Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News February 2014

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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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.

DA chief barnstorms Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur to make Muslim farmers productive

(PNA), PDS/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 28 (PNA) --In support of the peace overtures of Malacanang in southern Philippines, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) launched on Friday different projects for Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

The two provinces are known as less developed areas in terms of agriculture and both are bastions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with which the government is talking peace for development.

Alcala led the dispersal of farm equipment and livestock to Maguindanaon and Maranaw farmers to improve their productivity in an effort to support President Aquino's dream of empowering Moro farmers who will form part of the proposed Bangsamoro government.

Alcala earlier traveled to Lanao del Sur and met with farmers to learn from them how the Department of Agriculture could help them become productive and be at par with their counterparts in other regions in Mindanao.

Alcala was accompanied by ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Regional Secretary Makmod Mending, Jr.

In Marawi City, Alcala, Hataman and Mending jointly presided over the Agri-Pinoy Program forum with Lanao del Sur farmers and fisher folks.

His tour ended with Alcala turning over a farm tractor to the local government of Lanao del Sur's Bumbaran town. Bumbaran is a known bailiwick of the MILF.

Alcala and ARMM officials then turned over corn mills, cattle, goats, chicken, and ducks for breeding, to farmers’ cooperatives in Lanao del Sur.

Recipient of the farm equipment and work animals were Parao Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, in Kapa town, to a group of former Moro National Liberation Front guerrillas in the same town, and the Sarimanok and Abduljalil cooperatives in Marawi City.

Close to 130 bags of organic fertilizers were handed over by Alcala to farmers in Wao, Saguiran and Pantar municipalities where most of the farmers were either MILF members or supporters.

Ten cooperatives in Lanao del Sur also received a water buffalo each from Alcala and Mending too while 50 knapsack chemical sprayers were also turned over.

After Lanao Sur activities, Alcala proceeded to Maguindanao where he also distributed farm equipment and dispersed animals to farmers.

ARMM inaugurates new DPWH building

By John Unson (philstar.com)

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines - Officials inaugurated on Wednesday the newly-constructed district public works office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in Malabang town in the province.

The construction of the ARMM’s district engineering office in Malabang, a coastal town in the second district of Lanao del Sur, was a joint project of the office of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman and the region’s public works secretary, Hadji Emil Sadain.

The building appeared bigger and looked more expensive than its actual cost, according to Engineer Abib Arumpac, chief of the Lanao del Sur 2nd District Engineering Office.

“Apparently there was utmost honesty in the implementation of the project by the ARMM government,” Arumpac told reporters.

Sadain said the P4.8-million building was built according to its specifications.

“We are very grateful to the ARMM government for having built this office,” Arumpac said.

The building was jointly inaugurated by Hataman, Sadain, and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr.

The ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways, and the region’s education department were touted as the most corrupt agencies in the autonomous region before Hataman was appointed ARMM caretaker in 2011.

Hataman was elected regional governor of ARMM on May 13, 2013.

The DPWH-ARMM and the region's Department of Education, under Secretary Jamar Kulayan, mustered almost P2 billion worth of savings, from early 2012 to the last quarter of 2013.

The launching of the newly-built DPWH district office in Malabang was capped off with the signing of memorandum of agreements (MOAs) on various infrastructure projects for the province by Hataman, Sadain, Adiong, and local executives from recipient towns.

Upi public market gets P5-M boost from ARMM government

By Oliver Ross V. Rivera (ORVRivera-PIA12/BPI-ARMM)

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 26 (PIA) – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) government is funding the renovation and improvement of Upi town’s public market with a P5-M from the special purpose fund of the Office of the Regional Governor.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, Upi Mayor Ramon Piang and local officials yesterday, led the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site.

The P5M fund will be released in tranches. Hataman personally handed yesterday the initial P2.5M to Upi Mayor Ramon Piang, Sr.

In his message, Hataman lauded the exemplary performance of the local government of Upi in providing services to its constituents.

The official added that the ARMM government wants to help stimulate the town’s economy and empower the population of indigenous peoples (IP) in the area.

The local government unit of Upi is a consistent recipient of awards and citations on good governance including the Seal of Good Housekeeping provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Meanwhile, Upi Mayor Ramon Piang said the improvement of the public market will greatly help the local economy of the town, which is mostly agricultural.

This year, it was among the seven towns in ARMM granted the seal of good housekeeping with a P1 million performance challenge incentive.

Upi, located in the first district of Maguindanao, is mostly home to ARMM’s non-Moro Teduray people.

ARMM celebrates EDSA I with development project in Maguindanao

(PNA), FFC/NYP/EOF

UPI, Maguindanao, Feb. 25 (PNA) -- In commemoration of the first EDSA revolution, officials in Maguindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) launched Tuesday a P5 million-worth market improvement project in this upland municipality.

The improvement of the public market of Upi in Maguindanao's first district was funded out of the Special Purpose Fund (SPF) of the office of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Hataman and Upi Mayor Ramon Piang Jr. led the ground breaking for the market project witnessed by leaders of the indigenous ethnic Teduray communities.

Piang is an ethnic Teduray chieftain.

"This project is a special EDSA spirit cooperation venture of ARMM and Upi local government," Hataman said.

The ARMM governor said the project was meant to hasten the socio-economic empowerment of the indigenous people (IP) in Upi, locally known as the corn capital of Maguindanao and the province's "little Baguio" due to its cold temperature even at day time.

Accompanying Hataman was lawyer Kirby Abdullah, who is helping oversee the ARMM's inter-agency Humanitarian Emergency Action and Relief Team, and the region's natural resources secretary, Kahal Kedtag.

“This market project is also intended to bring to the consciousness of the IPs and Moro sectors in this municipality the importance of the `EDSA I’ solidarity context. Unity and cooperation will help accelerate the socio-economic growth of this area,” Hataman told officials and IPs present during the launching.

Piang said the local communities are grateful to Hataman and the ARMM leadership for its generosity in bringing development to improve the lives of its inhabitants, mostly Tedudays.

Piang, a former member of the government peace panel talking peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), explained to the IPs about the benefits of the peace deal once it is finalized.

Hataman also assured IPs that they won't be left out in the dark if a peace deal is realized.

“We shall exhaust everything to ensure that the IPs in the autonomous region will not be left out in the peace process. The government and MILF had already assured no such thing will ever happen,” Hataman told the IPs.

ARMM eyes public cemeteries for Moro constituents

By John Unson (philstar.com)

Assemblyman Khadafeh Mangudadatu of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, proponent of a local bill aimed at establishing Moro public graveyards, listens to Commissioner Esmael Ibrahim of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (right) explain the importance of burial grounds in Islam during a break in Saturday’s public consultation on the Regional Legislative Assembly Bill 04. (JOHN UNSON)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines --- Local executives unanimously endorsed a proposed regional law that would require all municipal and provincial governments in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to put up public cemeteries for Moro constituents.

The Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) Bill 04, which will oblige local government units in the ARMM to establish Muslim burial sites, was authored by Maguindanao 2nd District Assemblyman Khadafeh Mangudadatu.

The league of municipal mayors in the province vowed to support the enactment of the proposed regional law during a public consultation over the weekend in Buluan town in the second district of Maguindanao.

Some LGU officials had recommended that the Muslim cemeteries be managed by members of the Darul Iftah, also known as Islamic House of Opinions, which is composed of senior clerics residing in the ARMM provinces.

Ustadz Esmael Ibrahim, a commissioner in the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, explained to participants to the dialogue the religious relevance of establishing such cemeteries.

He also urged ARMM's cross-section communities to support the initiative.

Ibrahim said the NCMF is in favor of RLA Bill 04.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said his office also supports the bill, which will institutionalize a free burial system for Muslims in all parts of the autonomous region.

Gov. Mangudadatu said his family is ready to donate a piece of land in their hometown, Buluan, for a Muslim public cemetery once the law is enacted.

“To be buried properly, within 24 hours after death, is a spiritual right of every Muslim,” Gov. Mangudadatu said.

Also present during Saturday’s public consultation on RLA Bill 04 in Buluan were other regional lawmakers from across the province led by Assemblyman Rene Midtimbang.

Assemblyman Mangudadatu, who helped Midtimbang preside over the consultation, said he is confident local executives in other ARMM provinces will endorse RLA Bill 04 too.

Assemblyman Mangudadatu and his colleagues in the RLA, touted as the “Little Congress” of ARMM, will conduct public consultations on the proposed law this week in Lanao del Sur, and in the Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (Basulta) area.

ARMM to give P6-M monthly aid to each of 12 towns disqualified from getting IRA

By Charlie Señase, Judy Quiros (Inquirer Mindanao)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government has set aside a total of P6 million in financial aid every month starting January to at least 12 municipalities without Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) allocations.

Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said the towns of Saidona Mustapha, Datu Hofer, Datu Salibo, Anggal Midtimbang, Blah Sinsuat, Mangudadatu, Pandag, and Northern Kabuntalan, all in Maguindanao; and Akbar, Al-Barka, Hadji Muhtamad, and Mohammad Ajul, all of Basilan, have been disqualified from receiving IRA for reported failure to satisfy the requirements set by the Local Government Code.

These towns were created one after another by the ARMM’s Regional Legislative Assembly starting in 2006.

“These towns failed to meet the criteria set for creating municipalities under RA 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991. The discrepancy has disqualified these regionally established towns from receiving IRA,” Alamia said.

It was not immediately known what the regional government intended to do with these towns, considering that their establishment as municipalities has been considered void, but Alamia said that for the whole year, a total of P72 million has been programmed for them.

Each town will receive at least P500,000 each month but the money was not for salaries but was “intended to help local government units improve governance and hasten implementation of government programs and projects in their respective municipalities.”

“But they (LGUs) have to work for this by religiously reporting to the office. It is not for salaries but for priority projects that have to be approved and closely monitored for proper implementation,” she added.

Maguindanao Assemblyman Khadafi Mangudadatu said the 12 towns have been receiving subsidies since their creation.

“It stopped when the finding they did not satisfy requirements set for creation of towns came out,” he said.

Mangudadatu said the regional government has been trying to address the failure of governance in these towns even as a review of the qualifications of each town to become municipalities has been going on.

DepEd-ARMM goes geo-tagging

(DepEd-ARMM)

As part of the continuing reform of the current ARMM leadership, DepEd-ARMM will now pursue geo-tagging public schools in the region. In a regional memorandum issued last February 20 (DepEd-ARMM Order 53, series 2014), Regional Secretary Atty. Jamar Kulayan informs the DepEd-ARMM bureaucracy that geo-tagging will now cover selected public elementary and secondary schools. The instruction is to cover one district per division and to cover all public elementary and secondary schools in the said covered districts.

Two (2) teams from the Policy and Planning Division (PPD) and the Office of the Regional Secretary will led the process. Aside from the geo-tagging activity, the team will also cover assessment of school infrastructure and implementation of the school-based management (SBM) grant.

According to PPD Chief Marjuni Maddi, this an exercise of increasing accountability and transparency, to insure resources are invested efficiency, in areas where are really needed (equity) and to respond be able to tailor government interventions based on the needs of the community.

Petronas to supply lower-priced fuel to Mindanao provinces

By Wilnard L. Bacelonia [(PNA), LAM/NYP/WLBACELONIA-OJT/]

COTABATO CITY. Feb. 21 (PNA) -- Fuel prices in Maguindanao and nearby provinces are expected to drop as the Malaysian-based Iron Blaze Petroleum, Inc. was given the permission to import oil products in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through Petronas-Malaysia.

Petronas, the acronym for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company founded in 1974 and fully owned and controlled by the Malaysian government

Lawyer Mimbalawag Barok Mangutara, Polloc port manager in Parang town, said that the Iron Blaze firm would supply nine million liters of petroleum products from Malaysia every month in Maguindanao.

"A memorandum of agreement between Petronas and Iron Blaze Petroleum was signed and they are about to sign a contract to regularly provide oil supply to Maguindanao", Mangutara said.

Currently, Iron Blaze is supplying 260,000 liters of petroleum to the ARMM per shipment.

Mangutara added that Iron Blaze is also expected to put-up an oil depot in Polloc Port, which they expect to help build up the ARMM economy and provide employment to thousands of residents in the area.

Nurses for Maguindanao, Lanao Sur under NDP ready for deployment

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 20 (PNA) – More than 450 nurses have been hired to serve in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, the Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) Thursday said.

These nurses will be deployed through the Nurses Deployment Program for ARMM which is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, according to regional NDP coordinator for ARMM Janette Dimakuta.

The nurses, 457 in all, have already signed a contract with the DOH-ARMM and are set to be deployed in their places of assignment after having hurdled screening process and interviews.

”This is a two year project but the contract is renewable every six months,” Dimakuta said, adding that the renewal will depend on the nurses’ performance during the first six months of their services.

According to Dimakuta, each hired nurses will receive P18,000 monthly salary or more than double the amount previously hired nurses under the defunct Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Services (RN-HEALS) program.

She said more nurses will be hired for deployment in the region’s island provinces.

In Basilan, 98 nurses have undergone the initial selection and qualification process but only 86 will be hired.

In Tawi-Tawi which is composed of island municipalities in the southernmost tip of Mindanao, the DOH-ARMM will hire 83 nurses and final screening of applicants was held on February 17. The results will be announced later.

Final screening for nurses to be hired and deployed in Sulu will be on February 24. Sulu needs 120 nurses under the NDP program.

NDP is a DOH national project aimed at improving local health systems and support the Philippine’s attainment of Universal Health Care or “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan.”

It also aims to provide employment opportunities to the growing number of unemployed or underemployed nurses in the country.

It is also part of the main goals of Aquino Health Agenda (AHA).

Budget for employing nurses have doubled as sin taxes increased the DOH’s budget thus the Nurses Deployment Project will employ nurses instead of ‘deploying’ them contrary to that of RNheals.

Because of its implementing guidelines’ similarity, Nurse Deployment Project 2014 is sometimes dubbed as “RNheals 2014″ or “Nurses to Barrios Program.”

The NDP is the successor of the Registered Nurse for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RN Heals).

Solar power for ARMM seen as vital tool to increase investments

(PNA), JBP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 19 (PNA) -- With a solar power plant in the making in Marawi City, its mayor today said energy is expected to improve in the city, the province of Lanao del Sur and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Marawi Mayor Fahad Salic said his city being the host area of the solar power plant being implemented by United States-based Mendoza Solar Company would mean cheap power supply.

Salic said with cheaper energy the city will become investment friendly and will become competitive like any other cities in Mindanao.

Home to Moro uprising in the past, Marawi City has been marred by violence for the past decades, including bombing, kidnapping, insurgency and political violence.

But Salic was as optimistic as any resident because the project, partly funded by international funding agency, would spur economic development that will benefit more its constituents.

The project also came at a time when the region is preparing for a bigger development ahead -- the establishment of new Bangsamoro government. Marawi is a component city of ARMM which also includes the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

It is near Lake Lanao, the primary source of most of energy for Mindanao through the Agus hydropower plants.

According to Salic, the P4.7 billion proposed photovoltaic solar power plant in Barangay Malimono and Matampay-Cormatan in Marawi will be the biggest in the country and second to Thailand which has been the leading solar energy producer in Asia.

Expected to be completed in March 2015, the project was a result of a public-private partnership agreement between Marawi City and Lim Solar Philippines, a subsidiary of Mendoza Solar company.

It was launched last week in what local officials called a special government services convergence program for local residents.

To be built under the ARMM' HELPS or Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace Interventions and other Services, the project is among the brainchild of the ARMM executive department.

ARMM opens additional slots for scholarship program

(PNA), LAM/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 18 (PNA) -- Poor but deserving students in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) can now avail of additional scholarship program from the regional government, officials announced Tuesday.

Amihilda Sangcopan, ARMM chief of staff, said the opening of additional slots for ARMM 'Iskolar" programm came after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED-ARMM) came up with a memorandum order on new guidelines in the recruitment of scholars.

Sangcopan, however, could not say how many slots would be available this time.

Currently, ARMM has 954 scholars with 353 of them studying under CHED-ARMM scholarship program while 601 are under the Special Purpose Fund of ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman.

Sangcopan advises poor but deserving students to submit application forms for the scholarship program under the education component of Hataman’s HELPS (health, education, livelihood, peace, synergy) Convergence program.

The program which Hataman started when he assumed as officer in charge in 2011 was dubbed “Skolar, Para sa Pagbabago, Para sa Bangsamoro."

It was open to residents of ARMM who are presently first year college students and those who are taking education, IT, agriculture, fishery and environment, accountancy, medicine and other allied courses not necessarily in the first year level.

Applicants are required to submit copies of income tax return of parents or guardian of not more than P200,000 per annum, certificate of tax exemption, death certificate of parents for orphans, certification from employer for working students, certificate of good moral character, barangay certificate of residency, social case study report from the local government unit (optional), and valid ID for students or parents.

In his state of the region address, Hataman said the scholarship program is part of the aggressive efforts of the regional government to improve and accelerate access to quality education especially to low-income families and sectors aimed at addressing low literacy rate in the region.

P1.45-B ARMM investments approved

By Ron B. Lopez

The Regional Board of Investments of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) approved three major investments in the region worth P1.45 billion, nearly reaching the overall total amount of investment in 2013.

In a news release, the board has registered the Lamsan Power Corporation, SR Languyan Mining Corporation and ABSCOR Multi-Trading Company as its newest members during a meeting on February 13. Ishak Mastura, RBOI Chairman and Managing Head, said strong surge in investment is due to the increased confidence of investors-both local and national-in improving the peace and order situation in the area. Collectively, these are expected to create Aside from the lively economy, the investments are expected to bring more than 1, 100 jobs to its people, he added.

These investments came after the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the national government signed the Annex on Normalization in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January, completing the Comprehensive Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro.

Mastura stressed that this is the first time that investments in the ARMM have reached more than P1 billion year-on-year, and could reach P2 billion this 2014.

“We are actually getting more inquiries about how to invest in the ARMM than is usual from foreign companies,” he said in the statement posted on the board’s website.

The reforms in ARMM governance and the “hands-on” investment promotion conducted by ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman have convinced local investors that the government is serious to host their businesses in ARMM.

The Lamsan Power Corporation which is in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, has registered a pioneer biomass renewable energy project worth P921 million. This will utilize rice hull, corn husks, cobs and other agricultural wastage from its own cornstarch plant with a capacity of 15 megawatts, Mastura said.

This multi-million project is expected to augment the power reserves of the National Power Corporation and the Mindanao Grid since Lamsan Power will be selling 11.5 MW to these power companies.

The SR Languyan Mining Corporation invested P520 million for a nickel ore mining project in the area with a capacity of 1 million metric tons per year, which will operate in Brgy. Darussalam, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi, Mastura said.

ABSCOR Multi-Trading Company based in Port Holland, Maluso, Basilan has allocated P10 million for an import and export trading business.

P13.8 M worth of smuggled rice seized in Tawi-Tawi

By Roel Pareño (The Philippine Star)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Some P13.8-million worth of smuggled rice were seized by the Philippine Navy from two vessels off Tawi-Tawi, officials said yesterday.

Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) chief Rear Admiral Jesus Millan said operatives of Naval Task Force 61 initially intercepted late January M/L Sea Dayang loaded with 6,000 sacks of rice near Bongao town.

Millan said the Navy discovered the sacks of imported rice aboard the vessel were not properly documented.

A week later, another vessel M/L JF Express was also intercepted and apprehended by the Task Force 61 near Pangutaran, Sulu and was discovered to be loaded with 2,750 sacks of rice.

Officials said the skipper of the vessel was not carrying the proper documents for the smuggled rice.

Millan said both vessels and the smuggled rice were turned over to the Bureau of Customs regional office here.

He said based on the assessment, the seized imported rice was estimated to be worth P13.8 million.

The Naval Forces Western Mindanao have intensified the campaign against rice smuggling in the south as the island provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have been utilized by rice smugglers as their transshipment point.

GPH-MILF talks trigger surge in ARMM investments–exec

(MindaNews)

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/15 February)—Investments registered in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) breached the P1 billion mark barely two months into 2014, with the growing investors’ confidence attributed to the strides in the peace process between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a statement, the Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) in the ARMM said it has approved the registration of a record P1.451 billion worth of investments in the area in a meeting last Thursday in Zamboanga City.

Throughout 2013, the investments registered with the RBOI reached P1.463 billion, which are almost the investments registered so far for this year.

“This is the first time that investments in the ARMM reached more than P1 billion year-on-year,” lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI chairperson, said in the statement.

He projected that investments in the area could hit P2 billion until the end of 2014.

The strong surge in investment in the ARMM comes in the wake of the signing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last month of the Annex on Normalization, the last of the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB), according to the statement.

Agreed by the GPH and MILF peace panels on October 15, 2012, the FAB consists also of the annexes on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing, and Power Sharing. The parties signed the three annexes last year in Malaysia, the third party facilitator.

The FAB and the four annexes will compose the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the final peace deal between the GPH and the MILF.

In Buluan, Maguindanao last week, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Quintos Deles said that the peace panels are ready to sign the CAB likely by early March.

She noted that President Benigno Aquino III wants the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is being drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, to be finished by March 31 so he can submit it then to Congress as a priority bill.

“We’ve come this far so let us all support this peace process. The negotiations were difficult in adherence to the order of the President to learn from the lessons of the past and that everything must be within the ambit of the constitution,” Deles said.

“The important thing on the part of the government during the negotiations was that it was guided by the principle not to make promises it cannot deliver politically, economically and culturally,” she said.

Mastura said that the new investments are from local investors, who are registering with the RBOI “because of their increased confidence in the improving peace and order situation in the area, brought about mainly by the success of the GPH-MILF peace negotiations.”

“We are actually getting more inquiries about how to invest in the ARMM than is usual from foreign companies,” he added.

With barely two months into 2014, the RBOI registered the P921.56 million biomass energy project of Lamsam Power Corp. in Sultan Kudarat Maguindanao; the P520 million nickel ore mining project of SR Languyan Mining Corp. in Languyan, Tawi-tawi; and the P10 million import and export trading business of ABSCOR Multi-Trading Co. in Maluso, Basilan.

President Aquino, who was in Davao City last Wednesday as keynote speaker for the 2nd ARMM LGU Summit on Governance and Development, has projected a rosy economy for the new Bangsamoro region once it is established.

“Nananabik na po tayo sa araw na maipasa na ang Bangsamoro Basic Law, upang tuluyan na ngang mabuksan ang bagong kabanata ng kasaysayan sa Muslim Mindanao (We are excited to have the Bangsamoro Basic Law passed so that a new chapter will finally unfold in the history of Muslim Mindanao),” he said.

The ARMM will be abolished once the Bangsamoro Basic Law gets the approval of Congress and ratified in a plebiscite.

7 ARMM towns cited for good governance

By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – At least seven towns in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were awarded with the “Seal of Good Housekeeping” by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as recognition of their good performance in governance.

The awardees are the municipalities of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Parang, Sultan Mastura and Upi in Maguindanao; Ganassi and Wao in Lanao del Sur; and Siasi in Sulu.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas handed the checks worth P1 million each to the mayors of the seven towns during the second ARMM Local Government Units Summit at the Waterfront Insular Hotel here.

The P1 million cash award is actually a Performance Challenge Fund to help the seven towns jumpstart their development initiatives that are aligned with national priorities.

The seven ARMM towns were chosen for adhering to the tenets of good governance, specifically advances on performance, accountability, transparency, and participation.

Fifty-one municipalities in the ARMM reportedly pre-qualified for the “Seal of Good Housekeeping.”

ARMM lists record P1.451 billion investments in Q1

(PNA), LAM/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb 13 (PNA) -- While the peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is yet to be finalized within the year, investments have started coming in, the Regional Board of Investment in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said.

In its meeting Thursday, the RBOI-ARMM approved for registration a record P1.451-billion worth of investments in the ARMM for the first quarter of 2014.

"This is a record for the ARMM since it is almost the same as the total amount of investments registered with the RBOI for the whole of 2013, which stood at P1.463 billion by year end," Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI chair and managing head, said in statement.

"Moreover, this is the first time that investments in the ARMM reached more than P1 billion a year, which may even reach P2 billion this year," he added.

The strong surge in investments in the ARMM comes in the wake of the signing in Kuala Lumpur last month of the “Annex on Normalization,” considered as the last annex to the “Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro” between the government and MILF peace process.

Mastura said the new investments are mostly coming from local investors, who are registering with the RBOI because of their increased confidence in the improving peace and order situation in the area, brought about by the success of the peace negotiations.

“We are actually getting more inquiries about how to invest in the ARMM from foreign companies,” Mastura said, projecting more investments to come in the next months.

Mastura stressed that good governance was also a contributing factor in the increased confidence of investors to the region. He also cited the "hands-on" investment promotion conducted by ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman.

Hataman had been convincing local investors and telling them that ARMM is serious about wooing and securing investors to expand their operations or to set-up new enterprises in the region.

However, on a cautionary note, registration with the RBOI may be a way for investors to hedge in case of uncertainty in investment policies in the region as the new autonomous Bangsamoro political entity is set-up possibly in 2015.

But he quickly added once the new Bangsamoro government is in place, the region will even become more investment friendly.

Among the agency that registered with RBOI are Lamsan Power Corporation, SR Languyan Mining Corporation and ABSCOR Multi-Trading Company.

Lamsan Power Corporation based in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao registered a pioneer biomass renewable energy project costing P921.56 million.

The power plant is utilizing rice hull, corn husks, cobs and other agricultural wastage from its own cornstarch plant with a capacity of 15 megawatts (MW).

It is expected that this will reduce the commercial power consumption of its cornstarch operations. This will also augment power reserves of the National Power Corporation and the Mindanao Grid since Lamsan Power will be selling 11.5 MW to these power companies.

Governor Hataman said that this power project is good news since this will help ease power shortages being experienced by some areas in Mindanao.

“The power plant is a very important support facility that would encourage more businesses to flourish in the region,” Hataman said in a statement.

SR Languyan Mining Corporation has invested P520 million for a nickel ore mining project with a capacity of 1 million metric tons (WMT) per year in Barangay Darussalam, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi.

ABSCOR Multi-Trading Company based in Port Holland, Maluso, Basilan has put-in P10 million for an import and export trading business.

The company transacts its business undertakings in the geographic areas of the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines that are under the East ASEAN Growth Area, more commonly known as the BIMP-EAGA.

Mastura said the two firms from the Sulu archipelago implies that despite the “Zamboanga siege” a few months ago and the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF disgruntlement with the peace deal with its rival MILF, investors remain resilient and some are even optimistic on business prospects in the area.

In all, about 1,122 local people are to be employed by these three firms.

Meanwhile, Haron Bandila, ARMM Business Council chair, has been wary over the current status of the Cotabato (Awang) Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

“Before we have four flights daily, but now we only have limited flights from Friday to Monday even if there are no repairs being done to the airport since December 2013," Bandila said.

He said this is a negative factor for investors to easily come in the region, including Cotabato City, the provisional administrative capital of the ARMM where its line agencies hold offices.

PNoy woos ARMM residents, asks them to give Bangsamoro law a chance

(Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK/RSJ, GMA News)

President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday appealed to the people of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to give chance to the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is expected to result in a Bangsamoro Political Entity.

“Nananawagan po ako sa sambayanang Pilipino, lalo na sa mga kapatid nating nandito: nawa’y bigyang-daan po ninyo ang mga hakbang nating ito. Hinihimok ko po kayong tumaya rin sa pag-asang makakamit natin ang malawakan at ganap na pagbabago sa ARMM,” Aquino said during his speech at the 2nd ARMM LGU Summit on Good Governance and Development in Davao City.

He likewise asked the public to trust that the government will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations.

"Makakaasa po kayong sa bawat kasunduang ating nilalagdaan ay nakataya ang aming dangal at pangalan. Tiyakin po nating hindi na tayo babalik pa sa dilim ng nakaraan — totoong maliwanag na kinabukasan po ang inyong matatanglawan," he said.

What they envision, he said, is a Bangsamoro territory whose standard of living is at par with Metro Manila and other regions in the Philippines.

"Ang hangad po natin: Kung anong antas ng kalinga sa ospital na kailangan ng isang pasyente sa Quezon City, ay ganoon ding pag-aaruga ang matatanggap sa ospital sa Lamitan City sa Basilan. Kapag nag-aral ka sa public school sa Cebu, magkatulad na kalidad din ng edukasyon rito ang maaari mong makamit sa munisipalidad ng Tubaran sa Lanao del Sur," he said.

"Kung naglalakad ka naman sa isang kalsada sa Mandaluyong, parehong seguridad din ang mararamdaman mo sa pamamasyal sa munisipalidad ng Pandag sa Maguindanao," he added.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law

Last January, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the last and most contentious of the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).

The annexes will be used as guides in the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is expected to result in a Bangsamoro Political Entity that will replace ARMM.

Government peace panel chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said they hope to present the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is being crafted by a Bangsamoro Transition Commission, to Congress early this year.

Aquino, however, had expressed worry that they may have difficulty passing it in Congress.

After Congress enacts the law, a plebiscite will be held for it to be approved. According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the plebiscite will be held in the “envisioned core territory of the Bangsamoro.”

It said this includes the current ARMM provinces and Marawi City; the cities of Cotabato and Isabela; the six municipalities in Lanao del Norte that voted for inclusion in the ARMM in the 2001 plebiscite (Baloi, Munai, Pantar, Nunungan, Tagaloan, Tangkal); and the 39 barangays in six municipalities of North Cotabato province that likewise voted for inclusion in 2001 (Labacan, Carmen, Aleosan, Pigkawaya, Pikit and Midsayap).

But it said all other “contiguous areas” where there is a resolution of the local government unit or a petition of at least 10 percent of the qualified voters in the area may also ask for their inclusion in the plebiscite, at least two months prior to its conduct.

Once the law is approved in a plebiscite, the people of the new Bangsamoro entity will elect their officials, which the government hopes to happen before June 30, 2016.

ARMM's current situation

But even before the passage of the Bangsamoro law, Aquino said his administration has been helping ARMM get back on its feet.

He specifically said that the investments in ARMM in 2013 reached P1.46 billion, which is 157 percent higher than the previous year.

He also said the Office of the Regional Treasurer also surpassed its target in 2013.

"Nakakamit na nga po natin ang ating kolektibong pangarap para sa ARMM," he said.

He attributed some of the achievements to the leadership of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, whom he called the "ghost buster" of the region.

"Kung pipili nga po ako ng poster boy o modelo para sa mabuting pamamahala, baka siya po ang maging pambato ko. Para kay Gov Mujiv: Ang susi sa kaunlaran — hindi “ako lang,” hindi “ako muna,” kundi tayong lahat, sabay-sabay na aangat," said the President.

ARMM sports fest under way despite bad weather

By Charlie C. Señase (Inquirer Mindanao)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur—Bad weather did not stop officials and athletes from 10 schools divisions in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao from pushing on with Monday’s opening ceremony of the Palarong ARMM Athletic Association (ARMMAA) at the Mindanao State University campus here.

As in previous years, it started with contingents showcasing the culture of their respective provinces in a colorful motorcade and parade of athletes.

“The annual ARMMAA has helped nurture the overall development of the region’s best and young athletes, allowing them to hone their skills in sports and imbibe discipline and self-confidence,” said ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman in welcoming the delegates.

He considered the sports event an opportunity to foster understanding and camaraderie among students in ARMM.

Regional Vice Gov. Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman and ARMM Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan declared the annual sports fest open with the ceremonial banging of a gong and the release of pigeons.

Tawi-Tawi Gov. Nurbert Sahali, last year’s host, turned over the ARMM sports banner to Mayor Fahad Salic of Marawi.

The athletic competition includes archery, arnis, badminton, baseball, softball, swimming, table tennis, billiards, boxing, chess, sepak-takraw, wushu, wrestling and volleyball.

Kulayan said the ARMMAA was the biggest sporting event of the region, budgeted at P10 million with almost 6,000 participants, counting both officials and athletes.

He said the winners will represent ARMM in the Palarong Pambansa scheduled in May in Laguna.

“I am glad we are able to hold this sporting event and help bridge gaps and unite for change and reform,” Kulayan said.


ARMM HEART provides relief to IDPs in Maguindanao

By Oliver Ross V. Rivera (ORVRivera-PIA12/BPI-ARMM)

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 10 (PIA) – Thousands of internally displaced persons received relief assistance and free medical services from the ARMM government last week.

Around 758 families comprised of 3,790 individuals from the village of Macasendeg in Midsayap, North Cotabato benefit from the services of the joint team of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM-HEART) and the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

The individuals are originally from the village of Dasawao in Shariff Saydona, Maguindanao but were forced to flee their homes due to the clashes between government troops and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF).

One of those displaced, farmer Racman Gandi, 48, said his family is willing to go back to their home in Dasawao when the fighting stops and government officials can guarantee their safety.

“Pagod na kami sa gulong ito, sana matapos na (We’re tired of this conflict),” he said.

Gandi said the relief from the ARMM government will help them get by the hardship of life in the evacuation center.

Aside from the relief goods and medical service, evacuees were also able to get free haircut.

Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said ARMM HEART targets to cater all affected families at identified evacuation sites.

She said similar relief operations will be conducted at other evacuation sites in the days ahead.

“We like to let these displaced families feel that they are being neglected by the government,” she said.

President Aquino seeks support from local leaders to achieve peace in Mindanao

By Azer N. Parrocha [(PNA), CTB/NYP/]

MANILA, Feb 9 (PNA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III will seek the support of local leaders in achieving peace in Mindanao in the upcoming Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) local government summit.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that the President wants the leaders in ARMM to unite and help the peace process.

“...Sana’y humantong na (ito) doon sa pagtatatag ng Bangsamoro political entity, kapag ito ay inaprubahan ng mga mamamayan sa isang plebisito at naitatag na rin ang Bangsamoro transitional authority,” Coloma said.

(“We hope this will lead to the establishment of the Bangsamoro political entity should the people approve it in a plebiscite,” he said.)

The Bangsamoro political entity is being eyed to replace the ARMM. It has been discussed peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Coloma also noted that with ARMM now part of a transition, the local government officials should help maintain peace and order.

"At aalamin din po ng Pangulo kung mayroong mga iba pang mahalagang usapin na local concerns ang mga local executives sa ARMM para matiyak na tumutugon ang pambansang pamahalaan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan,” he added.

“The President also wants to know if the local executives have concerns that the national government need to address," he added.

Roxas, Deles lead inauguration of BTC office in Cotabato

By Noel Y. Punzalan [(PNA), CTB/NYP/]

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 8 (PNA) – - Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Mar Roxas and Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process secretary Teresita Deles led here Saturday the opening of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) office along Magallanes St., the city’s commercial district.

Before proceeding to the BTC office inauguration, both officials first made a quick stop at the Bishop’s Palace on Sinsuat Avenue to visit Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, the first prelate from Mindanao elevated to the College of Cardinals by the Vatican.

The opening of the BTC office created a monstrous traffic in the downtown area for several hours as vehicles plying the commercial district were made to redirect their trips to other thoroughfares of the city.

Also in attendance in the opening ceremony were Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace panel chair-cum- BTC head Mohagher Iqbal, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman and Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu, among others.

The BTC was earlier formed to draft provisions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law that would pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro entity, which would replace the old, graft-ridden ARMM set-up.

Maguindanao town evacuees get more relief packs

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines -- The Humanitarian Emergency and Relief Assistance Team (HEART) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao distributed on Friday 2,450 more relief packs to evacuees dislocated by last week’s hostilities in the province between the military and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

ARMM Regional Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia, who is helping oversee the HEART, said the relief goods were dispersed to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Maguindanao’s adjoining Salibo and Shariff Saidona towns by volunteers led by the region’s social welfare secretary, Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman.

Representatives from the office of Lucman, who is also the ARMM’s incumbent regional vice governor, and HEART volunteers facilitated early this week the dispersal of more than 5,000 relief packs to evacuees in the towns of Datu Piang, Mamasapano, and Guindulungan, all in Maguindanao.

Each relief pack is comprised of rice, canned goods, instant noodles and other vital food provisions.

There are thousands of IDPs cramped in squalid makeshift relief sites in Datu Piang, Mamasapano, and in Guindulungan, driven away from their homes by the five-day skirmishes between soldiers and members of the BIFF.

Alamia said the HEART, which is under the ministerial control of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, will continue to attend to the needs of the evacuees until they have returned to their homes.

Alamia said the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and its component brigades have been helping in the HEART’s relief and rehabilitation efforts in the towns affected by the recent BIFF-Army skirmishes.

Soldiers, led by Col. Edgar Gonzales and Brig. Gen. Edmund Pangilinan, commanding officers of the Army’s 1st Mechanized, and 601st Brigades, respectively, hoisted the Philippine flag February 1 at the BIFF’s main enclave in Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saidona, which fell after five days of assault.

Maguindanao village is first recipient of barangay-based SWM program in ARMM

(PNA), LAM/NYP

DATU SAUDI AMPATUAN, Maguindanao, Feb. 6 (PNA) -- A barangay here is now a recipient of a Solid Waste Management (SWM) program, after villagers themselves requested environment officials to rid their place of “smelly” rubbish brought about by wanton dumping of garbage.

On Wednesday, Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DENR-ARMM) Secretary Kahal Kedtag led the conduct of a SWM seminar in Barangay Elian here in the hope of introducing the barangay-based eco-waste management scheme across the region.

“To note, Elian is the only village to date in the ARMM that availed of the barangay level SWM program, Kedtag said.

Kedtag said the village is also a recipient from them of a mini-garbage dump truck, 200 toilet bowls and trashcans for proper waste management.

He said the village is badly in need of toilets, with villagers mostly using open pit latrines at the back of their houses for their privy needs.

The SWM program in Elian also comes with the establishment of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) designed to receive, sort, process, and store compostable and recyclable materials in an environmentally sound manner.

Kedtag said his office is in the thick of launching the SWM program region wide with only the towns of Wao in Lanao del Sur and North Upi in Maguindanao so far employing the system.

Apart from Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, other province components of the ARMM Sulu, Tawi-tawi and Basilan.

Mindanao IPs bat for conclusion of peace talks

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Mindanao’s indigenous non-Moro communities are looking forward to a positive conclusion to the now 17-year peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, tribal leaders said Wednesday.

Bae Magdalena Suhat Herbilla, presiding chairperson of the Council of Elders of the Federation of Matigsalog-Manobo Tribal Council (FEMMATRIC) and Habbas Camendan, deputy chair of the Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement (MPPM), both said in an emailed statement that their respective groups have also been very supportive of the government’s peace overture with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Herbilla and Camendan are both duly acknowledged traditional leaders of the indigenous people (IP) in Central Mindanao.

“The Lumads do not want to experience war again and our fervent wish now is for peace to reign, which we firmly believe can be ushered in by the upcoming GPH-MILF peace agreement. Then we shall continue to thrive in peace in our tribal homelands,” Herbilla.

The FEMMATRIC has about 35,000 members scattered in IP ancestral lands in the adjoining North Cotabato and Bukidnon provinces.

Herbilla said they are confident any final peace deal between the government and the MILF will bolster the socio-economic, political and ancestral rights of highland non-Moro communities, which are, for now, protected by the Republic Act 837, also known as the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.

Camendan has allayed fears of possible dislocation by lumad communities when the MILF assumes control of the Bangsamoro political entity the rebel group and the government aims to establish to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao before the term of incumbent ARMM officials end on June 30, 2016.

“We are also certain that there is no truth to stories spreading that the lumad communities will bear arms and resort to rebellion if the government and the MILF will forge a final peace agreement that could marginalize our political, cultural and traditional statures,” Camendan said.

Camendan said there are tribal leaders that have either joined, or have become supporters of the MILF even before the formal GPH-MILF talks started on Jan. 7, 1997.

Camendan said he and his followers are convinced that the final peace deal between the GPH and the MILF, expected to be signed in two months, is inclusive in nature and will not discriminate the Christians and Lumads in the proposed Bangsamoro territory.

Marawi City to host 2014 ARMM reg’l sports meet

By Apipa P. Bagumbaran (APB/PIA-10)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Feb. 4 (PIA) --- Marawi City, the lone Islamic city in the country, will play host to this year’s Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Athletic Association (ARMMAA) meet, popularly known as Palarong ARMMAA.

The regional sports meet will run from February 10 to February 15 with the theme “Bridging Gaps: Towards Unity, Through Sports”, said Marawi City School Division Superintendent Mona Macatanong during the airing of Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Ozor ka, Ranao! radio program Monday, February 3.

She said they are expecting some 7,000 athletes, coaches and education officials coming from the nine schools division in the autonomous region to gather for the Palarong ARMMAA.

ARMM comprises of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi including the cities of Lamitan and Marawi.

Macatanong said the holding of the weeklong sports event here will not only showcase the athletic skills of ARMM students but will also the tourism potential of the city.

“It will also boost or create economic opportunities in the city as well as show that Marawi is indeed a peaceful city,” she further said.

ARMM joins the World Hijab Day celebration

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

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Feb. 3 (PIA) --- Government workers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) including officials gathered Saturday morning, February 1, at the region’s seat to join people from across the globe in celebrating the World Hijab Day.

The women, regardless their religious affiliation, wore hijab in show of support to Muslim women who, by choice, don the hijab or any other prescribed dress for them.

Now on its second year, the World Hijab Day is observed in more than 50 countries worldwide to help end discrimination against Muslim women who wear hijab. It was espoused by Nazma Khan, a Bangladeshi-American woman who thought of encouraging women from all over, especially the non-Muslims, to wear hijab for a day to foster religious understanding and tolerance.

The ARMM government organized a fun run and a seminar to highlight the celebration. All women participants were encouraged to wear hijab.

Delsa Culango, a non-Muslim employee, said she supports Muslim women who wear the hijab particularly those who do it by choice.

“We should respect, and not discriminate, people for what they believe,” she said.

Sitti Djalia Hataman, Anak-Mindanao Partylist representative, is one of the advocates of the World Hijab Day in the country.

Hataman, herself a hijabi, said she knows by experience what it’s like to be discriminated for wearing hijab and for being a Muslim.

At a seminar on hijab and discrimination arranged by the ARMM’s Department of Tourism, Hataman brought the audience to tears as she narrated some of her personal experience and told them “marami mang diskriminasyon ang dumating, magsusuot ako ng hijab at hindi ko ikakahiyang Muslim ako.”

Military ends hunt vs Muslim rebels after capture of camps

By Rene Acosta

THE military ended on Sunday its operations against members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Central Mindanao after capturing the bandits’ four camps and assembly plant for homemade bombs.

The soldiers also reportedly killed 52 BIFF members, which included children. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) added 49 of the BIFF guerrillas were wounded during the six-day military operations that began days after the government announced a peace deal is nearing approval.

The military said on Sunday that elements of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division seized four BIFF camps and a bomb-making factory at Barangay Ganta, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, during the fighting.

The bomb factory was responsible for the production of improvised explosive devices used in bombings in Central Mindanao, the AFP said.

The AFP added that the BIFF has been a constant threat in the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.

“Many of BIFF’s members have standing warrants of arrest and their prolonged evasion will pose threats in communities where the BIFF is contained,” a statement issued by the AFP said.

“The AFP’s support operations will contribute to the successful arrest of target personalities who continue to be a threat to the peace and stability of communities in Maguindanao and neighboring provinces.”

On the side of the government, at least 20 soldiers were wounded while another one was killed. Eight civilians caught in the crossfire were wounded, the military reported on February 2.

The termination of the operations came as the 3-day extension for the military to continue serving warrants of arrest against wanted members of the BIFF lapsed on Sunday.

The warrants of arrest were granted by the Joint Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF and the government announced last week that they are nearing to seal a deal for a peace agreement.

With the end of the operations, the affected civilians numbering at least 35,334 from the towns of Sharif Saydona, Rajah Buayan, Datu Piang all of Maguindanao and Pikit in North Cotabato, can now return to their homes, the military said.

The military operation that began on January 27 centered in several areas in the provinces of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

The skirmishes between soldiers and the BIFF began after bandits ambushed a team of policemen and Philippine Army troops on its way to serve warrants against BIFF members in Pikit, North Cotabato and Sultan in Barongis, Maguindanao.

The fighting spread to other areas in the towns of Shariff Saidona Mustapha, Datu Piang and Rajah Buayan in Maguindanao.

Palace condemns IED attack, use of minors by armed group in Mindanao

(PNA), SCS/PCOO/RSM

MANILA, Feb. 1 (PNA) -- Malacañang on Saturday condemned the use of an improvised explosive device and so-called child warriors by armed groups fighting the government in Mindanao.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also urged the media to coordinate with officials on the ground especially in areas where fighting is likely to take place.

"Hindi maganda ang balitang yan at hindi tayo natutuwa (What happened on Saturday morning was not good and we are not amused)," she said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

Initial reports of Saturday's incident showed at least six people, including two journalists, were injured in an IED explosion in Maguindanao.

The military does not discount the possibility the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, could be behind the attack.

Valte appealed to media agencies to abide by a safety protocol and to cooperate with government representatives, including those of the police and the military, especially in controlled areas.

Meanwhile, Valte said the Palace is quite disturbed by the discovery of the remains of three child soldiers in one of the areas where fighting between the BIFF and government troops took place.

"Kahindik-hindik ang balita na may ginagamit silang child soldiers, beyond the fact that it violates so many laws, not just ours but of international laws. We condemn the practice of using child soldiers...Walang lugar ang paggamit ng menor de edad sa ganitong labanan (We are outraged that this group used child soldiers. This violates not just our laws but international laws as well. We condemn the practice of using child soldiers. Minors have no place in the battlefield)," she said.

She said the government can help address the situation through child support services, as well as the commitment of its security forces that they will not use child soldiers or warriors.

But she also appealed to parents to make sure their children are not recruited for such exploitation.

"Sa mga magulang, pakiusap natin, sana huwag nilang payagan ang kanilang mga anak na magamit sila sa ganitong paraan (We appeal to parents not to allow their children to be exploited this way)," she said.

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