Difference between revisions of "Tawi-Tawi Province, Philippines"

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==[[Tawi-Tawi News]]==
==[[Tawi-Tawi News]]==
'''Cotabato hosts Mosque exhibit'''
'''ARMM DPWH Sec. Sadain conducts ocular inspection of projects in Tawi-Tawi'''
*Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=787100
*Source: http://www.zamboangatoday.ph/index.php/news/13-top-stories/9084-armm-dpwh-sec-sadain-conducts-ocular-inspection-of-projects-in-tawi-tawi.html
*March 14, 2012 02:24 PM
*Thursday, 15 March 2012 11:47
:by  John Unson
:by  zamboangatoday




COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A seven-day photo exhibit depicting 28 old mosques of high historical value opened here today to cap the observance of the Bangsamoro solidarity week in five Moro-dominated provinces in Mindanao.
c in the island provinces over the weekends.
Sec. Sadain made his province-hopping across the southern islands including Tawi-Tawi where he, along with local executives led by Gov. Sadikul Sahali officially inspected the continuing construction of three steel bridges worth approximately P97.0 M across the Sanga-Sanga-Lapid-Lapid rapids in Bongao town, which, if completed, will spur economic growth as well as boost social transformation in the islands.


The photo exhibit was jointly organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the local chapter of the United Architects of the Philippines, and the Bureau of Cultural Heritage (BCH) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Phase I and II of the project had been substantially completed while Phase III posted accomplishment now at 98.13 percent complete while construction works still continuing and expected to be finished by September this year. Construction started last June 10, 2010.
Bridge Project Engr. Jul-Arab Kong of the DPWH-RO-9 said that by April of this year, President Benigno Aquino III is set to inaugurate and declare it open for public use.


The BCH is one of the more than a dozen support offices under the office of ARMM officer-in-charge Mujiv Hataman.
Sec. Sadain, con-currently DPWH-President Bridge Program Director with an appointment as national Assistant Secretary, pointed out that after decades at attempting to construct the bridge projects, it is only now that we are to realize it.
The bridge project, one of the priorities of the national government would connect the Bongao capital town island to the other mainland island towns making accessible trade and commerce as well as allow the movements of people to travel by land, according to Sadain.


The solidarity week is a yearly activity of the regional government meant to highlight the infamous Jabidah Massacre in the late 1960s, and the bloody struggle for self-rule by Moro groups that eventually resulted to the government’s grant of autonomy to Muslims in Mindanao.
Sec. Sadain also led the ocular assessment and inspection of Tubig Malum (Rio Hondo) in Sitio Malum, Barangay Magsaggaw, Panglima Sugala town about 6 kilometers  from the capital Barangay Bato-Bato to determine the possibility for implementation of the proposed water system as a potential source of potable water. The water system will be tapped and distributed to the entire main island of the province. The river which stretches downstream from barangay Marang-Marang (Languyan town) to Barangay Magsaggaw extending further through Barangay Kulapi towards the southern tip of Panglima Sugala municipality has sufficient volume of fresh water that could cater a growing population.


The photo exhibit, dubbed “Masjid: Sacred Islamic Architecture of the Philippines,” will showcase 28 stunning mosques in the country, including the P300 million newly-constructed worship site built along Tamontaka River here.
Meanwhile, Gov. Sahali briefed Sec. Sadain about the proposal to undertake the project because it is a priority need of the people. The Governor said it’s high time that a viable and sustainable water works system harnessing the Malum River will address the perennial shortage of water supply in the island province Sahali, likewise emphasized his willingness to extend his local counterpart contribution to start with the project even as he toured the ARMM official to the site despite the difficulty in traversing the rugged road conditions and trails to reach the area.
“We must do an actual assessment of the situation on the ground and know where to start,” Sadain emphasized even as he assured to work for its realization under PNoy’s administration.


Masjid is an Arabic term for worship site.
Accompanied by DPWH officials and staff, Sadain took time out to conduct consultations with the seven district officials of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, who joined him in Tawi-Tawi for the  holding of the First Joint Regional and District Conference held at the DPWH district office in Bongao town, where the DPWH-ARMM Reform Agenda 2012 was laid down as a policy guidelines of the ARMM leadership by fully implementing important milestone projects using available resources and funding.


The event will culminate on March 18, the anniversary of the Jabidah Massacre, where members of the Philippine military under President Ferdinand Marcos massacred in Corregidor some 200 Muslim trainees that staged a mutiny when they learned they were to start an insurgency in Sabah, Malaysia.  
Tawi-Tawi DPWH District Engr. Bensoud Ajihil, who played host to the conference vowed to continue to support the ARMM Secretary in fulfilling the reform agenda as mandated by doing its share in developing the southern frontier of the country.


Sabah was ceded by the Malaysian royalty to the Sultanate of Sulu some 500 years ago as consolation for helping the Malaysians quell a rebellion in Brunei.
Sadain said that in support of the reform programs and good governance of ARMM, milestone targets has been set in place.
He declared that DPWH-ARMM has attained remarkable achievements in the pursuit of reform for good governance, defining its new policies and programs in the field of administrative, technical and financial matters, in just almost 3 months since he assumed.


The island state was, however, leased by Sulu’s Sultan Jamalul A’lam on January 22, 1857 to the wealthy British North Borneo Company, conceding all rights and privileges over the ceded territory.
He said, the first 100 days accomplishments, for both physical and financial inclusive of the difficulties encountered, the impact of the programs and activities as reflected in the reports as well as recommendations has been submitted to the ARMM regional Governor.
Discussions also centered on all the accomplishments of the department and the sharing of information on the problems experienced with regards to project implementation and on how to address them.
Sadain is optimistic, with help from all stakeholders to include local government units, Barangays, the NGO’s and the members of the community; ARMM will be able to take off from its slumber under the present administration of Regional Gov. Hataman.
Sadain, who assumed last January 17, 2012 as DPWH cabinet secretary promised to institute changes not only from within the system but also develop a scheme to address on the deep-seated “culture of people” working habits in bringing the desired development for the ARMM.


The Philippine government has not officially dropped its claim of Sabah until now.
Earlier, Saidain said that when he was appointed as the DPWH-ARMM secretary, he noticed that it's not only the system that need to be changed but also the culture of the people working on it especially the public officials particularly those under his supervision from what he described as, “from the culture of officials down to workers in the office” and the department's programming on project implementation solely focuses on local roads which were then gradually destroyed as of this period.


The Jabidah Massacre is regarded by contemporary Moro communities as the incident that sparked the Muslim uprising for self-rule and subsequently ushered the birth of the secessionist Bangsamoro Independence Movement, and the Moro National Liberation Front of Nur Misuari.
On national roads with a total of 1,100 kilometers, about 70 percent of the road was done adding that with the marching orders of the President to the newly appointed ARMM governor to cover the 100 percent National paved roads by next midterm elections, due to that the 70 percent of the national roads should be given right priority under the program of DPWH-ARMM.
Sadain added he is now in the midst of undertaking the needed reforms within his department to set the right example and provide the avenue for real change to take its course for the good of the ARMM constituents.


Ardan Sali, executive director of the BCH, said their photo exhibit is a show window of the evolution of architectural designs of Islamic worship sites in the Philippines.
Part of the reform effort focuses on reviewing falsified documents on the appointments of employees while upholding civil service rulings in cleansing his department on the old ways of culture to professionalize the bureaucracy, according to Sadain.
Sec. Sadain claimed that President Aquino’s choice for OIC Regional Gov. Hataman is welcome as the latter is sincere and committed in delivering reform in the ARMM Region even as he expects everyone to support.


For Muslims, a Masjid is not only a place where to pray, but can also be used for peace dialogues and cross-section meetings to build consensus in addressing issues and concerns affecting the local communities.
The department also looks forward in developing some projects that would invite donor countries in the form of providing grants such as the USAID, Organization of Islamic Conference, JICA and others that extends assistance for member countries.
Much earlier, Sec. Sadain has issued a memo to the two district engineering offices which compliments the first district of Maguindanao and the second district of Lanao del Sur for the maintenance of road clearing for the commuters to feel comfortable in their travel from Cotabato City up to Parang and Malabang all the way to Marawi City which stretch up to 70 kilometers long. The road signage's on the sharp curves, street markings and kilometer posts were planned to be placed along the roadsides.


Masjids are specially designed for worshipers to face the west, the direction of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the bastion of the Islamic religion.
The department targets to cater about 80 percent of the budget focused on national roads and bridges and the balance will be considered by 2013. He further explained that he sub-divided their office programming, 80 percent of it for the national roads and 20 percent for the high-impact or strategic roads adding that these roads are those problematic roads on calamity or conflict affected areas.
While in Basilan, the secretary accompanied Governor Hataman to inaugurate the multi-million pesos worth of JICA-funded Integrated port Terminal in Lamitan City and inspected other infra projects.


The oldest, most valuable Masjid in the country can be found at Bohe Indangan in the island town of Simunul in Tawi-Tawi.
In Sulu, Sadain, together with the regional governor and Sulu officials led the ground-breaking of Jolo-Taglibi-Tiptipun road network; inspection of the existing and on-going construction road projects; visit of the area equipment and the Sulu’s two engineering district offices; assessment of the proposed water and drainage systems in Jolo; and meeting with local officials led by Gov. Sakur Tan.


The 700-year-old worship site was built by Karimul Makdum, the first ever Arab Islamic theologian to set foot in the South to propagate Islam.
In the Secretary’s entourage were Maguindanao District Engineers Emran Buisan (Dist. 1), and Zainal Mlok (Dist. 2), Lanao District Engineers Tetinga Langit Sumagayan (Dist. 1) and Maldamin Decampong (Dist. 2), Sulu D.E. Taballang Atluh (Dist. 1) and Barlie Nahudan (Dist. 2), Basilan D.E. Bensali Kasim and Tawi-Tawi D.E. Bensoud Ajihil. PR/BFC


==[[:Category:Tawi-Tawi, Philippines Photo Gallery|Tawi-Tawi, Philippines Photo Gallery]]==
==[[:Category:Tawi-Tawi, Philippines Photo Gallery|Tawi-Tawi, Philippines Photo Gallery]]==