Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News December 2018

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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Seal of ARMM

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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:
  1. 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.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

ARMM takes a bow, ends on a high note

By Amir Mawallil

BY the first quarter of 2019, the regional government we now call the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will cease to exist following a referendum in January.

In its place will rise a new regional juridical entity that will be called the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

BARMM is the result of decades of armed and peaceful struggle by the Bangsamoro for self-determination. With good governance, as well as full support from the national government, this new regional entity should be able to fulfill most — if not all — of the goals the Bangsamoro has fought so hard and so long to gain.

The existing ARMM was created in August 1989 under Republic Act No. 6734 during the Cory Aquino administration. Following the law’s 2001 revision, its coverage now includes the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Marawi (Lanao del Sur) and Lamitan (Basilan). According to records, the region’s population was 3.78 million in 2015, a population that grows at a rate of 2.89% annually.

Before ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman took the helm of the regional government in December 2011, the following served as the region’s chief executives: Zacaria Candao (1990-93); Lininding Pangandaman (1993-1996); Nur Misuari (1996-2001); Alvarez Isnaji (2001); Parouk Hussin (2001-2005); Zaldy Ampatuan (2005-2009); and Ansaruddin Adiong (2009-11).

While the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) signed by President Duterte in July means ARMM’s demise, ARMM functionaries led by Hataman pushed consistently for the passage of the BOL and the creation of the BARMM.

“It will help end the decades-long armed conflict and violence in the region,” Hataman said during a gathering in Cotabato City in August.

The good governor and his team said the ARMM has its faults and limitations: in 29 years of existence, it was only in recent years that good governance and socioeconomic milestones were achieved.

The capacity for more consistent progress was compounded further by major peace-and-order problems in recent years. These conflicts were fueled by historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro — and they prevented both public and private investments from flowing freely into the region. This resulted in a development imbalance between Moro and non-Moro provinces in Mindanao that widened perennially.

Under Hataman, the regional government started getting its house in order in 2012. It crafted a massive and strategic development plan for the entire region. The ARMM also set up databases and institutionalized data-banking for its line agencies — all unprecedented moves. Before Hataman, there were no clear lines or databases of information on the regional government’s policy decisions, and expenditures or development plans. There was no definite archive of documents upon which we could base future actions and decisions.

This initiative of setting up institutional systems within the bureaucracy earned the ARMM its first International Standardization Organization (ISO) certification in 2016. Earning an ISO certification meant the regional government reached international standards and requirements for its management systems. The scope of the certification included the provision of completed staff work for the governor’s issuances and engagements.

This observation that the ARMM’s improved governance makes a positive socioeconomic impact in areas within its jurisdiction is supported by hard and reliable data. These changes under Hataman’s stewardship were achieved despite major challenges the whole region struggled with in the recent years — from the Mamasapano clash in January 2015 to the Marawi Siege in May 2017.

Gov. Hataman recognized ARMM’s weaknesses and pushed for three reform pillars: good governance, peace and security, and socioeconomic development.

In terms of good governance, the ARMM’s drive to promote efficiency and effective administration among its local government units yielded significant results. Last year, 19 municipalities and one city in the region were conferred the Seal of Good Local Governance, under a program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

This year, 23 local government units (LGUs) in the region were conferred the 2018 Seal of Good Local Governance.

The ARMM also has the most number of local government passers among Mindanao’s regions. It should be noted that, in 2015, not one LGU in the region passed the Seal’s criteria. In 2016, only six of over a hundred LGUs in ARMM were given similar recognition.

Recognized by DILG through the Seal of Good Housekeeping Award in 2010, the ARMM continues to raise the bar of accountability and transparency for local government executives. The DILG conferred the award after a thorough assessment of LGUs’ performance, especially in four core areas: financial administration, disaster-preparedness, social protection, and peace and order.

Another major breakthrough of the Hataman administration was the establishment of the Regional Human Rights Commission. This came to fruition after more than 20 years of ARMM’s existence. This milestone is critical, especially in a region that was known for many human rights abuses in the past.

When Hataman took his oath as caretaker in charge of the ARMM in December 2011, one of the things the Department of Education’s Central Office commended the ARMM for was the regional government’s continuing data cleansing process that resulted in the delisting of hundreds of thousands of “ghost learners.” Many of these ghosts were literal ones.

Ghost employees are “employees” whose names are recorded on the payroll system. They do not actually work for the institutions in which they supposedly belong. These ghosts can either be real people who, knowingly or not, are placed on the government’s payroll despite their lack of involvement in the day-to-day business of governance. And more often than not, these fictitious people are also invented by dishonest employees.

Hataman took the lead in the ARMM, a region haunted not just by the burdens of its past, but also by the ghosts that gained a foothold in the region’s deeply rooted system of graft and corruption — a system Hataman sought to change.

ARMM has also been commended by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on the settlement of more than P2 billion in accounts payable that burdened most of the region’s teachers — this was a burden for teachers in the region for years prior to Hataman’s assumption as OIC governor.

The region’s latest economic indicators, which were made available early this year, are impressive. For instance, its gross regional domestic product (GRDP) grew by 7.3% in 2017 from a dismal 0.3% in 2016.

Last year’s performance showed the highest growth rate achieved in the region’s history. It even surpassed the national growth rate estimated at 6.7% for the same period.

Statistics showed that the agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing sectors were the main contributors to the region’s record-breaking GRDP performance. That sector registered 15.5% growth in 2017 from a mere 4.3% in 2016. ARMM is predominantly agricultural, with a 56.4% share in the region’s economy.

Even as fighting in Marawi started in the second quarter of 2017, investment in ARMM kept growing, with P3.65 billion in total commitment in the first half of that year. The figures reported by the Regional Board of Investments were higher by almost 74%, compared to 2016’s total registration of P2.1 billion.

The ARMM, in the last seven years of the Hataman administration, has recorded more than P20-billion registered investments that generated thousands of jobs. These occurred through government initiatives that not only created jobs but ensured fair wages. The betterment of the people of the Bangsamoro region has been made by the ARMM through large-scale job creation and assured job security. Better investments within the ARMM revitalizes the region and makes an important contribution to the national economy as well.

Hataman said in his last public address on Dec. 19 that with the BOL, the Bangsamoro government will have more freedom to decide on vital matters for itself. This, in turn, will speed up service delivery and the implementation of projects. The BOL is the strongest symbol of triumph for the peace process. If the BOL is ratified, the Bangsamoro can close an old chapter of conflict and division.

Yes, the ARMM is closing its last chapter in the Bangsamoro region. But it is bowing out on a high note, with many good lessons and gains to turn over as both legacy and gift to the BARMM, which can and should build on this strong foundation.

This will send a clear message across the nation and the world: the strife in Mindanao is over. The Bangsamoro are fully prepared and eager to face a more prosperous future.

Cotabato City Christmas revelry peaceful

By Noel Punzalan (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- Police here said the merrymaking during Christmas Eve was generally peaceful and no untoward incidents were reported.

“The entire city was peaceful, and no firecracker explosions nor indiscriminate firing of guns were heard in welcoming Christmas Day,” said Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio, city police director, in an interview by newsmen here on Tuesday.

After getting security assessment from the police and Army-led Task Force Kutawato, Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi lifted the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew to allow revelers to welcome Christmas.

Soldiers of the Army’s Special Forces Battalion and Cotabato City police personnel were deployed in all Catholic churches that celebrated the Christmas Eve mass.

Fielded along major city streets were armored personnel carriers that gave city residents the feeling of security as they welcomed Christmas Day.

Sayadi, in a message, appealed to city residents to make the celebration peaceful and refrain from using firecrackers or fire guns. A city ordinance bans the sale, distribution, and use of firecrackers in welcoming Christmas and the New Year.

Octavio also appealed to civilian firearm owners to refrain from firing their guns, warning them of consequences should they use their weapons during the revelry.

For the past four years, no single victim of firecrackers and stray bullets were listed in the city as compared to several years back when the least number of stray bullet injuries was at five.

ARMM LGUs gain DILG challenge fund

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- As an incentive for upholding good governance, 23 local government units in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were given a total of PHP79.3-million fund by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), a local official said Saturday.

Dubbed as Performance Challenge Fund, the allotment was given to LGUs that received the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award this year, according to DILG-ARMM Secretary Noor Hafizullah Abdullah.

“The allocation may be used by the local government units (LGUs) to fund its local projects that will have good impact in terms of local governance,” Abdullah told newsmen here in an interview.

Basilan province received about PHP7 million as provincial awardee of SGLG in ARMM, while PHP3.2 million each were apportioned for the towns of Talipao, Sulu; Maluso and Sumisip in Basilan, Simunol and Sibuto in Tawi-Tawi; Wao, Taraka, Kapatagan, Buadipuso Buntong and Piagapo in Lanao del Sur; and Barira, Buldon, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Guindulungan, Shariff Aguak, Datu Paglas, North Upi and South Upi in Maguindanao.

With this, Abdullah urged other local government executives to work hard and improve the delivery of services to their constituents and earn SGLG awards.

ARMM records P20-B investments in 2012-2018

(BusinessWorld)

THE REGIONAL Board of Investments (RBOI) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded P20.07 billion investments in the period 2012-2018.

ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman, in his state of the region address last Dec. 19, cited that more than 15,000 jobs were created through the entry of various companies.

“In the span of seven years that we’ve been together, RBOI recorded over 20-billion investments that contributed to our region’s economy,” said Mr. Hataman, who was appointed in 2011, won the seat in the succeeding elections, and is stepping down in July next year.

The RBOI, in its report for the regional address, said, “Since 2013 the RBOI has consistently been reaching its investment target set by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and in fact, the agency has been exceeding the target set by DBM in achieving more than P1.0 billion registered investments every year since 2013.”

The biggest investment at P1.016 billion came from ChocoInvest Corporation, a local firm that set up a cacao plantation project in Buldon, Maguindanao.

Mr. Hataman also noted that the recorded investments since 2012 do not include the informal sector of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises. “This is aside from the SMEs and informal economy that started due to the region’s peace and security,” he said.

ARMM’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate jumped from 0.4% in 2016 to 7.3% in 2017.

JICA, ARMM undertake Bangsamoro infrastructure needs survey

(BusinessWorld)

BEGINNING this month to March 2019, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), are undertaking a survey to identify priority infrastructure projects for the new Bangsamoro region that could be funded by JICA.

In a statement, the DPWH-ARMM said the JICA Bangsamoro Infrastructure Needs Survey will produce a map that pinpoints the locations for the projects and demonstrate inter-relationships between these infrastructures.

A Comprehensive Infrastructure Needs Master Plan will also be drawn up.

In a consultation meeting in early Dec. in Cotabato City, the DPWH-ARMM led by Regional Secretary Engr. Don Mustapha A. Loong presented their accomplishments in the past several years and identified needs “in terms of roads and bridges, ports and airports, electric and water supply, disaster preventions, educational facilities, primary schools, public health centers, and community centers.”

Also discussed was the necessity for “sustainable electric and potable water supply in every corner of the Region,” particularly in areas that are not geographically connected to the main ARMM towns.

Among the major infrastructure projects identified to spur economic growth were: Sulu Circumferential Road Master Plan; Tawi-Tawi Circumferential Road Master Plan; Tawi-Tawi Free Port and Malasa International Port; Polloc Port Master Plan; Polloc Coastal Road to traverse Sultan Mastura-Sultan Kudarat-Datu Odin Sinsuat; and flood control projects along the Rio Grande de Mindanao communities, among others.

MILF chief welcomes 'inclusive business model' for Bangsamoro

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – The chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) expressed support for the concept of “inclusive business model” during the launch of the Business Sustainability Framework in the Bangsamoro (BSFB) here Friday.

In his message read by Edward Guerra, co-chair of the Government and MILF joint normalization committee, MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said "the inclusive business model is the one best suited for the region where poverty incidence is 48 percent, the highest in the country.”

“This BSFB launch could not have come at a more appropriate time as we prepare for a new political arrangement with the national government,” Murad added.

In a statement, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) said the inclusive business model, “while attaining for profit, also benefits the poor.”

“It attends to the higher calling of benefiting low-income communities, not through charitable acts but through the inclusion of the poor in the business operations providing them livelihood that will build a dignified society,” the agency said.

For Murad, the continuing engagement of the business sector and other stakeholders in the region “is a testament of their confidence in our ability to transition smoothly into what we envision is a better future with a more stable policy environment for the business sector.”

The BSFB launch was led by the RBOI-ARMM, together with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Hineleban Foundation Inc. (HFI).

The BSFB was crafted through the Brokering Business Investments in the Bangsamoro to Achieve Inclusive Development and Growth or BRIDGe project funded by the Australian government.

The BRIDGe project is designed to increase investments that would hasten the development and peaceful integration of Muslim Mindanao into the national economy.

RBOI-ARMM said it is the concept of inclusive business that is a major strategy for poverty reduction as it integrates and enables low-income communities to participate in the value chain of a company’s core business, either as employees, suppliers, distributors, retailers or consumers who are then able to access goods and services at affordable prices and improve their lives.

Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI chair, said the inclusive business model is part of BOI/RBOI Investment Priorities Plan 2017-2019 so that businesses having this kind of model can enjoy fiscal incentives from the RBOI.

“Next year, we will be turning-over the BSFB to the new government and we expect them to carry the ball of investment promotion and investments towards sustainable and inclusive development,” Mastura added.

The BSFB was first launched in Manila last September 28.

Cultural performances cap Pakaradjaan 2018

By Noel Punzalan (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- Cultural performances capped Wednesday's culmination of Pakaradjaan 2018, the month-long revelry to celebrate the founding anniversary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The Pakaradjaan performances were led by top country singers Bayang Barrios, Cookie Chua, and regional cultural troupes performing songs and cultural dances from various tribes of the region.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman led the awarding of the trophies and cash prizes to the winners of various contests that began in March this year.

Top winners include the province of Basilan as first place winner in the grandest cultural mock village competition ever held in the region. The province of Lanao del Sur won second place, followed by Maguindanao (third place), Sulu (fourth place), and Tawi-Tawi (fifth place).

ARMM officials also earlier competed in a cooking contest with lawyer Rasol Mitmug, Jr., Lanao del Sur tribal chieftain and concurrent Department of Education-ARMM secretary, emerging as the winner.

Other tribal chieftain cooking contest winners are lawyer Laisa Masuhud Alamia, the ARMM executive secretary representing Basilan; Don Mustapha Loong (Sulu); Kahal Kedtag (Maguindanao); and Dayang Carlsum Jumaide (Tawi-Tawi.

In the food festival category, Maguindanao topped the ARMM provinces, with Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi trailing behind, respectively.

In the miniature mosque around the world competition, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-ARMM (The Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali) got first place; Office on Bangsamoro Youth Affairs-ARMM (Grozny Kadyrov Mosque in Russia) -- second place; and the Department of Tourism-ARMM (Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque in Sri Lanka) landed on the third spot.

The essay writing competition winners are Juwairiyah Bint Emran Mohamad (first); Sittie Ayeesha Dicali (second); and Aleah-Hidaya Hadji Rakhim (third). Consolation prize winners included Nor-anisha Schaharazhed Guro, Lureva Lailanie Razuman, Omera Asya Datumulok Radia, Bycel Cates Papolonias, and Yarah Alamsahi Musa.

Event keynote speaker Frank Rivera -- a playwright, actor, and production designer -- said he got emotional as he listened to ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman’s ‘Ulat sa Bayan’ delivered on Wednesday morning.

“I was teary-eyed as the Moro’s pride, dignity, art, and culture are very much alive in this place. You never departed from it,” he said.

Movie actor Robin Padilla, also a peace advocate, and Anak Mindanao Executive Director Sitti Djalia Turabin Hataman were also present in the culmination rites.

This year's celebration is anchored on the theme: “The ARMM Legacy: Exemplifying Good Governance in the Bangsamoro.”

Xmas dawn mass in ARMM going on smoothly

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – The traditional “Simbang Gabi” in Christian-majority communities across the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has been generally peaceful so far, a police official said Thursday.

Chief Supt. Graciano Mijares, ARMM police director, said police units in the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, and the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi have all been placed on heightened alert even before the start of the nine-day Simbang Gabi (dawn masses).

“No untoward incident that affected the dawn masses were reported so far,” Mijares said in a statement. The dawn masses started on December 16 and will end on Dec. 24, the eve of Christmas day.

“We will remain on alert as we welcome Christmas,” Mijares said.

ARMM is predominantly Muslim but about 15 percent are non-Muslims who observe the Christmas tradition. As of 2015 census, ARMM has a population of 3.7 million.

Earlier, Mijares directed police provincial directors to deploy mobile patrol units with blinkers turned on to visibly establish police presence but not necessarily creating undue alarm to the public.

The police director reminded police from day one of Simbang Gabi, also known as Misa de Gallo, to be vigilant against criminal elements engaged in common street crimes such as robbery, theft, burglary on unattended homes, holdups, swindling and gang wars.

Mijares lauded the officials, village watchmen, citizen volunteers and force multipliers in the region’s 2,490 for extending assistance to local police in maintaining law and order in their respective areas.

Philippine National Police Director Gen. Oscar Albayalde has earlier ordered all police units in the country to step-up visibility and patrol operations to ensure public safety and security until the New Year’s celebration.

Food and beverages manufacturing project up in Sulu

By Nonoy Lacson

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has approved recently the application of Sulu Food and Beverage Corporation (SFBC) to register with the agency their food and beverages manufacturing project worth P8 million in Indanan, Sulu.

RBOI chair Ishak Mastura said the investment is backed by one of the oldest food and beverage companies in the country which was established 166 years ago – Destileria Limtuaco.

Mastura said this is the first time that Sulu received an outside investment and the first outside investment to be registered in Sulu by the RBOI.

According to Mastura, this is an investment milestone for the country because Sulu, as one of the most conflict-affected areas in the country, was previously considered a “no go zone” for investors.

“With the registration of this investment project in Sulu, all five provinces in the ARMM now have registered investments with the RBOI, which is unprecedented and has never happened before,” added Mastura.

ARMM students win in national, international competitions

(BPI-ARMM)

COTABATO CITY --- Student representatives from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) brought pride to the Bangsamoro after bagging several awards in a recently-held national and international competitions.

Yahser Malang, a student of ARMM Regional Science High School in Parang, Maguindanao, is top two grand-finalist in Southeast Asia Video Festival held on November 24 in Manila.

Also, a team of five students from Parang National High School of Parang town bagged the grand champion in Science Investigatory Project on November 16 in Olongapo City.

Another pride is Ricco Teraytay, a finalist who competed in the 2018 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships from November 15 to 18 in Taipei, Taiwan. He is a student of Camp Siongco National High School, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

The awardees were united in saying that bringing the banner and pride of the Bangsamoro is a strong statement that people in the ARMM have many to offer.

“I’m proud that I’m from ARMM, and overwhelmed to represent Mindanao and the country Philippines,” said Teraytay who was included in the top 10 under 17 junior male team.

ARMM’s Education Department secretary Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr noted that the ARMM government has consistently been supportive of these outstanding students.

“It feels so good, because we have a direct communication with Secretary Mitmug and he constantly monitor me and it’s a big help,” Teraytay said, adding that thousands of athletes from 59 countries joined the 2018 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

The winning students of ARMM Regional Science High School who bagged the championship in video competition, a children category which bannered the theme, “Everyday’s Hero” for their entry entitled “Super Guro,” said they were happy to win the competition.

Sinebata 2018 is a competition of creators of videos for children. The videos were also created by them. It is convened by Anak TV, an advocacy organization that promotes television literacy and child-sensitive, family-friendly television in the Philippines.

Apart from receiving trophies and other prizes, the team placed second in the Second Southeast Asia Video Festival for Children – also known as Southeast Asia Prix Jeunesse.

“I’m so proud because we have brought with us the banner of ARMM and the Philippines and we are proud to say that there are many talented individuals in this area,” Malang said.

Other competing participants also included Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the winning students of Parang National High School, the grand champion in Science investigatory project, said they are honored to represent the region in a science competition. The team’s grand champion project was an anti-theft door alarm.

They are hoping, however, that their success will also inspire other students to develop their skills to investigate scientifically and make investigatory projects as part of their learning.

In a message, Secretary Mitmug expressed confidence that the students in ARMM will continue to participate in future national and international activities.

Cotabato City starts week-long Shariff Kabunsuan Festival

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi here led on Saturday the formal opening of a week-long annual Shariff Kabunsuan Festival commemorating the arrival of Islam in mainland Mindanao.

The activity commenced with an opening program at the city plaza followed by the launching of “Brassware exhibit” at the old city hall building that shows various artifacts and brass wares made of bronze and silver.

In the afternoon, Sayadi led the opening of Shariff Kabunsuan Festival Bazaar at the Citi Mall featuring low prizes gift items ideal for Christmas gift-giving.

Gurlie Frondoza, city tourism officer, said other highlights of the week-long celebration is the Guinakit Fluvial parade commemorating the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan to bring Islam to mainland Mindanao using the Rio Grande de Mindanao.

The celebration is centered on the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan via Rio Grande de Mindanao more than 500 years ago to introduce Islam to the natives.

“It is an event displaying Muslim religion and culture,” Frondoza said.

Aside from the colorful fluvial parade, a street dancing parade and competition will be featured along with cultural shows, “inaul” (Muslim fabric) fashion show, culinary competition, and many others.

“Cotabato City is host to fishponds that cultures tasty crabs, thus the festival will feature crab cooking and eating show,” Frondoza said.

She also described the festival as an opportunity for the city government to appreciate the efforts of every Cotabateño in making the city earn regional and national recognition in terms of economics and good governance.

Educators attend forum on understanding education provisions in Bangsamoro law

By Maripaz C. Abas

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews) — The Commission on Higher Education of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (CHED-ARMM) and National Association for Bangsamoro Education, Inc. (NABEI) recenty conducted a Forum on Understanding Education Provisions of RA 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and sought support of educators for its ratification.

Participated in by 120 teachers and administrators from 14 DepEd-recognized private madaris, one CHED-ARMM-supervised institution and a technical school, the forum, held on Sunday, December 9, aimed to “make the participants understand the salient provisions as well as education provisions of what has been popularly referred to as Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), provide them a glimpse of the proposed Bangsamoro Ministry of Education, and seek their cooperation in supporting campaign activities for BOL,” NABEI President Dr. Ombra Imam, said.

In his welcome statement, CHED-ARMM Commissioner Dr. Amor Pendaliday informed the participants that his office has been supporting activities to enlighten educators on the law, particularly on its education provisions, to guide them to have an informed decision when they cast their vote during the plebiscite on January 21, 2019.

Presenting the education provisions of the law, Dr. Pendaliday showed the historical development of education in ARMM. He described that almost all education provisions in the BOL are copy-pasted from ARMM laws such as R.A. 6734 and R.A. 9054.

He lamented that some provisions like representation of ARMM in the Board of Regents or Board of Trustees of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in ARMM areas were not implemented and he hopes that same provisions stated in the BOL could be asserted by the new Bangsamoro government.

In order to immediately realize the creation of a Tribal University as stipulated in the BOL, Dr. Pendaliday proposed the amalgamation of eight non-chartered public tertiary institutions in ARMM into Bangsamoro Tribal University System with Upi Agricultural School as main campus.

He said this proposal was already submitted to MILF Chairman Al-haj Murad Ebrahim, the MILF’s nominee for Chief Minister of the MILF-led 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) that will govern the Bangsamoro during the three-year transition period. The BTA members will be appointed by the President.

Challenges

Dr. Pendaliday posted some challenges to be confronted by the new government like merging of all education sectors under one ministry, and absence of clear plans for higher education as well as technical and vocational education.

On his part, Dr. Esmael Abdullah, head of the Technical Working Group of MILF Committee on Education, presented the “First Strategic Plan of the Bangsamoro Education and Culture Development” which included, among others, vision, mission, goals, objectives, and programs of the Bangsamoro education.

As provided by BOL, education is one of the powers granted to the Bangsamoro government. Based on his presentation, there shall be a Ministry of Education which envisions a “balanced and quality education for all.”

According to Dr. Abdullah, the proposed Bangsamoro Ministry of Education has five bureaus: Madaris, Islamic and Arabic Education; Basic Education; Higher Education and Tribal University; Vocational, Technical, Non-formal and Special Education; and Physical Education and Sports Development.

During the open forum, some participants suggested that the draft plan should consider inclusivity by catering to both Muslim and non-Muslim Bangsamoro learners. Such draft should also highlight plans for higher education, technical-vocational education, and private madaris as mandated by the BOL.

Meanwhile, Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, Deputy Secretary General of United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) emphasized that, although the Bangsamoro government is granted full power on education, it should not set standards below the standards of Department Education to ensure transferability of students from Bangsamoro to other regions, recognition and accreditation of the education system outside the Bangsamoro region, and employment opportunities of graduates outside the Bangsamoro.

He stressed the need for a quality education. He said this could be measured when the head of education sends his children to a public school, otherwise, the quality of public education is questionable.

Responding to a query on the benefits of Cotabato City’s inclusion in the Bangsamoro, Sinarimbo, a trained technocrat and former ARMM Executive Secretary, explained golden economic opportunities for Cotabato City and its constituents, which could never be availed of by the city outside the Bangsamoro. He projected the coming in of various investments that will generate more jobs to residents of the city.

Yes vote

The forum was concluded with the adoption of various school-initiated activities in support of a yes vote for BOL such as display of tarpaulin at school gate and classrooms; display of BOL billboard in public places; conduct of BOL forum for PTA and community members; BOL advocacy during student assembly; BOL oratorical, video, slogan, poster and jingle contests; text brigade for Yes to BOL; volunteering during plebiscite to help family members and relatives, especially the elderly, to cast their yes vote; setting a school day for wearing a BOL T-shirt; reproduction of BOL campaign materials (stickers, pins, flaglets, buntings, bookmarks, ball pens, wristbands). Private schools were also encouraged to help reproduce campaign materials.

The participants also encouraged other schools — public and private — and educators especially those in the proposed Bangsamoro areas to take part in contributing to peace by doing similar activities in popularizing the BOL.

Participating schools at the forum included Upi Agricultural School, Aviation Technical School of Cotabato, Ibn Taimiyah Foundation Academy, Sakeena Islamic School, Al-Azharie Central Academy, Iqra Academy, Nahda Central Academy, School of Character, Dar Al Uloom wal Hikmah, Madrasah Datu Manguda Timan, Mohammad bin Al-Dhahiri Islamic School, Hadji Baganian Memorial School, Mahad Saada Al-Islamie, Madrasah A-Huzaim, Gani L. Abpi Colleges, Inc., and Datu Ibrahim Paglas College Foundation, Inc.

NABEI, which is registered with Securities and Exchange Commission and recognized by DepEd Central Office, is a non-government organization of 50 private madaris and private schools in Marawi City, Cotabato City, Davao City, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.

It has been active in supporting the GPH-MILF peace process being a founding member of League of Bangsamoro Organizations (LBO), a network of multi-sectoral civil society organizations across Mindanao and Metro Manila, that is helping push the yes vote for BOL in Cotabato City.

ADB OKs USD408-M funding for Marawi

By Kris Crismundo (PNA)

MANILA -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday approved the financing package to support the Philippine government's Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program.

ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird announced in a press briefing that the ADB will disburse USD400 million worth of loans plus USD8 million in grants to finance programs, projects, and activities for the rebuilding and rehabilitation of Marawi.

ADB’s financing assistance covers nearly half of required investments under the Bangon Marawi program of the government, which is estimated at USD900 million.

Under the Emergency Assistance for Reconstruction and Recovery of Marawi package of the ADB, a USD300-million quick disbursing support will finance programs, projects, and activities related to health and education, social services, livelihood, local governance and peace-building.

The government targets to implement this from 2019 to 2020.

The ADB also set a USD100-million financing assistance for the reconstruction of 25 kilometers of roads, 1,700 meters of bridges and viaduct, and related physical infrastructure. These projects are expected to be completed in five years.

Part of ADB’s grant amounting to USD5 million, targets to restore water utilities and health infrastructure in Marawi.

The package will also fund the restoration of the water supply system in 19 barangays served by Marawi City Water District. Furthermore, it aims to bankroll the development of a comprehensive water supply, sewerage and drainage masterplan in Marawi.

Two local health clinics, three mobile health clinics and other health facilities will also be acquired through ADB's funding.

The remaining USD3-million grant will be supporting the emergency employment programs of the Department of Labor and Employment and livelihood programs of the Department of Trade and Industry. These programs are expected to help 3,600 beneficiaries.

“With the government’s recovery plan in place, it’s essential that we quickly implement and roll out the programs. It’s important to focus on helping young Maranaos regain a sense of normalcy in a safe learning environment, which they are longing for,” said Bird.

“A key component of our grants assistance will equip temporary learning places with better equipment and resources. We will also provide them with culturally sensitive psycho-social support and peace education,” he added.

Tenure of the USD400 million loan is 32 years and with eight years grace period.

TESDA earmarks P3.5 million for ARMM training court

By Nash B. Maulana

Cotabato City―The national government has earmarked an initial funding for the construction of a training court to accommodate former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front into acquiring technical skills through vocational education, officials said.

Omarkhayyam Dalagan, executive director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (TESDA-ARMM), said the national government has initially set aside P3.5 million in capital outlay fund for the construction of a training court in Maguindanao for MILF combatants and their dependents.

Dalagan said the fund, which was sub-allotted to his office, is now available and said that he is only waiting for a collective decision as to where to construct the building, after his courtesy coordination with the MILF leadership.

He said the training court for former MILF combatants and their families would be Tesda’s contribution to convergent pooling of government resources to help transform as many former guerrillas as possible during the transition of the Normalization Process, under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and its Annexes.

Dalagan said the training court also formed part of Tesda’s continuing massive enrollment campaign for technical vocational education and training (TVET) which took off on Feb. 27 to 28.

Not included in the amount, Dalagan said, were cost of equipment needed in an array of choices from the training course-programs offered.

Dalagan said choices from TESDA’s new course programs include food processing, dressmaking, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, computer system servicing, health care services, motorcycle or small engine servicing, electrical installation and maintenance.

Last year, TESDA-ARMM trained 26,638 individuals, and of whom 7,297 or 87.5 percent were assessed and certified as competent skilled workers.

Amir Mawallil, executive director of the ARMM Bureau of Public Information (BPI-ARMM), said TESDA-ARMM has awarded 11,153 scholarship

slots with a total funding requirement of P81 million. The study grant slots cover Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), Private

Education Student Financial Assistance (PESF for K to 12 compliance), and Skills Training for Employment Program (STEP).

Government officials said STEP awards its graduates with NC-II Certificates, convertible to civil service eligibility.

DepEd-ARMM uploads list of region’s schools

By Nash B. Maulana

Cotabato City―The Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has become the country’s fifth region to have completely uploaded online its list of public and privately-run basic schools.

ARMM DepEd Secretary Rasol Mitmug Jr. said a total of 2,706 names of public and private schools and their identification serials for elementary and secondary levels have been uploaded with the Basic Education Information System of the Philippine Master List of Schools.

The ARMM, composed of Basilan, Lanao Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, including the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, will cease to exist, once a plebiscite in January held in these territories ratifies Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, for the creation of a Bangsamoro ARMM.

Topping the list of uploaded basic schools with 100 percent validation of names and school IDs are: 90 elementary and secondary schools in Basilan; 61 in Isabela City (Basilan); 368 in Maguindanao (District I); 343 in Maguindanao (District II); and 95 in Marawi City.

Sulu has had 468 or 98.11 percent validated out of 477 schools names and IDs uploaded into the BEIS master list of schools.

DepEd Region XII (South-Central Mindanao) topped the BEIS uploading compliance; followed by Region X (Northern Mindanao); Region VI (Western Visayas), Region 1 (Ilocos Region) and ARMM DepEd in that order.

Mitmug said validation works have been relatively slow in three other districts owing to some factors, including hard access to school sites and peace and order issues, like the two districts of Lanao Sur where only 10 schools were validated as of December 7 out of 452 uploaded; and in another district where only 21 validated out of 414 schools names and IDs uploaded.

Still, instances of unresolved leadership issues have plagued schools administration in areas where DepEd positions are contested like political posts, according to stories shared by officials asking for anonymity for lack of authority to speak to reporters.

Japan mulls financial aid to Bangsamoro body

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)

MANILA -- The Japanese government is planning to modify its existing support to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the establishment of the new Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda said Tuesday.

"The new BTA that will replace the ARMM government needs to be well supported financially, and in terms of capacity building," he said during the Bangsamoro Forum in Makati City.

The BTA is the governing body that will be created during the transition period toward the establishment of the Bangsamoro government in 2022.

"Japan is considering to modifying its existing support to the ARMM government so that it would fit well with the new BTA," he added.

Haneda added that smooth operation for the upcoming plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) ratification "is a very crucial first step" for the process that follows.

"The international community could play a role to support this event, and Japan is considering its possible involvement," he said.

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have already begun Monday the campaign for the BOL in Cotabato City. On January 21 and February 6, the voting for the plebiscite will take place.

MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, who was also present at the forum, said "an overwhelming number of our people showed up to express their support for the Bangsamoro Organic Law."

While some were allegedly blocked from entering Cotabato City due to lack of identification cards and certificate of residency from barangay officials, the MILF chair said around 300,000 people were able to attend the gathering on Monday.

"Despite all the challenges in the plebiscite, we feel confident that our people will ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law," he said.

In a speech delivered at the forum, Ebrahim highlighted the 10 priorities the BTA will purse once it is established.

One of the priorities named is the implementation of programs that will respond to the pressing and economic challenges in the Bangsamoro such as poverty, education, health, and job opportunities, among others.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Senior Representative Yo Ebisawa said the agency is among the numerous groups committed to fulfill this priority.

"The future project is for the future ex-combatant for the normalization process. It's going to be a pilot model when they really start the decommissioning. Since they don't have work, they may start with agriculture," he said at the sidelines of the Bangsamoro Forum.

Even before the BOL was approved last July 2018, JICA's support to the peace in the Bangsamoro region "was there," Ebisawa said.

"Actually, we supported the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) in drafting the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law), BBL at that time. We provided trainings for the ones drafting the BBL," he said.

"We have many things done in the past. We even dispatched people for trainings in Japan," he added.

JICA has also laid out development plans focused on vocational trainings, road network development project in the area, and technical assistance for the community, including the indigenous peoples.

In a video-taped message, JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka affirmed that the agency's commitment to the Mindanao peace process is "now stronger than ever."

"We believe that peace and development in Mindanao will result to wider peace and development in the Philippines, and eventually in the greater Southeast Asian, and East Asian region," Kitaoka said.

Meanwhile, Ebrahim said the proposals for strategic infrastructures in the region were brought to JICA's attention such as the "peace bridges" in the western side of the city that will link Cotabato to both Datu Odin Sinsuat and Sultan Kudarat, and a coastal road that will connect it to Polloc.

Among others, a circumferential road around the Liguasan marsh was also proposed.

Gov’t moves to start work on worst-hit Marawi sites

By Elijah J. C. Tubayan

THE GOVERNMENT is looking to draw P2.4 billion from unprogrammed funds in the 2018 budget to help kick-start rehabilitation of Marawi City areas that were the most damaged in last year’s five-month battle with Islamic State-inspired local militants, a senior economic planning official said last week.

A private consortium of Filipino and Chinese firms was initially the main proponent to rehabilitate Marawi City’s so-called “ground zero,” or the most affected area (MAA), through a public-private partnership (PPP), but it was eventually disqualified after failing to show financial capacity to undertake the task.

“Ang mas concern ngayon (The main concern now) is how to fund the projects in the MAA. Based on the latest discussions, pwede naman i-tap ‘yung (we can tap) unprogrammed funds sa GAA (General Appropriations Act of) 2018. It can be unlocked,” NEDA Undersecretary for Regional Development Adoracion M. Navarro told reporters on Thursday.

“Sa ngayon, ang tinitingnan nasa (We are now looking at) P2.4 billion, kasi ‘yung (of the) GAA unprogrammed (funds) is P5 billion… Pero hindi pa ‘yun (but that isn’t) final kasi it will still be based on the submission of Task Force Bangon Marawi implementing agencies.”

Unprogrammed funds (UF) in the national budget can be tapped under certain conditions, such as excess government revenues.

“There are funds in the UF for Marawi and balances from the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council),” Budget Undersecretary Laura B. Pascua said in a separate mobile phone message on Sunday when asked for details.

The rehabilitation plan for the MAA is separate from the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Program (BMCRRP), which covers battle-affected locations outside the most devastated area.

The government has set a five-year BMCRRP. It has allocated some P10 billion for this purpose from this year’s budget and raised P35 billion in pledges from multilateral development banks, donor countries, as well as local and international organizations, in the form of concessional loans and grants. These funds are applicable for rehabilitation of locations outside the MAA.

But with the recent setback in the PPP plan for the MAA, the government has to now step in.

“Sa ngayon, ’yan na muna pero option rin naman ’yung ibang modalities. Let’s see kung ano ang magiging final plan (That is it for now, but there are other options. Let’s see what will be the final plan for the most-affected area),” said Ms. Navarro.

The government also plans to sell about P13.5 billion in retail Treasury bonds for Marawi City’s rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation began on Oct. 30 after about a four-month delay, focused on debris management by local contractor FINMAT International Resources, Incorporated.

The succeeding tranches of the five-part rehabilitation of the MAA include: construction of roads, related infrastructure and underground facilities; road widening; right-of-way acquisition; as well as a master development plan with feasibility studies for new projects like public parks, barangay halls, public markets, port facilities, transport hubs, school buildings, memorial sites, a museum and even a convention center.

Solon envisions Marawi as transpo, communications hub

By Ellson Quismorio

Misamis Oriental 2nd district Rep. Juliette Uy said Monday that she wants a “transportation and communications hub” to rise out from the debris of Marawi City.

“We in Congress will do everything we can to make the new Marawi City a shining example of how to rebuild and renew. Marawi cannot be a post-Yolanda disaster compounding a prior calamity,” Uy said.

Uy, a vice chairman of the House committee on small business and entrepreneurship development, said the presence of a solid transportation and communication infrastructure is key to Marawi’s recovery as it would provide it a strong link to its Northern Mindanao neighbors and the rest of Mindanao.

She noted that El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental is just 62.5 kilometers away from Marawi.

“Marawi needs a good road network fanning out to the northern, western, central and eastern Mindanao regions,” Uy said

“Now that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is taking more solid shape and form, Marawi City can be a telecommunications nerve center with high-speed internet and the latest in broadcast technologies,” she further stressed.

It can be recalled that an estimated 1,000 ISIS-inspired Maute Group terrorists occupied Marawi City in Lanao del Sur on May 23, 2017. The Philippine military drove the terrorists out after a grueling five-month battle that left the Islamic city in shambles.

Meanwhile, Uy, a member of the House committee on public works and highways, reckoned that Marawi requires extra special disaster management “because it is vulnerable to strong storms or earthquakes.”

Uy is cosponsor of Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Ansaruddin Abdul Malik Adiong’s House Bill no. 7711, or the proposed Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act.

“Many of my constituents in Misamis Oriental have loved ones in Marawi City. For that I, take it upon myself as their representative to look after the welfare of the residents of our neighbor city Marawi,” Uy said.

Tawi-Tawi short film bags top award in Moro film fest

By Manuel Cayon

DAVAO CITY—A young boy’s search for opportunity at a coastal village in the Philippines’s southernmost island and a girl’s survival efforts at an evacuation center in Central Mindanao bagged the two top awards in the 2018 Moro Film Festival in Cotabato City.

The short film Manis Ma Pikilan was handed the Best Short Film during the awards night of the festival’s Short Film Competition on December 6 held at Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex in Cotabato City.

The Manis Ma Pikilan captures the personal struggles of Pahad, a boy from a small coastal community in Tawi-Tawi, the information office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) said.

“This film would like to tell the people, especially those people outside the Armm that Mindanao is not just about war, that people have their own personal struggles in life,” said Bhas Abdulsamad, director of the film.

Another short film, the White Flag, depicts the story of Omaimah, a young girl who had to weave her way through difficult times at an evacuation center in Marawi City to escape the war last year.

The Manis Ma Pikilan romped away with P300,000 in cash prize as the competition grand winner. The White Flag, on the other hand, won a total of P150,000 in cash prize as the Grand Jury Prize winner.

The White Flag director Najib Alyhar Zacaria was emotional during the awards night. Zacaria said he can’t explain how he was feeling at the moment but expressed his joy.

“This is for my Princess,” he said citing his daughter who died of an ailment while staying inside an evacuation center during the Marawi siege.

Aside from Manis Ma Pikilan and White Flag, the other short films that entered the competition’s top 10 finalists were: Identity, Kyuga, Battle of Tampakan, Inged, The Last Kill, Juramentado, Khalil at Manuelito and Sarimanok.

The competition also handed out the following special awards: Audience choice for Inged (P100,000); Best Director, Najib Alyhar Zacaria, for White Flag (P50,000); Best Screenplay for White Flag (P30,000); Best Cinematography for Manis Ma Pikilan (P30,000); Best Editing for Manis Ma Pikilan (P30,000); Best Actor, Abraham Nupuran, for Manis Ma Pikilan (P15,000); and, Special Citation for Ensemble Acting for The Last Kill (P15,000).

The films were critiqued by filmmakers from Mindanao, including Bagane Fiola of Davao City who has been doing films over the last decade, and Xeph Suarez, who just won a Cinemalaya best director award this year.

Both of them served as members of the jury.

Award-winning Moro filmmaker and author Gutierrez Mangansakan II said the jury he chaired was looking for films that tell the stories of Bangsamoro.

“A good story is something that comes from within, and these two movies, Manis Ma Pikilan and White Flag, were really able to surface this type of films,” he added.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman noted the films’ effort to correct the past stories about the Bangsamoro and the rest of Mindanao.

“This is the challenge to all filmmakers, win or lose. This is our challenge,” Hataman said in Tagalog.

The Armm Bureau of Public Information said this was the first time the ARMM organized a competition of short films highlighting the history, culture, and tradition of the Bangsamoro. It also showcased the talents of aspiring artists, actors and filmmakers in the region.

The competition would form part of the celebration of Pakaradjaan 2018. Public screenings of the top 10 films were held over the weekend at the Al Nor Cinema 2 in Cotabato City.

Marawi recovery continues with sports meet revival

By Riz Sunio (PNA)

MARAWI CITY -- After being postponed last year due to the Marawi siege, some 86 schools in the Department of Education (Deped) Marawi City Division completed the five-day Palarong Panlungsod 2018 at the Mindanao State University Sports Complex.

“We are extremely excited and happy because our division is now moving on and we were able to track our learners [after the siege]. Most of them are back to their original schools,” said Dr. Pharida L. Sansarona, Deped Marawi Schools Division Superintendent.

The sports meet ran from December 5 to 9.

Last year, in order for Marawi City to participate in the Palarong Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Athletics Association (ARMAA) and Palarong Pambansa despite not holding a city sports meet, they had to select players and schools to train prospect competitors.

“Kaunti lang ang athletes namin last year kasi nung nakabalik kami [galing sa gyera], hindi pa maganda and sitwasyon ng Marawi (We only had a small number of athletes last year because when we returned from the siege, Marawi’s condition was still unstable),” said Dr. Sobaida D. Ampuan, Assistant Schools Superintendent for Senior High School of the DepEd Marawi City division.

This year, 28 private schools, seven public secondary, 49 public elementary schools, and two state universities and colleges (SUCs) feeder schools from the nine districts of Marawi City have sent their competitors for the sports event.

The events in the Palarong Panlungsod are sepak takraw, soccer, chess, table tennis, taekwondo (boys), softball, basketball, baseball, and athletics.

Five schools that were competing in the sports meet are from the City’s most affected area. These schools are currently operating in temporary learning centers, which include the Dansalan National High School, Sagonsongan Elementary School, Sagonsongan High School, Sarimanok Tent City, and Bahay Pag-asa.

“We are able to provide an avenue for pupils and students to forget their traumatic experiences. [The City Meet] shows that they (students) have moved on [from the siege]. Nakabangon na sila (They have already recovered),” Sansarona said.

Winning teams and players of the Palarong Panlungsod 2018, Sansarona said, will be sent to compete in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Athletic Association in February next year.

Rebuilding Marawi: Rising from ground zero

By Kathleen de Villa (Researcher, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The people of Marawi City lost their homes, schools, mosques, churches and for some, even their lives, in the city they called home during the five-month fighting between Islamic State-inspired Maute groups and government troops that started in May 23 last year.

By the time the President declared Marawi “liberated from terrorist influence” on Oct. 17 last year, a fifth of Marawi had already been reduced to rubble.

This was the most affected area, also dubbed ground zero, which was composed of 24 barangays out of the Islamic city’s total 96.

At least 920 militants were killed, while 165 troops and 47 civilians died, according to the military.

Those who survived the war had to literally pick up the pieces left from the war, saving anything they could from the ruins.

On June 28, 2017, two months into the fighting, President Duterte created an interagency task force that would lead the recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation program for Marawi City, a month after the start of the fighting between soldiers and IS-inspired terrorists.

Called the “Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM),” it is headed by housing czar Eduardo del Rosario.

The task force’s functions include deploying a quick response team, conducting a post-conflict needs assessment of Marawi, constructing temporary and/or permanent shelters for displaced persons and providing an environment conducive to the revival of business and livelihood activities.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) then formed Joint Task Group Ranao, composed of engineering battalions from the Army, Air Force and Navy. They were tasked to clear the city, especially the main battle area, to ensure that there are no explosives or booby traps left.

As of January, government officials estimated total damage at P11.61 billion, while total losses stood at P6.6 billion.

Rehab starts

Groundbreaking rites for Marawi City’s rebuilding finally pushed through on Oct. 30, after being postponed at least five times.

The ceremony, which paved the way for the start of the rehabilitation, was held at what used to be Rizal Park inside the so-called ground zero of the war.

The start of reconstruction was originally set for June this year but it was moved to July after the Chinese-led Bagong Marawi Consortium, composed of five Chinese and four Filipino companies, was disqualified due to failure to comply with the financial, technical and legal requirements.

In July, Del Rosario said the groundbreaking would be held in August and that the government was in talks with Power China, which was next in line among the private developers that had bid for the project.

Other developers that also submitted unsolicited proposals were dominated by the Chinese—China Railways Group Limited, China Harbour Engineering Company—and the Malaysian firm Alloy MTD.

It was postponed again in September and on Oct. 17, the first anniversary of the retaking of Marawi from terrorists.

But the government has maintained its completion target for the city’s rehabilitation by 2021.

Rebuilding work

The rehabilitation will start with the clearing of debris in a 6-ha area of the main battle area by local company FinMat International Resources Inc. The operation is estimated to cost P75 million.

Aside from clearing debris, the rehabilitation program also called for road widening, installation of power and communication lines underground to be completed by the first quarter of 2020.

Construction of vertical structures such as schools, barangay and health centers, a convention center, a grand central market and a centralized sewerage treatment plant would follow.

It would reportedly cost up to P1 billion to build new mosques to replace at least 25 mosques destroyed during the war.

The latest estimated rehabilitation cost was pegged at at least P80 billion.

In a press briefing in April with the officials of the task force, Del Rosario outlined the minimum requirements for the development of Marawi City:

Debris management;
Site development plan;
Area of development shall cover 250 ha;
Concrete improvement and expansion of existing roads;
Both sides of Agus River and Lanao Lake to be developed into parks;
Provision for underground utilities such as water, power and telecommunications;
Vertical development must be in accordance with the National Building Code;

A centralized drainage system that will lead to a sewage treatment plant so that all the waste from the 24 barangays of the most affected area will be treated and cleaned when it flows to the Agus River or the Lanao Lake.

Marshall Plan

The Mindanao Development Authority, which is part of the TFBM, has crafted a P678-billion “Marshall Plan” that will provide a road map for the immediate rebuilding of Marawi City and nearby provinces.

But of the number, P630 billion, the biggest chunk of the budget, will cover long-term projects designed to spur growth in the war-ravaged area and neighboring provinces.

The long-term projects, which is planned to start in 2022, include the P30-billion Picong Industrial Estate Freeport and Philippine Haj Airport in Lanao del Sur province; the P20-billion Tawi-Tawi Special Economic Zone and Freeport; agricultural ecozones allocated with P5 billion; and the P400-billion Mindanao railway project, among others.

Marawi’s Marshall Plan, which was the product of a series of public consultations, also include the rehabilitation of trading centers, boat landings, housing areas, agribusiness support and postharvest facilities and the reconstruction of school buildings.

The name Marshall Plan came from the United States’ comprehensive program to provide economic assistance for the rebuilding of postwar Europe. It was named after Secretary of State George Marshall who proposed the plan in 1947.

Project funding

Funding for the reconstruction would reportedly come from government, private donors and official development assistance. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III had said that for the entire Marawi, including ground zero, the government must shell out P72.6 billion until 2022.

In the 2018 national budget, a P10-billion fund had been earmarked for Marawi’s rehabilitation. As of Oct. 10, P4.6 billion had already been released and P3.9 billion was in the process of being released, according to the government.

During a pledging session held in Davao City on Oct. 28, the following countries have committed P32.7 billion in concessional financing on top of P2.4 billion in grants for Marawi City: China, Japan, Spain, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Relief and humanitarian grant assistance, worth P6.9 billion, also came in earlier from the United Nations and its agencies, and from Australia, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

The United States has pledged a total of P3.2 billion of funding commitment under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Marawi Response Project.

But some Marawi residents complained that they had been left out in the crafting of the rehabilitation plan.

Coming home

Ranao Multi-Stakeholders Movement (RMSM), a group of Maranao displaced from Marawi and their supporters, previously said that Del Rosario had been “insensitive to the culture and feelings of the Maranao people.”

Sultan Abdul Hamidula Atar, RMSM spokesperson, had said that the Maranao people were hurt when Del Rosario said they should already move their belongings out of the area to give way to the plan to flatten all structures, including the Grand Mosque.

The Marawi Reconstruction Conflict Watch (MRCW), another independent dialogue group, expressed its frustration that more than a year after its liberation from terrorists, Marawi “remains beneath the rubble of destruction and desolation.”

The group was also outraged by Del Rosario’s statement that evacuees would only be allowed to go home and build their houses in 2022.

The task force had allowed residents of 24 villages of the most affected area to visit their homes and retrieve their belongings. The visit, called “Kambisita,” ran from April 1 to May 10.

According to the latest Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) report in April, some 353,921 people or 77,170 families from Marawi City and nearby towns have been displaced due to the fighting.

In 2015, Marawi City alone had a population of 201,785. Some 65,256 residents were from the most affected area in the 24 barangays.

As of April, 27,770 families have returned to only 42 of the city’s total 96 barangays.

Only 136 of the planned 4,050 housing units for displaced residents had been built, former Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council secretary general Falconi Millar said in a hearing at the House of Representatives on Nov. 20.

Millar also said that of the planned 5,462 transitory shelters, only 1,522 units had been built.

According to Millar, the government had been facing difficulties in swiftly carrying out the rehabilitation due to the lack of legal land titles of many Marawi residents.

Tuca health station receives upgrading

By Lou Ellen Antonio (LEAntonio/PIA ICCC)

MARAWI CITY, Nov. 7 (PIA ICCC) -- Through the Central Emergency Response Fund of United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO) with the Muslim Youth Religious Organization Incorporated (MYROI) implemented the repair of the barangay health station (BHS) in Tuca, Marawi City.

The Jpiego, an international and non-profit health organization, meanwhile provided the installation of water tank and solar to complement the electric power of the BHS.

Marawi City health officer Dr. Ali Daligdig said the newly repaired BHS will cater eight barangays near Tuca such as Dayawan, Toros, Lumbaca Toros, Bacolod Chico, among others.

Daligdig also shared there will be a registered nurse, midwife and a visiting doctor for the BHS who will provide free health services from Sundays to Thursdays, 8 am to 5 pm.

“Nagpapasalamat kami sa ating mga partner dahil sa kanila narealize itong good quality na BHS,” said Daligdig. [We are very grateful to our partners that this good quality BHS is being realized.]

Julie Villadolid of World Health Organization said their intervention focuses on health and nutrition, repair and distribution of water supply, among others.

“Masaya ako na marinig na ang ating proyekto ay sama-sama nating naisakatuparan kasama ang ating partners; na merong convergence of services for health and nutrition program,” said Villadolid.

[I am happy to hear that our project is being implemented with the collaborative efforts of our partners; that there is convergence of services for health and nutrition program.]

In September, WHO and its partners provided repair and water system installation for BHS in Barangay Pawak, Marawi City. The synergy among WHO and its partner agencies symbolize their goal to deliver better health services to the local residents of Marawi.

EU vows continued support for Mindanao peace process

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)

MANILA -- The European Union (EU) has reiterated its support for the Mindanao peace process during the launch of Mohagher Iqbal's book retracing the Bangsamoro's challenges to self-determination.

EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen was among the attendees at the launch of the book, "Negotiating Peace: An Insider’s Perspective to the Bangsamoros’ Struggle for Self-Determination", in Cotabato City on Monday.

In his speech, the envoy congratulated the author as he cited continuous and extended EU initiatives directly supporting the peace process in Mindanao.

Jessen noted that EU has been the biggest contributor to the multi-donor Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF) since 2006. He said the bloc provides direct humanitarian assistance to the displaced populations in Marawi affected by the siege in 2017.

"Over the last 10 years, the EU has worked to build a long-lasting relationship with OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) and MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), based on mutual trust, and on a transparent and efficient policy dialogue for the success of the peace process," he said.

"The EU remains one of the major foreign development partners to provide comprehensive support to Mindanao and the peace process through an integrated approach supporting directly the political settlement and longer-term economic development of Mindanao," he added.

On the same day, Jessen also signed the Declaration of Intent for the Contract between EU and the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS). "We are also responding to the needs expressed by MILF leaders to contribute to build their capacities, by signing a declaration of intent with CPCS, and we stand ready to further assist in the coming transition period," he said.

Jessen said the EU is "currently assessing" the modalities for deploying a mission on election observation for the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro.

DepEd-ARMM calls for more support for Marawi schools

By Roderick Abad

MORE than halfway through the school year since the reopening of classes in June, Marawi City still recuperates from the devastating war, especially on the education sector that needs intervention and other forms of assistance both for the educators and learners, according to a top academic official in the region.

“We’re trying to go back to normalcy,” Department of Education-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) Assistant Division Superintendent Ana Zenaida U. Alonto told the BusinessMirror on a sideline interview during the launch of the Marawi Storybook Series held recently at the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Manila.

Following the siege that broke in May 2017 displacing thousands of people, 42 out of 69 public elementary and high schools in the war-torn city resumed classes on June 4 this year.

“But 20 [of them] were damaged in ground zero,” she said of the state-run learning institutions located within the most affected areas (MAAs) in Marawi.

Apart from the 40 regular primary and two secondary schools, four other interim schools were built that now accommodate returning students.

Before the strife led by the militant Maute brothers broke, Marawi had more than 22,000 public elementary and high-school students, based on records of the DepEd-ARMM. Its latest actual headcount revealed 17,107 returned to school.

Alonto said the rest of the 5,000 schoolers, whether enrolled or not, are believed to have moved to different areas where they sought refuge.

Asked about the present situation of the educational system in Marawi, she said everything has been put in place given that more than half of the schools are now operational following the stoppage of classes for one school year because of war.

“All our children are okay,” she said, adding some of the students exhibited some change in behavior like being hyperactive or fearful due to their horrible and traumatic ordeals. “Those are manifestations, I think, of what they experienced during the siege. But we are trying to contain them.”

Alonto said they continue with the psychosocial first aid given to the learners months before by the continuity of artworks given as one school activity.

She added the constant supply of hygiene kits and the conduct of school feeding programs by partner-donors and the government’s education arm has helped in their goal of normalcy.

The latter initiative serves as an intervention to encourage students to study again and, at the same time, relieve parents from the stress of sending them to schools given their current situation. Assistance from both the public and private sectors, structure-wise, also poured in to provide the students with conducive learning environments.

“In fact, a foundation has just turned over to us four classrooms with two toilets each,” Alonto said. “What we need now for our students are some uniforms, school kits, hygiene kits and to continue our feeding program to let them stay in school.”

The top education officer also called for help to all of the city’s 1,100 educators who, despite being the hardest hit by the war, are all safe and have returned to teaching.

“I think what they need now are finances, uniforms and soft interventions,” the assistant superintendent said. Capacitating the educators with the latter initiative, she noted, will further enhance the learning process of students.

Looking at their situation in the long term, Alonto expressed optimism on the government’s effort to rebuild Marawi, with President Duterte leading the groundbreaking ceremonies for the debris management of the MAAs late October.

“That’s a signal of a new beginning for Marawi,” she said. “So we are also expecting the reconstruction and rehabilitation of ground zero, where the 20 damaged schools are located, will be finished on time. Our government promised to bring back the normalcy in Marawi by 2022.”

The Marawi siege, she appealed to the public, should not be forgotten as part of the country’s history.

“God forbids, but this can happen also to others. It may be unwanted, but we learned a lot from this war. We want to share to all Filipinos that it was also the time when we saw how the Christians and Muslims helped one another,” she said in reference to the four storybooks that highlight the culture, identity, values and resilience of Maranaos.

These are The Day the Typhoon Came written by Carla Pacis; Water Lilies for Marawi, by Heidi Emily Eusebio-Abad; Marawi Land of the Brave, by Melissa Salva; and Lost and Found: A Song of Marawi, by Randy Bustamante.

Launched by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), together with The Bookmark Inc., during the event called “iRead4Peace” in celebration of the National Reading Month, these series of reading materials catered to children were based on actual experiences of survivors of the Marawi conflict.

“PBSP partnered with us for the storybooks because they wanted to help the children of Marawi, not only to cope but to adjust to their new lives after the siege,” explained Anna Maria Tan-Delfin, GM of The Bookmark.

“This book will serve as a link between our Christian brothers and us in Marawi for the readers to feel and understand what we have gone through during the war. It’s not easy to be coming back [or] rising back again [from what we experienced]. It will take maybe two decades for us to really go back to normalcy,” Alonto noted.

Written in both English and Maranao and brought to life by professional illustrators, the storybooks will be given to every child in Marawi and will also be donated to the DepEd-Marawi to improve the reading skills of children and serve as a tool for peace education and trauma healing.

“Through these storybooks, we hope to not only build a culture of reading, but also help these young survivors rebuild their lives. Moreover, we aim to use these books to shape the continuing dialogue on peace and development in Mindanao,” said Reynaldo Antonio Laguda, executive director of PBSP.

Army activates task force for peace, dev’t in Maguindanao

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – The Army activated Monday an inter-agency task force as a support mechanism for the government’s anti-drug, anti-illegal logging, peace and development and disaster response initiatives, an official said.

Brigadier General Diosdado Carreon, commander of the Army's 601st Infantry “Unifier” Brigade based in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, said the Inter-Agency Task Force “Magiting” (IATF-Magiting) aims to attain peace, progress, and prosperity in the area of responsibility of the Army’s 601st Brigade."

The task force is composed of the clustered municipalities of Rajah Buayan, Mamasapano, Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Sultan Sa Barongis, all of Maguindanao and under the area of operation of the 40th Infantry Battalion (40th IB), a unit under 601st Brigade.

Carreon signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Saturday that officially created IATF-Magiting along with Rajah Buayan Mayor Zamzamin Ampatuan, Mamasapano Mayor Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan, Sultan sa Barongis Mayor Ramdatu Angas and Shariff Saydona Mustapha municipal administrator Datu Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan who represented the town mayor.

The reactivation of IATF Magiting, Carreon said, aims to strengthen the collaboration between the above-mentioned municipalities to promote, administer and pursue the following mandates: development support, anti-illegal drugs campaign, peace and security, and disaster response operations.

The activity was witnessed by Col. Joel Abregana, the Army's 601st deputy brigade commander, Lt. Colonel Edgar L Catu, commander of the Army's 40th IB, and other local officials.

Mayor Zamzamin Ampatuan lauded the efforts of the 601st Brigade and the 40IB for creating the IATF-Magiting that centered on collaboration and strengthen the binds of the local chief executives to address pertaining to peace and development and disaster preparedness.

Carreon expressed his gratitude for the cooperation and active response of the local chief executives.

“Let us set aside politics,” Carreon said. “This is the right time to strengthen our ties, for the good of our constituents."

Go Negosyo Kapatids support ARMM

By Joey Concepcion (PILIPINAS: NOW IS OUR TIME, The Philippine Star)

When we launched our program “Negosyo Para sa Kapayapaan sa Sulu” in December 2016 in Malacañang, the mission was to bring peace and prosperity to the poorest provinces in the country, most of which are in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). We gathered the Go Negosyo community to collectively contribute for the rehabilitation and development of these provinces. And I am glad that they have all heeded the call of nation building.

Fast-forward to today: Mindanao is now one of the biggest contributors to the country’s agro-products, but we continue to help the region towards prosperity. With the help of our big brother partners — Aboitiz, Pilmico, Wilcon Depot, Bounty Fresh, Convergys, Harbest, Vita Coco, Century Pacific, SL Agritech, SM Foundation, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Bo’s Coffee, Marcventures, French Baker, W Group, Rotary Club and Philippine Franchising Association —we continue promoting entrepreneurship through mentorship and agri-livelihood programs.

One of the farms that benefited from our initiative is the Barlin Farms Cooperative in Brgy. Linamon, Ditsaan Ramain, Lanao del Sur, which was recently accredited by the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute as an agricultural learning site with fruits and veggies, free-range halal chickens, organic ducks and goats, and fish culture. Barlin Farms is now a sought-after agri-tourism pick-and-pay farm that supplies its nearby municipalities’ respective community markets.

We also helped rebuild Marawi after the war. Through the help of our programs, the Marawi Baloi Farmers Association was established. The members are also ground-zero, internally displaced people that were the first recipients of Go Negosyo’s veggie training, resulting in a bountiful harvest and income generation for its members.

Numerous farm projects established in ARMM cover commodities such as hybrid rice, cash crops, fruits and vegetables, yellow corn, seaweeds, poultry and more.

We also would like to thank the local government units: Task Force Bangon Marawi, AFP Task Force Ranao, Department of Labor and Employment-Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged/ Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program, Department of Agriculture ARMM and Lanao Del Sur, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and other partners for supporting these initiatives for our countrymen.

Beyond our goal of providing prosperity through these inclusive programs, we are proud to say that we are also contributing to peace-building in the region. In fact, other stakeholders were inspired to establish similar programs in their provinces after seeing the success of our advocacy. We will continue doing these intiatives anchored on the 3 M’s: Mentorship, Money and Market. Let us all work together to uplift the lives our fellow Filipinos.

ARMM youth essay-writing contest opens

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman is inviting anyone aged 15 to 35 years old and resident of the region to join this year’s essay-writing contest under the theme “Bangsamoro Youth, Bangsamoro’s Future.”

“The contest is one of the highlights of the ARMM 29th foundation anniversary celebration dubbed as “Pakaradjaan 2018,” the governor said in a statement Wednesday.

Winners of the 2018 ARMM Essay Writing Contest would receive a PHP30,000 cash prize for third place, PHP50,000 for the second, and the first prize winner will take home PHP70,000.

“Five other entries will be selected to receive each a consolation prize of P10,000,” Hataman said. He added that entries must have a minimum of 800 words, and a maximum of 1,500 words written in the English language.

The ARMM covers the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, and the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Lanao del Sur. Contest winners would be announced on Dec. 15, 2018.

Marawi recipients lauded for biz success

By Calvin T. Penaco (PIA-ICCC)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur -- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the Financial Inclusion for the Recovery of Marawi (FIRM) project lauded recipients who now have profit-generating businesses during the project's culmination ceremony at the Provincial Capitol on Nov. 28.

Some three internally displaced persons (IDPs), namely Monera Candidato, Alikan Hasan, and Rakima Idris shared their success stories.

Candidato said she used the cash assistance as capital for her firewood business.

"Ginamit ko iyong nakuha kong pera para pambili ng kahoy para makakuha ng panggastos sa aking mga anak na nag-aaral. Noon kase, hindi sila makapag-aral kasi wala akong maibigay sa kanilang pamasahe (I used the money to purchase firewood so I could make money for the sustenance of my kids who were still in school. I had not been able to give them money before since I couldn't give them enough for their fare)," she said.

Hasan and Idris also used the cash assistance as capital for their small businesses. Hasan was able to put up a sari-sari store while Idris opened an RTW store.

The NGO executives each delivered a message of inspiration to the IDPs, explained their organization's role in the project, and reaffirmed their continued commitment to Marawi's complete recovery.

Since FIRM made use of digital technology in bringing financial services to IDPs, PayMaya Philippines Vice President Kenneth Palacios cited the importance of continuing to use the services despite the project's culmination.

"Gusto po namin marinig iyong feedback. Ang teknolohiya po, hindi iyan maganda sa umpisa. Dapat natin ito gamitin over and over. Habang ginagamit natin, natututo tayo at mas napapaganda natin. Pasensya na po kung minsan may mga problema. Lahat po iyan kailangan natin marinig nag ma-improve. Over time, lahat po tayo makikinabang (We want to hear feedback. Technology does not work well at the first stages. We need to use it over and over. The more we use it, the more we learn and make it better. We apologize if there are problems. We need to hear all of these so we can improve the service. Over time, we will all benefit from it)," he said.

Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) field office manager, Assistant Secretary Felix Castro, Jr., encouraged the IDPs to take advantage of the opportunities that the project had given them.

"Kung ano ang ibinigay ng gobyerno at ng partner agencies, iyan ay alagaan at palaguin niyo (Whatever the government and the partner agencies have given, take care of it and make it grow)," he said.

Meanwhile, Oxfam in the Philippines Country Director Maria Rosario Felizco, thanked all partner groups and organizations that made the project possible, especially that there had been challenges they have had to overcome.

"Let's use everything that we learned from this project, especially on financial literacy, in our future endeavors," she added.

FIRM is a cash transfer project aimed at providing assistance to 10,000 vulnerable IDPs, jointly implemented by Oxfam in the Philippines, Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS), Al-Mujadilah Development Foundation (AMDF), PayMaya Philippines, Smart Padala and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the support of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (UN CERF).

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