating families of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Sulu.

In a statement, DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman said they are currently discussing with Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur Tan and Talipao Mayor Sitti Raya Tulawie for possible steps to be taken.

“We are saddened by the abduction yesterday of our three staff who were validating families of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries and coordinating for the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program in Barangay Upper Sinumaan, Talipao, Sulu in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),” Soliman said.

The staffs were abducted at around 2 p.m. while on their way to validate family-beneficiaries to be added to the list of 4Ps beneficiaries under the Listahanan (Listahan ng Mahihirap na Pamilya) formerly known as National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) and to monitor the PAMANA project in the said community.

“We are praying earnestly in this holy month of Ramadan for compassion. Our colleagues from DSWD-ARMM are only doing their duty to help the poor people of Talipao -- their brothers and sisters in Islam,” Soliman added.

She also called for the families and loved ones of the staff who were abducted to continue praying for their safe release.

“Rest assured that the Department is ready to support and provide them the necessary assistance,” she added.

ARMM employees show support for Palestinians

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/18/1347655/armm-employees-show-support-palestinians
• Friday, July 18, 2014 4:15 pm

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Employees of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao performed their obligatory Friday prayers in an open field under the blistering noontime sun as a show of sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza.

The ARMM’s rank-and-file personnel, led by the region’s chief executive, Gov. Mujiv Hataman, prayed for an end to the continuing deadly Israeli offensives in Gaza, targeting Hamas militants, but causing heavy collateral damages as well.

Hataman on Tuesday urged the Israeli government to exercise restraint in its continuing bombardment of populated areas in Gaza to prevent civilian casualties, particularly children.

Clerics who led the Friday prayer at the mini plaza of the ARMM’s 32-hectare government compound in Cotabato City told worshipers to pray for the safety of Palestinians, and to interpret their hardships and sacrifices to the struggle of Mindanao’s Bangsamoro communities fighting for self-rule under the international right-to-self-determination doctrine.

“What is so sad is that this continuing bloodshed in Gaza is happening while the Islamic world is observing the Ramadhan fasting season,” Hataman told The Star after the open-field Jumaah (Friday) prayer.

More than 80 percent of the ARMM’s about 5 million residents are Muslims.

Hataman said their open-field congregational worship rite was a form of sacrifice for the safety of all Palestinians that are trapped in the conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces and the militant Hamas.

Thousands of ethnic Maranaws had earlier staged a protest rally in Marawi City to show solidarity with Palestinians.

The rally was organized by Maranaw religious leaders in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur led by Agakhan Sharief, chairman of the Bangsamoro National Movement for Peace and Development.

5 ARMM governors throw support behind Aquino and DAP initiatives

• Source: http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20140717023530
• Thursday, July 17, 2014 3:35:30 pm

By J. Magtanggol and Mark Navales

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / July 17, 2014) – Five governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have thrown their full support behind the embattled President Benigno Aquino whose controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

In a show of unity and loyalty to Aquino, Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Nurbert Sahali, Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, Lanao del Sur Gov. Bombit Adiong, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and Sulu Vice Gov. Sakur Tan and former Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali banded together and issued a statement not only renewing their all-out support to the President, but stood behind the government’s DAP initiatives.

The impoverished Muslim autonomous region is one of the beneficiaries of Aquino’s anti-poverty program and infrastructure projects that largely benefited poor families in the five provinces. At least P8.6 billion from the more than P160 billion DAP went to the ARMM to fund various projects and programs.

Aquino approved the DAP in 2011 on the recommendation of the Development Budget Coordination Committee and the Cabinet Clusters as a “stimulus package” by the government for the projects. From 2011 to 2012, DAP funding reached P142.23 billion - P83.53 billion in 2011 and P58.70 billion in 2012 – and most of the funds went to healthcare, public works, housing and resettlement, agriculture, tourism, road infrastructure, school infrastructure, rehabilitation and extension of light rail transit systems, and electrification project in the villages.

Last year, some P15.13 billion in Dap funds were also released by Budget Secretary Butch Abad and these went to the police and redevelopment of the Roxas Boulevard in Manila and other rehabilitation projects in areas affected by typhoons.

Aquino said the DAP funds came from the savings of various government agencies and is legal, citing Article VI Section 25 (5) ng 1987 Constitution. “…the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.”

And Book VI Chapter 5 Section 39 of the 1987 Administrative Code: “Except as otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act, any savings in the regular appropriations authorized in the General Appropriations Act for programs and projects of any department, office or agency, may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of the regular appropriations….”

“If there is a singular legacy that I am leaving and sana, masanay ang kababayan natin na ito ang kaya ng gobyernong pinapatakbo nang matino,” Aquino said.

Just last year, the 5 ARMM governors also issued a singular statement supporting the government’s peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Aquino’s reform program.

Tornado destroys homes, 3 school buildings in Maguindanao

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/16/1346901/tornado-destroys-homes-3-school-buildings-maguindanao
• Wednesday, July 16, 2014 9:51 am

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - At least a dozen houses and three school buildings were destroyed by a tornado that ripped through a village in South Upi town on Tuesday afternoon, before Typhoon "Glenda" made landfall in Bicol region.

The municipal disaster risk reduction and management council of South Upi, located in the second district of Maguindanao, said in a report that the tornado that struck Barangay Kigan also flattened more than two hectares of corn planted on hilly areas.

The occupants of the damaged houses have been evacuated to the barangay hall and nearby houses of their relatives.

The local goverment unit has extended initial relief assistance to the affected families.

World Bank commits $119M for infra projects in Mindanao

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/business/91269/world-bank-commits-119m-for-infra-projects-in-mindanao
• Tuesday, July 15, 2014 8:15 pm

By Likha Cuevas-Miel (InterAksyon.com)

MANILA - The World Bank on Tuesday announced it has committed up to $119 million in new financing in support of the peace process in Mindanao, especially in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In a briefing, World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim told reporters that the Washington-based lender is expanding its support for Mindanao to build infrastructure and help alleviate poverty in the region.

The funding is a part of a proposed new Philippines Rural Development Project that will finance farm-to-market roads, bridges, communal irrigation systems, and potable water.

"The peace process is very important for attaining peace and development in Mindanao, including the ARMM where the conflict-affected areas are among the poorest regions in the country--with a poverty rate over 50 percent, more than twice the national average," said Kim.

"Our support for the peace process is in line with our goals of ending extreme poverty and building shared prosperity," he added.

The Philippines Rural Development Project, which was announced on Monday in Leyte when the World Bank Group chief visited the 'Yolanda'-devastated area, provides a total of $508 million to raise rural incomes and boost productivity of farmers and fishermen in targeted areas across the region.

This project is set to be presented to the World Bank Group's board of executive directors in August.

Kim met President Benigno Aquino also on Tuesday morning and discussed an additional $6.6 million in World Bank funding for the Mindanao Trust Fund. This will support livelihoods of at least 100,000 people and support the creation of a development plan for the conflicted areas.

Aside from these programs, the World Bank is also supporting good governance, which is a component of the Group's new Philippine Country Partnership Strategy, which promotes sustainable growth, pverty reduction and jobs creation.

This four-year strategy will provide $3.2 billion in financing for development to the government and another $1 billion for investments in business and industry from the International Finance Corp, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.

Maguindanao seeks help of Alma Moreno's councilors league to entice investors

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/91141/maguindanao-seeks-help-of-alma-morenos-councilors-league-to-entice-investors
• Monday, July 14, 2014 7:46 am

(Philippines News Agency)

COTABATO CITY -- Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu seeks the help of the national organization led by a former actress-turned-politician to help bring in investors in the province to support his peace and development efforts.

In a statement, Mangudadatu said he was overwhelmed by the visit of Alma Moreno, a councilor in Paranaque City who is the national chairperson of the Councilors' League of the Philippines (CLP).

Moreno toured Maguindanao and met with Mangudadatu and other local officials in the province to express her appreciation for supporting her in last March’s national councilors league elections.

Moreno told Mangudadatu she will help convince local and foreign investors to pour in capital into Maguindanao which she has described as a “peaceful province but pictured otherwise.”

”This is my way of returning the favors you have extended to me and the CLP,” the former actress said.

Mangudadatu told Moreno he has been pushing for peace and development projects in Maguindanao to erase the impression that it is a war-torn area.

Making peace and development programs his priority, Mangudadatu said it will develop into an investment-friendly province and become at par with other areas in Mindanao, especially now that the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace process has already gained momentum.

Mangudadatu also said that to show his province is peaceful, it hosted several gatherings of national organizations, including the May 2014 executive meeting of the National League of Vice Mayors presided by its national chair, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno.

He said the peace process has transformed Maguindanao from a conflict zone into an investment-friendly community.

Manguindanao has been the hotbed of Moro rebellion but not anymore with the administration’s peace initiatives in southern Philippines.

GSIS contributions of Armm teachers released

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2014/07/13/gsis-contributions-armm-teachers-released-353542
• Sunday, July 13, 2014

(SDR/Sunnex)

THE Aquino administration has released P891.4 million to settle the unpaid Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) premium contributions of Department of Education (DepEd) personnel in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Sunday.

“We are very pleased to announce that we are beginning the process of settling all unpaid GSIS contributions of our teachers in the Armm. This latest fund release sets into motion the delivery of the full range of benefits offered by the GSIS to these employees,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

The release is in accordance with the signed Supplemental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the GSIS, DepEd and DBM, a development that clears premium arrears of a total of 29,019 DepEd-Armm employees.

The DBM is also set to release another P100 million within one year from the MOA signing to completely settle the GSIS contribution backlog.

Of the P891.4 million, P543.9 million was sourced from the Retirement and Life insurance Premiums (RLIP) and the remaining P347.5 million from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF).

The RLIP and MPBF are under the 2014 General Appropriation’s Act.

As the budget department previously reported, the supplemental MOA is a byproduct of the previously signed tripartite agreement by the three agencies in March 2004.

The agreement formalized the assurance of DepEd-Armm to pay their obligations to GSIS within 15 years from the date of signing.

ARMM gov condemns Israeli offensive on Gaza, urges UN to act

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/91038/armm-gov-condemns-israeli-offensive-on-gaza-urges-un-to-act
• Saturday, July 12, 2014 9:08 am

(InterAksyon.com)

MANILA, Philippines -- Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has condemned Israel’s “ruthless offensive against the helpless people of Gaza” and called on the United Nations “to act and stop further destruction and loss of life on either side.”

Hataman’s statement, posted on the Facebook page of the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information, also urged Hamas “to stop firing rockets into Israel” and called on the warring parties for “utmost restraint and resort to dialogue or peaceful negotiation to defuse the present crisis.”

Five days of Israeli air strike on Gaza had killed more than a hundred Palestinians, including women and children, by Saturday.

Israel says the air strikes, as well as a threatened ground assault, are a response to rocket fire from Hamas, which have not killed any Israelis.

Hataman called on Israel to “once and for all, uphold international laws and stop escalating its mounting war crimes. Its illegal occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people continue to fuel an endless cycle of violence.”

“The Moro people stand in solidarity with Gazans, all Palestinians and other innocent people victims of war,” he added, and urged Muslims to “include in their prayers the defenseless civilians who have to endure the perils of Israeli air strikes even as they observe the blessed month of Ramadhan.”

“Let us also offer a prayer to those who have perished and to the parents who will never see or hold their children again,” he added.

Hataman also urged international media for balanced coverage “to amplify the voices of the oppressed and not turn a deaf ear” and for world leaders “to take a stand and not to take a double standard in this crime against humanity.”

Over 1k OSYs graduate from TVET program in ARMM

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=1&rid=661829
• Friday, July 11, 2014

(PNA), LAM/JDM

MANILA, July 11 (PNA) -- A total of 1,020 out-of-school youths (OSYs) from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have graduated from the Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The OSYs coming from the various parts of Maguindanao have completed the TVET program in a graduation ceremony held in the Notre Dame University Gymnasium in Cotabato City.

The TVET program have been successful in ARMM through the help of Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) and the Notre Dame University.

A total of P17.9 million have been allocated by the BEAM in ARMM for the skills development and job opportunities for the graduates.

Courses in food processing, small engine servicing, cellphone repair, consumer electronic servicing, electronic installation, cosmetology, and computer hardware servicing were taken by the OSYs.

The TVET program has been launched in other provinces of ARMM which has an estimated 15,000 OSYs who are poised to be given the necessary capacity and opportunity to rise from poverty in the region.

ARMM officials warn vs fires during Ramadan

• Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/90909/armm-officials-warn-vs-fires-during-ramadan
• Thursday, July 10, 2014 12:47 pm

By Dennis Arcon (InterAksyon.com)

COTABATO CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is reminding ARMM residents about the increased number of fires during the observance of Ramadan.

BFP-ARMM director Senior Supt. Warlito Daus said the reminder is not only for Muslims, but for Christians and the Lumads as well.

An increased incidence of fire was noted in the preparation of breakfast (or sohoor) and iftar at night, he said.

He asked the public to check their cooking equipment, whether they be wood stoves or gas stoves.

The electric plugs of appliances must also be double-checked, he said.

Fortunately, Daus said, no fire has been reported thus far.

The fire chief also said he hopes that the celebration of the end of Ramadan (or Eid’l Fitr) will be peaceful.

Part of the Eid’l Fitr celebrations is the lighting of firecrackers which sometimes cause fires.

In relation to this, BFP ARMM said it is prepared for a fire.

Australian government-supported OSYs complete techvoc courses

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1671404893522
• Wednesday, July 9, 2014

(Kenny Nodalo/BEAM-ARMM/CTA, PIA GenSan)

COTABATO CITY, July 9 (PIA)- More than 1,000 out-of-school youth (OSY) from eight municipalities of Maguindanao completed technical and vocational courses under the Australian government-funded Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM) Program, implemented through DepED-ARMM.

The OSYs received their National Certificate (NC) II and Certificates of Competencies (CoC) during the graduation ceremonies held Tuesday at the Notre Dame University (NDU) gymnasium here.

BEAM-ARMM aims to build the capacities and skills of OSYs in the region through its component on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Kevin Corbin, BEAM-ARMM team leader said that improving market-relevant TVET skills will help address the widespread unemployment in OSY populations and drive economic growth at an important period of transition in the region.

Corbin explained that BEAM-ARMM’s targeted interventions allow the OSYs to secure credentials such as the NCII, which is necessary when applying for skilled and long-term employment.

“The certificates are recognized throughout the country, thanks to TESDA, and is an important step on the path to sustained employment. Investing in human resources is key to this vital region – a concept long-respected and shared by the country’s most successful leaders,” said Corbin.

Atty. Jamar Kulayan, DepED-ARMM secretary, said that BEAM-ARMM’s goal is to alleviate poverty and eventually contribute to achieving just and lasting peace in Muslim Mindanao.

Kulayan added that only three out of 10 Grade 1 pupils in ARMM will be able to finish tertiary education, “therefore the BEAM-ARMM’s component on TVET is a welcome alternative to those who can’t afford a degree in college.”

Jarred Ampatuan, 21, was not able to continue his tertiary education for two reasons: poverty and his physical disability. He is suffering from skeletal limb deformity on his right leg.

But his physical condition did not stop him from enrolling in a Computer Hardware Servicing class, one of the techvoc trade courses offered by NDU, a BEAM-ARMM implementing partner on TVET.

“I might be physically-impaired but I want to be productive,” he said, adding that he wants to earn a living for his family.

Aside from computer hardware, short-term courses were offered on small engine [motorcycle], cellphone and consumer electronics servicing; food processing; electrical installation and maintenance; and hairdressing.

Friends Nurhaya Kali, 19 and Warda Gampong, 22, both from Barangay Tambu, Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao want to start their own food retail business.

“While some of our friends plan to go abroad, we would like to stay here and build our dream business,” said Kali.

Parent Rokaya Tambok wants her two sons to explore options to work abroad. “Masaya ako dahil may NC II na sila at pwede na sila mag-abroad (I am happy because they can now apply for jobs abroad with their NC II),” she said.

Through June 2015, BEAM-ARMM is providing 15,000 OSYs and senior high school students in ARMM with market sensitive and inclusive technical vocational education, training and skills.

The Program also delivers accessible and healthy learning facilities, quality teachers, quality learning materials, and a protective environment for children in need and OSYs, through effective, transparent, and accountable management systems.

DOH-ARMM clarifies appeal to Muslims to postpone hajj

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=7&rid=660592
• Tuesday, July 8, 2014

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, July 8 (PNA) --- The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) on Tuesday urged Muslim pilgrims to postpone joining hajj in the Holy Land of Mecca to avoid being infected with viral respiratory illness.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, ARMM regional health secretary, issued the request to protect prospective Filipino pilgrims while the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome corona virus (MERs Cov) remained uncontained.

Sinolinding explained that the purpose of the government is to protect the pilgrims and their families from the dangers of the MERs Cov, which has no cure and has been spreading in the Middle East virtually uncontained.

“Nobody can ever say who will get infected and who is not. A pilgrim who gets infected can pass on the infection to family members once he or she is back home,” Sinolinding told reporters.

As a precaution, the Department of health central office has issued an advisory earlier, urging prospective pilgrims to reconsider their plan to perform the hajj during the month of Ramadhan to prevent them from getting exposed to the deadly MERs CoV.

The pilgrimage is done once a year and often falls during the 30-day fasting month.

The most vulnerable to MERs CoV are the elderly and those whose immune system had been “compromised” due to other diseases, Sinolinding explained.

He quickly clarified that the advisory was not meant to suppress freedom of religion among Muslims in the country.

“This is not to suppress the centuries-old tradition of performing the hajj,” he said, adding that “it is about protecting the pilgrims from MERs CoV and their families and neighbors too when they return to the country.”

Following the issuance of DOH advisory, the social media was flooded with comments, mostly offensive to the government and the Muslims in general.

”It was not discriminatory and it was not unIslamic,” Sinolinding explained.

1,020 youth dropouts in ARMM demonstrate new employment skills

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1671404720114
• Monday, July 7, 2014

By Catherine T. Apelacio

COTABATO CITY, July 7 (PIA) - Over 1,000 youth dropouts (Out-of- School Youth or OSY) from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) demonstrated new vocational skills on the path to employment and economic stability.

Livelihood skills are provided by the Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM) Program, implemented through the Department of Education-ARMM and funded by the Australian government.

Jarred Ampatuan, a 21-year-old computer hardware graduate, has high hopes now.

“Not finishing high school and being disabled is a sad thing,” he said, adding that he is used to being laughed at due to his disability.

“Now, I have undergone training and have a TESDA certification (National Certificate II). I am better than those who criticize me,” he said candidly.

“Finding a quality workforce is a hurdle for business owners in ARMM. With BEAM-ARMM’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programming, we are provided with a pool of trained individuals at our doorstep, all skilled and ready to work,” said Fatima Basar, president of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce (MCC) in Cotabato City.

At the ‘One Market Place’ event held at the Notre Dame University Foundation here recently, the OSYs shared for free their new employment skills with the community - repairing computers, cell phones, motorcycles, providing beauty care, and cooking delicious local cuisine, among other services.

The event was aimed to showcase the skills of the OSYs to employers and break the negative stereotypes often associated with youth dropouts. Attendees included the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and MCC.

All trade courses require learners to undergo a standardized assessment at the end of training or a passing rate of at least 79 percent for them to get either NC II or Certificates of Competency, which are needed when looking for skilled jobs here and abroad.

Specifically, the trades offered to the OSYs include Small Engine/Motorcycle Servicing; Computer Hardware Servicing; Food Processing; Cellphone Servicing; Consumer Electronics Servicing; Electrical Installation & Maintenance; and Hairdressing.

Through June 2015, BEAM-ARMM is providing 15,000 OSYs and senior high school students with market sensitive and inclusive technical vocational education, training and skills throughout ARMM, where there are high concentrations of unemployed and underemployed youth.

P6.9B additional flood control projects in Mindanao bared

• Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/p6-9b-additional-flood-control-projects-in-mindanao-bared/109494/
• Sunday, July 6, 2014 8:37 pm

By MOH I. SAADUDDIN (CORRESPONDENT)

COTABATO CITY: Local officials and members of the Mindanao River Basin-Technical Working Group (MRB-TWG) are hastening the implementation of six additional flood control projects worth P6.9 billion to put an end to perennial flooding in three southern regions.

The six projects are the channel modification of the Ambal-Simuay River; the dredging of the Rio Grande de Mindanao; dredging and dike construction along the Tunggol River and the expansion of Tunggol Bridge; and the construction of revetments or sloping structures used in erosion control along the Ala, Buluan, and Tamontaka Rivers.

“The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office has prioritized these projects and the work is expected to be completed by the end of the year,” said Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Luwalhati Antonino.

Present in the June 1 meeting were representatives of the DPWH of Regions X, XII and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Regional Planning Development Office, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr., ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Alamia, and Ching Ayupan, who represented Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, also attended the meeting.

DPWH-ARMM Secretary Emil Sadain, concurrent national DPWH assistant secretary, said these measures would benefit the provinces of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, and the cities of Cotabato, Korondal and Tacurong.

Currently, there are seven ongoing projects in the area. These are the P39.89-million River Bank Protection Project along the Cotabato-GenSan Road in Tamontaka, Cotabato City which will end in June 2014; the P174.19-million Simuay Flood Control Project in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, which will be completed by the end of 2014; the P46-million Ala River Flood Control Project in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, which will be finished by July 2014; the P50-million and P74.5-million Libungan Flood Control Projects Phase III both in Libungan, Cotabato, which are expected to be completed in August and October 2014, respectively; the P72.5-million Carmen River Bank Protection with Revetment Flood Control Project in Lumayong, Carmen, Cotabato to be completed in November 2014; and the P15.2-million University of Southern Mindanao Flood Control Project Phase I in Kabacan, Cotabato.

ARMM eyes special economic zone in Tawi-Tawi

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/04/1342422/flooding-disrupts-ramadan-parts-maguindanao
• Saturday, July 5, 2014 12:05 pm

By Bong S. Sarmiento (MindaNews)

COTABATO CITY(MindaNews/05 July)—The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional government is eyeing the establishment of a special economic zone in Tawi-Tawi province to further bolster trade and tourism exchanges between the area and neighboring Sabah, Malaysia, an official said.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman instructed the regional government’s economic cluster to form a technical working group, headed by the Regional Economic Zone Authority, to declare a special economic zone in the island-province.

The governor said that they are waiting for the provincial government of Tawi-Tawi to submit the requirements needed for the declaration of a special economic zone in the area.

“Tawi-Tawi is a prime mover in bringing in more investments in the ARMM. Its proximity to Sabah allows our Malaysian friends to perform trading activities in the province,” Hataman said.

He also stressed that “the wonderful beaches and other scenic spots, plus the effective peace and order measures, make it very viable for tourism ventures.”

Tawi-Tawi, which is closer to Sabah by sea travel than the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, known as “Asia’s Latin City,” is rich in marine resources and is the top producer of seaweeds in the ARMM.

Seaweeds from Tawi-Tawi contributes 48 per cent or 294,595 metric tons to the total annual production in the autonomous Muslim region, Hataman said.

To improve the quality and production of the fisheries industry in the province, he disclosed plans to build a Regional Fisheries Integrated Research and Development Center in the area.

The establishment of the center will be joint effort involving the ARMM regional government, the national government and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Hataman added.

Recently, Tawi-Tawi hosted the ARMM International Business Conference themed “Strengthening Public-Private Partnership towards Economic Stability in ARMM.”

Among those who attended the conference were businessmen from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

One of the highlights of the two-day conference was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the establishment of business linkages between the Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce, Inc. and the BIMP-EAGA Malaysian Business Council in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area, a key strategy launched in 1994 to accelerate the social and economic development of less developed areas in participating countries.

Hataman said the business and investment climate in the ARMM “has never been more upbeat than it is today,” citing that in the past two years, the region continues to experience remarkable increase in the amount of investments.

“We give credit to the favorable turnout of the peace process for boosting investors’ confidence in the region,” he said, referring to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The CAB is the final peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed last March 27 after 17 years of negotiations.

For the first quarter of 2014, ARMM’s Regional Board of Investments has registered investments worth P2.5 billion, the largest in its history.

Flooding disrupts Ramadan in parts of Maguindanao

• Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/07/04/1342422/flooding-disrupts-ramadan-parts-maguindanao
• Friday, July 4, 2014 1:07 pm

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO - It is the recurring flashfloods, not armed conflicts as what authorities had prepared for, that have been disrupting the on-going observance of Ramadan by residents in the province and surrounding towns in low-lying areas in North Cotabato.

Hundreds of commuters were again stranded on Wednesday at the Bulalo-Pinaring stretch of the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat town after rivers straddling through the area overflowed and inundated the thoroughfare following three days of heavy rains in surrounding hinterlands.

Workers of the Humanitarian Emergency Action and Relief Team (HEART) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the local government unit of Sultan Kudarat, the police, and the military were busy helping commuters and motorists cross through the flooded portions of the highway until dawn Thursday.

The HEART, in its latest advisory based on a report by the Sultan Kudarat LGU, said 22,000 villagers in 12 barangays were affected by Wednesday's flashfloods, which perennially hit the municipality's lowlands during the rainy season.

The rescue operations of the HEART in Sultan Kudarat came barely three days after its workers accomplished a week-long relief mission to facilitate dispersal of food rations to thousands of villagers in 13 towns in Maguindanao that were inundated last month by knee-deep floodwaters after nearby marshes and rivers that connect to the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta overflowed due to heavy rains.

Relief workers of the Maguindanao provincial government, led by the chief provincial budget officer, Lynette Estandarte, have also just distributed thousands of food packs to flood victims in the adjoining towns of Sultan sa Barongis, Pandag, Mangudadatu and Buluan, which are located along the upper Liguasan Delta.

Estandarte said Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Wednesday night ordered more relief missions to areas affected by most recent flashfloods that swept through dozens of Moro farming enclaves.

Estandarte’s group had earlier distributed more than five truckloads of food packs, comprised of rice, noodles and canned goods, to flooded barangays in more than a dozen towns, including the oft-flooded adjoining Kabuntalan and Northern Kabuntalan towns, both located along the lower flood catch basin of the Liguasan Delta.

Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the 6th ID prepared for possible attacks during the Ramadan by the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, but soldiers got preoccupied instead with humanitarian missions supporting the relief and rehabilitation efforts of the HEART and the office of Mangudadatu.

“The continuing backdoor peace efforts of Gov. Mangudadatu and the league of mayors in the province to maintain law and order during the Ramadan, in close coordination with the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, are working efficiently, but these floods are something we can’t control. We can only pray for our towns to be spared from these calamities,” Hermoso said.

He said ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, who has ministerial control of the HEART, and Mangudadatu had both asked the 6th ID to help monitor on a 24-hour basis the levels of rivers in Maguindanao, and the marshes and swamps scattered in its low-lying towns along the Liguasan Delta.

Hermoso said the 6th ID’s commander, Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, is grateful to the Maguindanao provincial peace and order council, and the joint ceasefire committee of the government and the MILF for helping maintain the fragile peace in the province amid the on-going observance by Muslim folks of the Ramadan atonement season, which will end on the third week of July.

The extremist BIFF, which does not recognize the government-MILF July 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities, perpetrated bloody attacks in several towns in the province during the Ramadan in 2012 and 2013, causing the dislocation of thousands of Moro villagers.

“Maguindanao has been relatively peaceful since the Ramadan fasting month started last June 29. Thanks to the PPOC, the municipal mayors, the GPH-MILF ceasefire committee, and the police,” Hermoso said.

Sulu province donates 600-horsepower speedboat to military

• Source: http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20140703093151
• Thursday, July 3, 2014 10:31:51 pm

By Franzie Sali

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / July 3, 2014) – The Sulu provincial government handed over a 600-horsepower speedboat it donated to the Philippine Marines in support to its law enforcement operations in the southern Philippines.

The boat also serves as a multi-purpose vessel which the military can use in its rescue or logistic operations, among others.

Governor Totoh Tan and Vice-Governor Sakur Tan led the turnover of the speedboat to Brigadier General Martin Pinto, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade, and Brigadier General Orlando del Leon, the deputy chief of the Western Mindanao Command who represented Lt. Gen. Rustico Guererro.

Both Pinto and De Leon thanked the provincial officials for the donation, saying, the speedboat equipped with three outboard engines, is a big contribution to the efforts of authorities in maintaining peace and order in the province.

The provincial government has been very supportive of the military and police authorities in Sulu in an effort to professionalize the uniformed personnel here.

DSWD livelihood project benefit 60,000 poor families from ARMM

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=1&rid=658958
• Wednesday, July 2, 2014

(PNA), LAM/LSJ

MANILA, July 2 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday that about 63,335 poor families in Autonomous Regions in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are benefiting from its livelihood projects.

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, the livelihood projects are being implemented under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

Soliman said that, at present, the SLP implementation is on-going in Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

She added that the total budget allocated for the SLP in these provinces amounts to P623.35 million to ensure that the people from ARMM will be empowered in participating to sustainable livelihood projects to achieve the goal of inclusive economic development where no one is left behind.

She added that the said funding comes from P1.6 billion allocation to DSWD as one of the agency implementing existing socio-economic development projects in the said region.

“Reducing poverty in ARMM is on top of the Aquino administration’s road map for countryside development. With this, the national government infused funds for its comprehensive development to be undertaken by different government agencies,” she added

SLP is a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of program beneficiaries. It employs a Community-Driven Enterprise Development (CDED) which equips beneficiaries to actively contribute to production and labor markets by making use of available resources.

The program has two tracks from which beneficiaries have the option to choose from after undergoing capacity building activities - the Micro-Enterprise Development Track and the Employment Facilitation Track.

Under the Micro-Enterprise Development Track, program participants may avail of seed capital assistance from DSWD, while Employment Facilitation Track facilitates access to employment opportunities based on their qualifications.

According to the DSWD chief through SLP, the dream of the poor beneficiaries to put up a sustainable business is being realized because they can access employment opportunities as they earn a sustaining income for their families.

She cited as an example Zenaida Singh Guiamalon, 44, a resident of Barangay Datu, Saudi Ampatuan of Maguindanao province who dreamed of putting up a wallet-making business to help her family and to put her skill to good use came true through SLP.

“Today, with the help of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), Zenaida is a budding entrepreneur producing at least 1,000 wallets a month,” she added.

She added that the woman already had two sewing machines prior to the assistance she received from SLP, but they were not able to start a business for lack of enough capital.

“When they qualified for the livelihood program they availed SLP’s capital assistance amounting to P10,000 which began their venture to business,” she said.

The DSWD believes that SLP is an effective way in achieving peace and development in ARMM because the beneficiaries are engaging themselves in small business that has the potential to flourish and enable them attained self-sufficiency level to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty.