ARMM's poor villages get more gov’t services

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/983079
• Thursday, January 11, 2018

By Noel Punzalan and Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- More than 400 villages in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) had availed of health, education, livelihood, peace and governance and synergy (HELPS) program of the regional government, officials said Wednesday.

“As of January 10, we have served a total of 403 villages, a feat never experienced before by poor communities in ARMM,” Anwar Upahm, ARMM-HELPS program manager said in a statement.

“Everyone in the community should be involved in the whole process of making the projects – they are the ones who identify the projects,” Upahm stressed, thereby preventing “white elephants projects.”

Among the services delivered were barangay health stations, provision of medicines and birthing supplies and equipment for its health component.

Development of the Madaris curriculum, as a tool to combat violent extremism, as well as the construction of community learning centers for education, and study tour for teachers were also pursued, Upahm said.

Upahm reported that regional government had strengthened support to efficient governance, new barangay halls with police action centers were built, disaster preparedness and management training were promoted, rescue equipment and other supplies were distributed, and development of Barangay Development Plans, and youth development support programs were given assistance.

“That is the reason why we do not implement projects that were not consulted. By helping facilitate their Barangay Development Plans, we ensure that concerns are discussed including economic, health, and educational needs,” he said.

Last year, ARMM-HELPS focused in helping 150 poor villages with program resources equally distributed among the region’s five provinces.

Sadly, Upahm said, the Marawi siege had a major impact on areas covered by the program.

For instance, infrastructures built under ARMM-HELPS in Lumbaca Madaya in Marawi City were destroyed during the five-month war.

As part of its contribution in rebuilding Marawi City and its environs, ARMM-HELPS has earmarked over P300 million for barangay beneficiaries in Lanao del Sur, which suffered from the Marawi crisis.

In 2018, ARMM-HELPS aims to reach another batch of 150 barangays in all the provinces namely Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“We were able to transform the system of ARMM’s project development from being top-down, to bottom-up,” Upahm said.

“Stakeholders play major roles in shaping their communities, they will help monitor, maintain and protect the projects because they were part of its planning and implementation (as) they owned it,” he said.