Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News February 2016

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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Seal of ARMM

Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  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.

PhP6.3M earmarked for students’ employment program in ARMM

(ORVRivera-PIA12 with report from BPI-ARMM)

COTABATO CITY, Feb 29 (PIA) – The Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is expected to benefit more than 2,000 students and out-of-school youth (OSY) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

For this year, the Department of Labor and Employment-ARMM (DOLE-ARMM) has allotted PhP6.3 million to cover the salaries and other benefits of the working students under the program.

According to DOLE-ARMM Supervising Labor and Employment Officer Norma Lidasan, 450 slots are allotted for each of ARMM’s component provinces and an additional 293 slots for walk-in applicants at their regional office in Cotabato City.

"We will assure that students in remote villages will be given an opportunity to avail of the program," she added.

DOLE-ARMM is opening the application for interested and qualified beneficiaries in the autonomous region starting tomorrow, March 1, 2016.

The program is open to all qualified high school, college or vocational students, out-of-school youth, aged between 15 to 25, with priority given to the poor and disadvantaged students who need assistance to pursue their education.

Requirements include birth/baptismal certificate (15-25 years old); barangay certificate of good moral character for out of school youth; Form 138 or certificate issued by School Registrar showing average passing grade; Income Tax Return of parents and two pieces recent 2x2 ID picture.

Interested applicants are advised to submit the necessary documents before the deadline which is set on March 23, 2016.

The selected applicants will work from April 11 until May 11.

The DOLE-ARMM has worked-out collaboration with government offices including local government units and number business establishments to provide summer employment to the youth.

SPES beneficiaries will receive a daily minimum wage of PhP255 for those in the agriculture sector and P265.00 for those in non-agriculture sector.

DOLE-ARMM shoulders 40 percent of the total pay of the student-beneficiaries while the employing office of establishment shoulders the 60 percent.

ARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao Del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi as well as the cities of Marawi and Lamitan.

ARMM to put up new Basilan capitol

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is keen on putting up a new multi-million provincial capitol in Basilan as an icon of authority and strong governance.

ARMM’s infrastructure projects sprouted in Basilan the past three years, among them multi-million arterial road networks interconnecting peasant enclaves and a provincial circumferential road that cut by 12 hours what used to be a 30-hour overland orbit in the island province.

Engineer Soler Undug, chief of the Basilan District Engineering Office (DEO), credited for managing the projects of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman in the province during the period, said there is now a 10-hectare lot, inside the defunct 4,000-hectare University of the Philippines (UP) Land Grant in Lamitan City, for the new provincial government complex.

The executive department of ARMM allocated just two weeks ago more than P20 million for the construction of the first two pioneer edifices in the complex, the schools division offices for Lamitan City and Basilan province.

The Basilan DEO and the office of ARMM Regional Education Secretary John Magno are to cooperate in overseeing the construction of the two buildings under an agreement with imprimatur from Hataman and his regional public works secretary, Engineer Don Loong.

Undug said the site of the new Basilan provincial capitol complex is located in a strategic spot inside the UP Land Grant, a large, diversified agricultural plantation established in the 1960s by the national government, now divided among Muslim and Christian land reform beneficiaries.

The center of the vast swaths of agricultural lands comprising the UP Land Grant is in Barangay Santa Clara, a densely populated area in Lamitan City.

The provincial capitol of Basilan used to be in what is now Isabela City, whose residents voted against the inclusion of the area, originally a small municipality, into ARMM’s territory during a plebiscite for the expansion of the autonomous region in August 2001.

The Hataman administration had also programmed the construction, starting this year, of a P1-billion “transcentral highway” that would connect the provincial capitol complex to far-flung towns, passing through forested hinterlands in the center of the island province.

The ARMM government had initially allocated P250 million for the development of the new provincial capitol complex, according to Undug.

“We are very grateful to the Hataman administration for its dedication in putting up these facilities and infrastructures which can accelerate the socio-economic development of Basilan,” Lamitan City Vice Mayor Roderick Furigay told The STAR on Sunday.

Hataman said he is confident this year’s infrastructure projects in Basilan will be accomplished according to specifications and timetable owing to the active cooperation between Undug and Loong.

ARMM athletes prepare for Palarong Pambansa

(PNA), JBP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 27 (PNA) -– Education officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are preparing its athletes to become more competitive ahead of this year’s Palarong Pambansa in Albay in April, officials said.

Datu Salih Khazain Rayhan is among the more than 500 students from the region’s provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

This year’s national games will be held in Legazpi City.

Datu Salih is a Grade 7 student of Camp Siongco National High School in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao who won a gold medal in the individual category of taekwondo-poomsae during the 2016 Palarong ARMM Athletic Meet held in Parang, Maguindanao -- he will represent the region in the national athletic association meet.

During the 2014 Palarong Pambansa, Datu Salih went toe-to-toe against his opponents from the Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Mindanao (Region XII) winning his first Palarong Pambansa gold medal in taekwondo in the individual category.

He and his two other teammates won the silver medal in the team category. He was then an elementary pupil at Camp Siongco Elementary School.

The young athlete from Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao is packed with confidence in winning this year’s national competition. He said he will endure more serious trainings to get his second Palarong Pambansa gold medal.

"I am very determined now. I will give my best to win again," he said. Datu Salih has been a taekwondo athlete for more than three years now.

After days of sports competitions among student-athletes in the region, the ARMM-wide meet wrapped up on Wednesday, February 24, with the divisions of Maguindanao II and Maguindanao I emerging as over-all champions in elementary and secondary school levels, respectively.

Maguindanao II, the elementary level champion, garnered 26 gold medals, and was followed by Maguindanao I with 20 gold medals and Tawi-Tawi with 12 gold medals. In the secondary level, Maguindanao I earned 43 gold medals, followed by Maguindanao II with 28 gold medals and Lamitan City with 21 gold medals.

More than 5,000 promising athletes competed against each other in sports like basketball, volleyball, football, badminton, table tennis, sepak takraw, athletics, boxing, wushu, arnis, wrestling, taekwondo, swimming and archery. The meet harnessed the theme ‘One Team, One Dream for the Bangsamoro People.’

In the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, the region finished 14th place -- two notches higher from its rank in the annual games in 2014. The ARMM delegates bagged a total of 10 medals in the regular sports and three medals in the demonstration games.

The region’s taekwondo team grabbed two gold medals, two silvers and five bronzes while the athletics team bagged another gold medal. In the demonstration games, the wushu team grabbed one silver and one bronze while the region’s beach volleyball team took home the gold medal.

The region’s Department of Education and the Regional Sports Coordinating Office are collaborating to prepare the athletes for this year’s national meet. In-house trainings will be held in Legazpi City several days before the Palarong Pambansa.

DOLE-ARMM offers summer job to students

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 26 (PNA) -– More than 2,000 students and out-of-school-youth (OSY) are expected to benefit from the summer jobs to be offered by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Department of Labor (ARMM-DOLE), officials said Friday.

Norma Lidasan, DOLE-ARMM’s supervising labor and employment officer, said the employment drive is part of the DOLE's Special Program for Employment of Student (SPES), a flagship program designed to provide income opportunity to out-of-school youth and students from underprivileged families during summer or Christmas break.

She said the program is open to all qualified high school, college or vocational students, out-of-school youth, aged between 15 to 25, with priority given to the poor and disadvantaged students who need assistance to pursue their education.

Registration will start on March 1 and will end on March 23, and the summer job will commence from April 11 until May 11.

"The program is an earn-and-learn program to develop productive work ethics in the youth. It seeks to help poor but deserving students and out-of-school youth pursue their education by providing them a job opportunity every summer," Lidasan said.

A total of PHP6.3 million for the SPES has been earmarked this year, which would cover the salaries and other benefits of the working students or drop-outs.

Student applicants are required to submit the following: Birth certificate, barangay clearance, certification by the school registrar or form 138 or original class card, certificate of good moral character and parents’ income tax return, which should not exceed the PHP85,000 annual income.

For OSY applicants, a certificate of good moral character issued by their respective barangay will be required.

Each SPES beneficiary is entitled to receive a daily minimum wage of PHP255 for those in the agriculture sector and PHP265.00 for those in non-agriculture sector.

Forty percent of their salaries will come from the DOLE-ARMM, and the remaining 60 percent will be shouldered by the employing office or establishment.

The DOLE-ARMM has worked-out a partnership with government offices including local government units and number business establishments to provide summer employment to the youth.

Lidasan said they have allotted 450 slots for beneficiaries in each province in the region and an additional 293 slots have been reserved for walk-in applicants at the DOLE-ARMM’s regional office in Cotabato City.

"Students in remote villages will be given an opportunity to avail of the program," she added.

In 2015, the DOLE-ARMM gave income-earning opportunity to 2,543 student-SPES beneficiaries.

DOH-ARMM cautions public on common summer diseases

(ORVRivera-PIA12 with report from BPI-ARMM)

COTABATO CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) reminded the public to watch out for diseases that usually strike during the summer period.

According to Dr. Alexander Ampatuan, designated head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Cluster of DOH-ARMM, residents of the autonomous region should be wary of common summer diseases like sunburn, rashes, sore eyes, and chicken pox.

Ampatuan said DOH-ARMM is ready to assist residents suffering from these common diseases.

He encouraged them to go to the nearest Regional Health Units, or to the DOH-ARMM office, for free check-ups and medicines.

“If they are suffering from the diseases mentioned, I encourage them to go to the Regional Health Centers nearest their localities for immediate cure and to avoid further complications. Helping the marginalized is part of the mandate of DOH-ARMM,” Ampatuan said.

The official noted that residents in ARMM should be more cautious as these diseases could develop into serious cases if not attended immediately.

Moreover, he warned people, especially those with hypertension, of possible heat stroke.

Ampatuan also advised residents to avoid long exposure to direct sunlight, drink plenty of water, and do outdoor work or activities early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Ampatuan said residents should also observe proper hygiene as skin diseases are also common during summer due to the humid and hot weather.

SSS to upgrade Tawi-Tawi service office to branch

By Felipo David G. Malcampo (ALT/FDM/PIA9-Zamboanga City)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (PIA) – The Social Security System (SSS) service office in Bongao town, Tawi-Tawi, currently catering to over 5,000 members will soon be a full-fledged branch office after plans for its upgrading will be finalized, said an SSS official recently.

Eddie Jara, SSS senior vice president for Visayas and Mindanao operations group said that “plans are underway to upgrade the Tawi-Tawi service office to a full service SSS branch to better cater to the needs of members.” The office is currently managed by officer-in-charge Lincoln Tawasil.

Also, as part of the office upgrading, “the SSS has been in coordination with internet service providers to improve connectivity in Tawi-Tawi,” since many of the SSS facilities rely on the internet, said communications analyst Napoleon Rabanal II.

In a press release, Nabanal said that this move by SSS to enhance its services is due to the fact that the province is now considered as an “economic tiger” in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). They are expecting more members in the coming years.

Meanwhile, the SSS has recently renovated their office in Bongao “to provide better services to its members and employers in the area,” said vice president for Western Mindanao Atty. Rodrigo Filoteo. The service office currently handles an average of 144 transactions daily.

“We are putting much effort to enhance our Tawi-Tawi service office, which is now more spacious and comfortable for our transacting clients. We plan to further improve our office facilities and bring in additional personnel so that we can penetrate far-flung barangays and island municipalities for their possible participation in the AlkanSSSya program and other SSS initiatives,” Filoteo said.

Philippines’ oldest mosque to receive PHP77.6-M tourism funding support

(PNA),FFC/TPGJR

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Feb. 23 (PNA) -- The country’s oldest mosque located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is set to receive PHP77.6-million tourism funding support for the improvement of its access road.

Eng’r. Don Mustapha Loong, secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DPWH-ARMM), said Tuesday the access road to the Sheikh Karim-ul Makhdum Mosque will be improved even as several other infrastructure projects will be built within its periphery.

The Sheikh Makhdum Mosque was erected in 1380 in the small fishing village of Tubig Indangan, Simunul, Tawi-Tawi.

The National Historical Commission has declared the Sheikh Makhdum Mosque as a National Historical Landmark while the National Museum has declared it as National Cultural Treasure.

“We are investing on the roads leading to Sheikh Makdum as well as in its periphery because we believe in the tourism potential of southern Mindanao,” Loong said.

The infrastructure projects will be built by the local government unit of Simunul pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on Monday at the ARMM governor's office.

Loong said the project is targeted to be completed from three to six months.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said the infrastructure projects are a manifestation of trust and confidence of the regional government on the LGUs.

“The basic requirement is the capacity of the LGUs to implement projects–their sufficiency of construction equipment, and availability of skilled and well-experienced engineers,” Hataman said.

On February 16, several MoAs were inked between the ARMM government and more than 20 LGUs in the region covering infrastructure worth more than PHP1.9 billion.

“We want to strengthen the capacity of local government units. In fact, it is the ultimate outcome we want,” Hataman added.

Tawi-Tawi is the southernmost province in the country and covers small islands in the Sulu Sea and to the northwest, the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island and Turtle Islands.

Official records showed that 55,085 foreign and domestic tourists visited the province of Tawi-Tawi in 2015 with PHP965 million in tourism gross receipts.

The figures showed a significant increase of 14.35 percent in tourist arrivals and 14.34 percent in gross receipts in the province compared with 2014’s figures.

Loong said his office is providing more assistance to the tourism industry with the construction of access roads to tourism sites in the region.

In September 2015, DPWH-ARMM started the construction of projects and development of Bud Bongao, Tawi-Tawi's famous peak, worth PHP56 million.

The projects include multi-purpose hall, view deck, station point, concrete pathway, parking area, and billboard.

ARMM launches ‘Apat Dapat’ antipoverty drive with 600 of region’s ‘poorest’ families

By Manuel T. Cayon

DAVAO CITY—The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has selected 600 of the “poorest families” to kickstart a short-term regional program in a bid to bring them out of “abject poverty.”

The one-year program would be handled by the ARMM’s Department for Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), a devolved agency to the autonomous region, in a program dubbed “Apat Dapat,” which focuses on the four basic needs of a family, namely, food, water, light and shelter.

DSWD-ARMM Secretary Rahima D. Alba said the program’s pilot run is set to last until December and would start with 40 poorest families in 15 selected ARMM municipalities.

“The program will supplement the ongoing poverty-alleviation initiatives both of the regional and national government. It will follow the four for the poor formula…,” she added.

Alba said the four basic needs “were determined by a study regarding poverty incidence in the region, conducted by the Regional Planning and Development Office [RPDO].”

Major interventions include “ensuring families are housed in secure homes with [their] own water and sanitation system and a basic lighting facility, while providing them with the means to expand their livelihood and achieve food sufficiency along the way,” she added.

“Combating poverty has two phases, the long term and the short term. While the Apat Dapat program is initially a short-term program, gradually, we’re expecting that we’ll earn the necessary experience and milestones for the continuity and expansion of the program into a long-term solution to poverty,” Alba said.

She added that the DSWD would oversee the conduct of case management of every household “to ensure that the program will meet its goals.” The program would be coordinated with the Department of Health’s rural health units to monitor and ensure the good health of each participant.

The 15 pilot municipalities would be taken from three municipalities in every province of the ARMM with 40 family beneficiaries in every municipality.

The pilot municipalities are Matanog, Barira and Datu Anggal Midtimbang in Maguindanao; Balindong, Lumba-Bayabao and Taraka in Lanao del Sur; Tuburan, Tipu-Tipo, and Sumisip in Basilan; Talipao, Parang and Pandami in Sulu; and Tandubas, Simunul and Sibutu in Tawi-Tawi.

Alba said that the program would take a special focus on food sufficiency as a key tool to address poverty.

“Ensuring food sufficiency and livelihood are the first of the four components of the Apat Dapat program, involves four modalities: satisfying every families’ recommended dietary allowance for protein and energy; identifying what livelihood is best for the families and providing the necessary livelihood training; encouraging families to put up small livelihood activities, such as backyard gardening and poultry raising, that can support food sufficiency; and gradually transitioning the livelihood activities from being food security measure to also being a source of income for the families,” she said.

“Along with continued support in construction of solar dryers and warehouse, as well as the provision of equipment and machineries, we are making sure that every family in a community can live a life where their needs are met through the Apat Dapat program,” Alba added, referring to the highly rural character of the region, where the poorest also reside.

The World Food Program, she added, will likewise participate “to ensure the sustainability of the food security program, with inputs from the World Bank.”

“We hope that the Apat Dapat program’s focused approach will prove to be a good fit alongside the broader approaches taken by our existing antipoverty initiatives, all of which are community-driven development projects,” Alba added.


ARMM athletic meet reels off

By Bong Garcia

AROUND 5,000 athletes and athletic officials are gathered as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Athletic Association (Armmaa) kicked off Saturday in Parang, Maguindanao.

The participants are from the nine school divisions in ARMM namely Maguindanao I and II, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur I and II, Lamitan City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Dr. John Magno, secretary of the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM), said the Palarong Armmaa promotes physical education specifically a well-rounded development of the youth in the region.

“Palarong Armmaa hopes to develop physical skills, self-discipline and good sportsmanship among the athletes. It enhances total learning of the students,” Magno said.

Athletes, both from elementary and secondary levels, will compete in different sporting events like basketball, volleyball, football, athletics, boxing, wushu, arnis, wrestling, taekwondo, and archery.

The athletic meet will end February 24. It is anchored on the theme “One Team, One Dream for the Bangsamoro People.”

The education officials will select the athletes during Armmaa to represent the region in the forthcoming Palarong Pambansa.

ARMM is expected to send a 500-man athletic delegation to the Palarong Pambansa that will be held from April 9 to 16 in Legazpi City, Albay.

ARMM inks MoA for ARMM-HDAP implementation

(BPI-ARMM/PIA-10)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA) --- Thousands of residents in conflict-affected towns will receive socio-economic projects from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the implementation of the region’s Humanitarian and Development Action Plan (ARMM-HDAP).

Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman with Atty. Laisa Alamia, ARMM Executive Secretary, and Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, executive director of the Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO-ARMM), led the signing of the MoA with the heads of implementing line agencies on February 16 at the Bajau Hall in ARMM Compound in Cotabato City.

The ARMM-HDAP is a project of the regional government under the Hataman administration that will implement various government initiatives specifically, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of both “horizontal” – in reference to school buildings, houses, and health centers – and “vertical” infrastructures - or roads and bridges, and provision of livelihood programs that will promote peace and help the situation in calamity-affected communities specifically in 15 Maguindanao towns.

Secretary Alamia said the ARMM-HDAP will help transform for the better the socio-economic situation in the 2nd District of Maguindanao. “We hope that through this (ARMM-HDAP), we will able to uplift and alleviate the situation of the people of the 2nd District of Maguindanao despite the conflict that is happening right now,” she said.

Based on the 2010 World Bank - World Food Programme study on violent conflicts in Central Mindanao, Maguindanao was most affected especially in terms of human displacement. It suffered in both man-made and natural disasters. In 2015, approximately 125,000 local residents were displaced because of intensified military operations to pursue terrorist elements in the area.

Secretary Alamia also added that the regional government will strictly monitor the implementation of the projects under HDAP. “We have a Project Management Office that will look up and monitor project implementation and we expect that the different agencies will be able to comply in time and in accordance with plans that have been drafted,” she said.

The total initiative costs P1.2 billion, which includes construction of farm to market roads, water systems, and livelihood projects, as well as other humanitarian assistance. Funding comes from the P2.3 billion budget allotted for projects to be implemented in the province of Maguindanao.

ARMM distributes farm equipment, inputs to Lanao

(Philippines News Agency)

COTABATO CITY—Farmers in Lanao del Sur are expected to become more productive and boost their income, after the agriculture and fishery department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao distributed P39.2 million worth of farm inputs and equipment, officials said.

The equipment and farm inputs were personally handed over by Secretary Alexander Alonto Jr. of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF-ARMM).

Lanao del Sur farmers are now equipped with four farm tractors, 13 floating tillers, five corn planters, four corn shellers, 10 cassava graters, a combined harvester and a corn hammer mill.

On top of the postharvest equipment, the farmers also received 16,400 bags of hybrid rice and corn seeds.

Alonto said the assistance was part of the government’s efforts to improve the socioeconomic condition of farmers.

He said the Aquino administration has poured in various multimillion-peso development packages into the region to benefit thousands of beneficiaries.

He said the ARMM has never seen this record sum of projects in its entire history, and the regional government wants to ensure that the projects redound to the benefit of the people.

He urged officials and farmer-beneficiaries in the province to support and help sustain the programs and projects in their area.

The provision of farm equipment and inputs to farmers is part of the Agri-Pinoy Rice and Corn Program of the Department of Agriculture. In 2015 the DAF-ARMM also provided similar equipment and inputs to farmers in Maguindanao.

ARMM to bring Grade 10 completers to Senior High School

(PNA), RMA/PR/EBP

MANILA (PNA) -- The Department of Education (DepEd) has enjoined education stakeholders in the Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to encourage Grade 10 completers to enroll in the Senior High School in June 2016, noting that there are only 19,658 early registrants out of the target 28,915 students.

“Look for those Grade 10 students who have not enrolled yet in SHS,” Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC said.

Luistro made the pitch during the K to 12 Summit held recently at the Notre Dame of Jolo College where hundreds of education stakeholders—students from public and private schools, parents, teachers, and school division superintendents pledged their support for the full implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program.

“My trip here is actually a vote for Mindanao. Dahil sa palagay ko po, hindi uusad ang Pilipinas kung hindi natin kasabay susulong ang Mindanao lalo na sa larangan ng edukasyon,” Luistro pointed out.

He added that the government would aid Grade 10 completers pursuing SHS in a non-DepEd school through the SHS Voucher Program.

Starting School Year 2016-2017, the SHS Voucher Program will subsidize the school fees of students who completed Grade 10 in public and private schools, if they enroll in a non-DepEd school licensed to offer SHS. The voucher is accepted in private high schools, State Universities and Colleges/Local Universities and Colleges, and Technical and Vocational Schools.

Luistro also noted the gap between the number of children who enroll and those who complete schooling in elementary and secondary education in the ARMM.

According to Luistro, out of 636,000 enrollees in 2014, about 35.28 percent, or 224,000, completed their elementary education. In the same year, around 72,476 students or almost half of the 148,000 enrollees completed their secondary education.

“This is our mission: that the enrollment and completion rate in Sulu must be at the same level. This is because our overall target is that no Filipino learner must be left behind. That is what we must all achieve together,” Luistro said.

Luistro added that education was not only done through formal schooling, emphasizing that DepEd has other programs that provide alternative options to existing formal instruction, such as the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Managed by ALS learning facilitators, the ALS education is delivered outside the classroom, usually conducted at community learning centers, barangay multi-purpose hall, libraries, or at home.

“We need to strengthen our ALS program and provide more mobile teachers to reach out to more students and embrace them in our program,” Luistro explained.

ARMM completes rehab of PHP12.3-M Ramain Bridge

(PNA), FFC/TPGJR/HIROHITO D. CADION

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Feb. 16 (PNA) -– Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. on Monday led the inauguration of the newly-repaired Ramain Bridge linking this province’ first district to this city.

Adiong said the repair of the Ramain Bridge provides an easy access to the residents in the first district to this city and to the other parts of this province.

Adiong noted that previously the residents had to take a longer route since the bridge was dilapidated.

The bridge, which was constructed in 1969, is located in the town of Ditasan-Ramain and lies within the provincial circumferential road.

Engineer Ote Macabando, who supervised the rehabilitation of the bridge, said the project cost the regional government PHP12.3 million.

The bridge has a total length of 61.36 meters and a width of 7.32 meters.

Hataman said the rehabilitation of the bridge forms part of the commitment of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to bring progress to ARMM in general and Lanao del Sur in particular.

ARMM, ABS-CBN sign accord promoting organic veggie farming

(Bureau of Public Information)

COTABATO CITY – Governor Mujiv Hataman, of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Chairperson Gina Lopez signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement that sets to launch the municipality of Raja Buayan in the province of Maguindanao as a model for organic vegetable farming in the region.

Hataman said they would agressively promote and sustain organic vegetable farming in the ARMM provinces.

Also on Thursday, some 21 farmer co-operators, each managing a hectare of farmland at Barangay Bugawas in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao participated in a technology demonstration on Thursday.

The demonstration on different inbred rice varieties was conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (DAF-ARMMIARC) as part of its Grand Farmers’ Field Day and Rice Harvest Festival.

Inbred rice refers to varieties that produce seeds and subsequent crops with the same genetic makeup as the parent crop, according to the International Rice Research Institute.

The DAF-ARMMIARC introduced the Rice Crop Manager (RCM), a decision-making tool and agricultural management system for rice, to the farmers to help them implement precision rice farming. The RCM allows the selection of the appropriate rice management practice based on the site or soil condition.

Daud Lagasi, Maguindanao’s provincial agriculture officer, urged the farmers to help DAF-ARMM in promoting the technology to keep the region at pace with important developments in agriculture.

Maguindanao village farmers survive drought, thanks to heat-resistant palay variety

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao, Feb. 15 (PNA) –- Not all farmers in Maguindanao are affected by the El Nino phenomenon, officials said Monday.

Some farmers were not worried at all of the long drought because the crops they planted survived the dry spell.

Thanks to heat resistant crop varieties that the government had provided them, they still earn while other farmers in Maguindanao were heavily affected.

Like other farm lots in Maguindanao, rice fields in Barangay Bugawas, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao had experienced dried land, grasslands dying and plants wilting. But the crops planted by farmers in the village last November are still beaming proud, ready to yield good palay variety.

Barangay Bugawas farmlands were a special project and pilot area of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) through the ARMM integrated cultural center (ARMMIARC) that helped the farmers cushion the impact of dry spell through a modern farming technique.

According to Saudi Mangindra, DAR-ARMMIARC research coordinator, farmers in Barangay Bugawas were recipients of a climate change resistant rice variety that could withstand during dry spell and even floods.

”(The rice variety) was a product of ARMMIARC, Philippine Rice Institute (Philrice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Visibly not worried was Halid Daud, farmer leader in Barangay Bugawas, who told reporters it was the first time that they still earned despite the massive dry spell.

“In fact, our palay production has tripled as compared to the previous cropping season,” Daud said, expressing sympathy to other farmers in Maguindanao who suffered “failure.”

”Failure” is a farmer’s term to refer to failed planting season where they harvest 50 percent of the expected output or none at all.

Daud said Barangay Bugawas farmers were reluctant at first to plant the new palay varieties, claiming all farmlands around them have been affected by drought starting November last year.Agricultural technicians assured them of higher output.

“Our crops were healthy, ready to provide us with bountiful harvest despite the drought,” Daud said in the vernacular.

Daud told reporters the DAF-ARMM palay variety gave them 65 to 70 sacks per hectare even during the peak dry season.

According to Mangindra, DAF-ARMM used rice crop management (RCM) which assists farmers using modern technology and APPS in Smartphones.

“It was like a doctor-patient relationship between DAF-ARMM and farmers' organizations,” Mangindra said.

With all the farmers now possessing a Smartphone, Mangindra said, they do consultation on the status of their crops during dry season or wet season.

Mangindra said the program provides “what to do tasks” to farmers about their palay crops, using the APPS in their android smartphones.

Mangindra said DAF-ARMMIARC continues to develop and produce varieties that could withstand both extreme dry and wet seasons.

She said after the dry spell, Maguindanao marshland will surely experience floods during the rainy season in June onward.

Maguindanao, DENR-ARMM intensify campaign on waste management

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - The provincial government and the natural resources department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) intensified anew a bilateral advocacy for community involvement in solid waste management.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and Forester Kahal Kedtag, who is regional secretary of ARMM’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), revived the campaign on Friday in Buluan town.

Buluan is the capital town of Maguindanao, where solid waste management is being promoted vigorously by the office of Mangudadatu.

The event was sealed with Kedtag’s symbolic turnover to the governor of trash bins to be used in educating the local communities on proper segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes as part of the ARMM government’s environment-protection thrust.

Kedtag said the chief executive of ARMM, Gov. Mujiv Hataman, supports the project extensively.

Friday’s engagement between Kedtag and Mangudadatu was one of the highlights of the week-long provincial Sagayan Festival, which will culminate on Sunday, February 14.

The yearly Sagayan Festival, pioneered in 2011 by Mangudadatu, aims to showcase the cultural-pluralism in Maguindanao, home to ethnic Maguindanaon Muslims, Christians and Lumad people.

The office of Mangudadatu and the ARMM government are cooperating in promoting concerted waste management by residents in Maguindanao’s 36 towns.

Kedtag said they will also distribute trash bins to the municipal governments in the province to maximize the involvement of local officials in disseminating the importance of waste management to their constituents.

Amir Mawallil, executive director of ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information, said they will complement the project with regular plugs in their radio programs across the region.

Mawallil said the protection of the environment and the ARMM’s forestlands and watersheds is a major concern for the Hataman administration.

Maguindanao farmers’ welcome Internet technology for agri-updates, programs

(PNA), JBP/NYP

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao, Feb. 12 (PNA) -- Farming groups here welcomed the move of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries–Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) on utilizing the Internet to connect to farmers across the region.

“Nowadays, almost everybody is linked to the Internet through computers and smartphones so farming groups would be promptly updated on our programs,” Dr. Daud Lagasi, provincial agricultural officer, told farmers on Thursday during DAF–ARMM’s launching of the Grand Farmers Field Day and Rice Harvest Festival in Barangay Bugawas here.

More than a hundred agriculturalists belonging to 21 local farm cooperatives attended the occasion to have a glimpse of the 21-hectare demonstration farm planted with new drought resilient rice varieties that included RC 302, Rc 238, Rc 128, Rc 226, Rc 158 and Zambo rice, among others.

The event also served as venue for DAF–ARMM to introduce various drought-resistant inbred using the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) technology.

The RCM, according to the ARMM–Integrated Agricultural Research Center, guarantees an increase on palay production yield of up to 20 cavans or one ton per hectare.

Esmael Satol, DAF-ARMM director for research, development and extension, said that RCM particulars could be viewed on their office website accessible even to farmers’ mobile phones.

“All queries of farmers on RCM are answered there,” Satol said.

He noted that though the effects of the El Nino phenomenon are felt in Maguindanao, the province remains a “rice surplus area”.

Such crop abundance prevailed despite 94,000 hectares of the province’s 118,000-hectare farmlands remain dependent to rain.

Rat infestation though remains a threat to farmlands in the province with 12 of its 36 towns namely: Datu Paglas, Pagalungan, Talayan, Sultan Mastura, Datu Montawal, Datu Piang, Mamasapano, Datu Salibo, Kabuntalan Mother, Northern Kabuntalan, Sultan Kudarat, and Rajah Buayan intermittently plagued since November last year.

The Aquino administration has so far infused PHP3.4-billion for rice research and development as part of the country’s food security program.

Lanao del Sur gov't showers residents with infra projects

By John Unson (philstar.com)

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines - Outgoing Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. wants to be remembered as having implemented flagship road network projects designed to interconnect towns and hasten socio-economic engagements among Maranaw communities.

Adiong’s third and last term as chief executive of the province, which has 39 towns, will end on June 30, 2016.

Records obtained on Monday from the provincial government indicated that from 2008 to 2015 alone, the Adiong administration constructed 224 barangay roads, 32 provincial and 12 bridges during the period.

Adiong’s office had also built, in recent years, 55 “tire paths,” eight pathways, 11 foot bridges and roads straddling through dozens of peasant enclaves, connecting Lanao del Sur to Lanao del Norte and Bukidnon, both in Region 10.

Some of the recently implemented infrastructure projects in the province were multilateral development initiatives of Adiong, the office of Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the 39 mayors in the province.

The ARMM government poured into Lanao del Sur, during the past three years, more than P3 billion worth of infrastructure grants.

“We are grateful to ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman for focusing attention on the need to put up infrastructure projects in Lanao del Sur,” Adiong said.

Adiong on Tuesday said he had also provided with streetlights strategic spots in Lanao del Sur, whose capital is Marawi City, the administrative and political seat of the province.

Adiong said at least 934, 000 people are now benefitting from his infrastructure projects, which included improvements of town centers under his jurisdiction.

The road network projects of the provincial government were meant to sustain continuing fellowships, through traditional gatherings among Maranaw clans, to minimize “rido” cases, which is prevalent in some areas in Lanao del Sur.

The term rido means clan war in the Maranaw dialect, which can be triggered by land disputes, or political differences, or affronts to family honor.

“The closer the families become, the lesser they become vulnerable to rido,” Adiong said.

The Adiong administration is known in the autonomous region to have amicably settled 139 deadly, decades-old rido in recent years, setting a record never achieved by provincial governors who had served in decades past.

Adiong said he had also supported the peace overture between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) during his three-year tenure.

“I will continue to support the government-MILF peace initiative even if I am no longer provincial governor,” Adiong said.

There are more than a dozen government-acknowledged MILF enclaves in Lanao del Sur.

The founder of the MILF, the late Egyptian-trained cleric Salamat Hashim, an ethnic Maguindanaon, died in Butig town in Lanao del Sur in 2003 and was buried somewhere there, in a spot known only to loyal followers.

Adiong said he is thankful to the support of the MILF leadership in Lanao del Sur, the provincial council of elders and the Maranaw religious communities for helping him amicably address dozens of rido cases in the province.

ARMM investments soar in 2015

(DTI)

MANILA, Feb. 9 -- Investments soared to P6.5 billion in 2015 for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the best year for private business investments since its 26-year existence, the Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) said.

Since January 2015 until January 2016, total investments recorded a historic high of P7.8 billion after the RBOI registered Singaporean-owned Gintong Agri Corporation’s P1.3 billion investment in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao last 15 January 2016.

Of the recorded investments, Maguindanao had the largest share of 77% or P5.05 billion, followed by Tawi-Tawi with 20% or P1.3 billion and Lanao del Sur with 3% or P194 million.

According to RBOI, the top three investors for ARMM are located in Maguindanao, namely Al-Sahar Agri Ventures, Inc., Lamsan Power Corp. and Maguindanao Energy Farms, Inc.

It is projected that Maguindanao will still get the biggest share of investments in 2016 as there are investments such as an oil depot, bulk water supply and an industrial waste treatment plants that are in the works.

Two octogenarian sportsmen hail Maguindanao peace

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Two 80-year old mountain bikers advocating for Muslim-Christian solidarity became instant celebrities during Sunday’s start of the yearly provincial Sagayan Festival.

Even Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, who is overseeing the week-long Sagayan festivities, got fascinated with the dedication of the two sportsmen, Agustin Posas, Sr. and Jose Nusillas, in promoting co-existence among Central Mindanao folks.

Posas a resident of Tampakan town in South Cotabato, and Nusillas, who resides in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat, were born on August 28, 1935 and October 8 in the same year, respectively. The two experienced the bloody Mindanao conflict in the 1970s.

Sunday’s "mountain bike challenge," one of the highlights of the Sagayan Festival, was meant to bring in Muslim, Christian and lumad bikers from across Southern Mindanao for interfaith fellowships and disprove misconceptions on the security situation in Maguindanao.

"There is peace now in Maguindanao and conflicts here are just isolated incidents. We would not come over to join this mountain bike competition if it is dangerous to be in Maguindanao," Nusillas said in Filipino, in heavy Ilonggo accent.

Posas said he has regularly been participating in the yearly mountain bike competition during the Sagayan season in support of Mangudadatu's peace advocacy.

"Conflicts will not bring us any good. It can only cause poverty. I am an outsider but I want to help the provincial government of Maguindanao foster peace in the province," Posas said.

Nusillas and Posas both said they detest armed conflicts and use of guns in seeking redress.

"I hate to even just imagine a return to the situation we had in the 1970s when Muslims and Christians were hostile to each other as an offshoot of machinations by powerful people out there," said Posas, whose roots are in Leyte in Visayas, but grew up in South Cotabato since elementary.

Nusillas, a witness to the brutality of the Ilaga, a group founded in the 1970s by President Ferdinand Marcos and the now defunct Philippine Constabulary to fight Moro insurgents, has been dedicating the remaining years of his life to engagements meant to foster unity among Southern Muslim and Christian communities. Ilaga is a generic Visayan term for rat.

Nusillas said he and his family in Lutayan town were repeatedly displaced by armed conflicts in the 1970s.

"Whenever conflicts erupt, people start all over again and recovery is always a difficult process," he said in Filipino.

Nusillas, an Ilonggo, said he would continue to "bike for peace" in Maguindanao province to show solidarity with people in the province

Among the more than 700 sportsmen who joined Sunday’s mountain bike contest in Buluan, the new capital of Maguindanao, were soldiers led by Lt. Col. Ricky Bunayog of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion.

Army bikers from the 601st Brigade in Tacurong City and the 6th Infantry Division in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, also in Maguindanao also participated in the event.

Bunayog said Army units in Maguindanao also support the peace advocacy programs of the provincial government, particularly the propagation of interfaith solidarity among the Muslims, Christians and lumad sectors in all of the 36 towns in the province.

"While we in the 33rd IB are ready to quell security threats via tactical procedures, we are also most ready to first reach out and do everything to solve security problems in the most diplomatic means, as long as there are still avenues for it because we support the Mindanao peace process," Bunayog said.

The Sagayan Festival was pioneered by Mangudadatu in 2011 to promote the unique socio-cultural settings in the province and the ethnicity of the local Maguindanaon, Christian and the non-Moro T’duray and T’duray-Lambingan folks in Maguindanao.

Sagayan is a centuries-old ethnic Maguindanaon war dance depicting the love of ancient folks for homeland and their readiness to sacrifice even their own lives in defense of people, land and religion.

Military to secure infra projects in Basulta areas

By Bong Garcia

LIEUTENANT General Mayoralgo dela Cruz, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) commander, has assured the security of the projects to be implemented in the region and in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa) areas.

Dela Cruz issued the assurance as the government through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to implement some P10-billion infrastructure projects in Zamboanga Peninsula and in BaSulTa, which are part of the autonomous region.

Dela Cruz said his command will designate troops to ensure the safety and security of the DPWH supervising the implementation of the projects.

Dela Cruz said the projects in critical areas will be undertaken by the Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army.

Engineer Don Loong, DPWH secretary in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said the implementation of some of the lined up infrastructure projects had been delayed due to security concerns.

The security concerns include extortion activities and other forms of harassment by lawless elements that caused delay in the implementation of the projects.

Loong said he is optimistic that all of the lined up projects will be completed on time with the security assistance of Westmincom.

He said the projects in critical areas will be implemented starting this month.

The completion of the infrastructure projects is seen to spur economic development in Zambo Peninsula and BaSulTa areas.

Muslim clerics, Maguindanao gov’t work together to fight extremism

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - More than a thousand clerics, many of them women, convened here Monday and promised to help the provincial government prevent Islamic extremism from spreading through Maguindanao’s 36 towns.

The activity, organized by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and moderate preachers led by Ustadz Ishaq Katambak, was meant to build consensus among participating Islamic theologians and organizers on how to effectively quell religious extremism in the country’s south.

Mangudadatu had cautioned certain groups for insinuating that the failure of the House of Representatives to approve the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) could worsen Islamic extremism in areas the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) wants to group together under a Bangsamoro government.

“Let us not insinuate about war, about religious extremism. Why don’t we insinuate about prospects of peace, about the BBL’s not being dead? It’s still pending in Congress, awaiting approval,” Mangudadatu said.

Mangudadatu told clerics present in Monday’s convention on Islamic teachings on peace and co-existence, held in Buluan town, it is free education for children, via mainstream and religious schools offering subjects on Islamic concepts on respect for life and religious tolerance that can effectively defeat extremism.

Katambak said it is improper for people disappointed with the non-passage of the draft BBL to beat war drums and instigate uprising, or warn of rise of religious extremism in Southern Muslim communities as its consequence.

Like Mangudadatu, Katambak is also convinced that education is a good antidote for religious extremism.

Mangudadatu said his scholarship thrust for his constituent-youth sectors, the Maguindanao Program for Peace and Community Empowerment (MagPEACE), which now has more than 5,000 college scholars, is open to children of Islamic missionaries working in far-flung areas.

Clerics present in the convention assured the provincial government of their support in addressing religious extremism.

A woman who had studied Islamic theology, Fatima, said extremists have alarmingly been circumventing Islamic teachings on religious solidarity to suit their vested interests.

“Prophet Mohammad had told his followers that he or she who kills a non-Muslim in aggression, over religious division, can never smell the fragrance of paradise,” she said.

Maguindanao prov'l gov't extends food, medical aid to dry spell victims

(PNA), PGL/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb 5 (PNA) -- After the declaration of state of calamity in Maguindanao, provincial relief agencies have started Wednesday to extend assistance to severely affected farmers in most affected municipalities due to drought and rat infestation, officials said today.

Lynette Estandarte, Maguindanao provincial budget officer and focal person of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu on emergency concerns, said aside from distribution of emergency food packs, relief assistance, the team also conducted medical mission to two of the 30 most affected municipalities.

Maguindanao has 36 towns, more than half are upland while the other half are in the mashland.

Accompanying the Maguindanao provincial medical team is the Army's 6th Infantry Division medical groups.

"Our objective is to serve every family in difficult situation due to the dry spell," Estandarte said.

The Maguindanao provincial board approved the recommendation of Mangudadatu to place the entire province under state of calamity when damages to crops due to El Nino phenomenon and rat attacks rose to about Php170 million.

Mangudadatu earlier said the declaration would legalize the use of calamity fund of the province to cushion the impact of weather phenomenon.

Estandarte said each family received 10 kilos of rice, canned goods, medicine, dried "tilapia" (fresh water fish) and potable drinking water with 10 liters each gallon.

First to benefit in the outreach program was the village of Kigan in South Upi, Maguindanao, one of the hardest hit upland town where farmers have resorted to eating wild jam, a dangerous and poisonous food if not cleansed and prepared well.

Jimmy Sabia Takilid, a farmer in Barangay Kiga, ended his life by committing suicide after his corn crops was hit by the drought, ending him empty handed.

"We were told Takilid could not accept his crops were gone due to the dry spell," Estandarte told reporters.

Takilid left four children and his wife said "failure" of his corn products triggered depression and eventually he committed suicide.

Next area for the Maguindanao medical and relief team is the villages of Kuya and San Jose, also in South Upi, where Indigenous Peoples (IP) farmers have resorted to eating wild crops and rely on assistance from the local Church and local government units.

Earlier, the Humanitarian Emergency Action Response Team of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (HEART-ARMM), extended food and water to displaced families in Barangay Kuya.

HEART-ARMM is the humanitarian unit of the autonomous region that responds to emergency situations, including victims of dry spell.

Next to come and serve the affected families, not only in South Upi but elsewhere in the province, is the provincial social welfare office in the region.

DOH deworms schoolchildren in ARMM

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao: The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) is deworming thousands of children across the region to counter the adverse effects of worm infection on children’s health and nutrition.

Soraida Amilil, regional coordinator of the Integrated Hel-minth Control Program, said on Tuesday that as of January 28, the DOH-ARMM has already administered deworming medicines to a total of 303,523 children aged 5 to 12 years, which make up 52.64 percent of the total number of children enrolled in public elementary schools in the region.

Amilil said infection from intestinal worms or soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) has adverse effects on the development of the brain and on children’s school attendance. It is also related to nutritional deficiencies, specifically to the lack of iron and vitamin A.

The deworming program is part of the National School-based De-worming Day (NSDD), an activity simultaneously held nationwide and jointly conducted in partnership with the region’s Department of Education (DepEd-ARMM).

This year’s NSDD started in January 27 and will end today (Wednesday). The DOH-ARMM will release a final and complete report of the activity on February 9.

Amilil said they administer 400mg of Albendazole to children for the mass treatment of intestinal infections. Albendazole is candy-flavored chewable drug which is included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of essential medicines for the treatment of intestinal helminthiasis.

Possible side effects of the drug include allergy, abdominal pain and diarrhea, but Amilil said that “as of today, no adverse effects or reactions of the given medicine were reported.”

Medicines such as antihistamines, antispasmodics, and oral rehydration solution plus zinc were provided to local health centers in case there are adverse events following the deworming.

If erratic worm migration is observed, she advised parents to pull out the worms and dispose of them properly by flushing and incineration.

JICA-backed plan sets projects for Mindanao's peace, development

(PNA), FPV/CJT-PR/PJN

MANILA, Feb. 2 (PNA) -- Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) outlined 26 anchor projects for peace and development in Mindanao under the final draft of the proposed Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) 2 or the Medium- to Long-Term Development Plan.

The Development Plan is among components of JICA’s Comprehensive Capacity Development Project for the Bangsamoro and is meant to act as useful reference or guide for the future development undertaking not just in the proposed Bangsamoro area but also in other Mindanao regions.

This week, BDA and the JICA study team presented the final draft to local and international stakeholders at a seminar in Manila.

“Regardless of the outcome of the peace process, JICA assures strong support and committed assistance towards achieving peace and development in the Mindanao region,” said JICA Chief Representative Noriaki Niwa.

Through BDP 2, JICA looks forward to continue working closely with the Philippine government, stakeholders and other development partners in realizing balanced and equitable development for all the people of Mindanao.

Taking off from the BDP 1 Study prepared for the transitional period, BDP 2 identified anchor projects including support for agricultural cooperatives; road rehabilitation and upgrading; ports and airport improvement; Greater Cotabato City urban infrastructure; communal irrigation; economic corridor development; economic zones; abaca, coco coir and sugar industrial cluster development; agri-based projects (goat farming, mixed field crops); seed production center; halal industry promotion; open market; cold chain facilities; community-based forest and coastal management; mini hydro-power development as well as Mindanao river basin integrated watershed and flood management projects.

Such projects derive from the 16 programs in BDP 2 within the development agenda of broad-based inclusive growth, pump-priming, alternative socio-economy and enhanced resources management initiatives to ensure inclusive development in Bangsamoro.

JICA noted consultations with Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Regional Government, Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) and existing government set-up of ARMM will help ensure effective and sustainable implementation of development projects.

BDP 2 aims to create 550,000 additional jobs in Mindanao by 2022 and a 7.4 percent annual GDP.

Japan is a strategic development partner of the Philippines.

Through JICA, Japan has been supporting the peace and development process in the region since 2002 with assistance to the ARMM Social Fund for Peace and Development.

Since then, Japan’s official development assistance to Mindanao totaled some 15.1 billion yen.

DepEd vows to blur disparity between enrollment and completion rate in ARMM

(PNA), RMA/PR/FMC

MANILA (PNA) – Education Secretary Armin Luistro assured that “no Filipino learner will be left behind” by resolving the disparity between the enrollment and completion rate in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

During the K to 12 Summit held in Jolo, Sulu, Luistro pointed out prevalent issues in the education sector of ARMM — principal among them was the disparity between the number of children who enroll and complete schooling in elementary and secondary education.

According to Luistro, out of 636,000 enrollees in 2014, about 35.28 percent, or 224,000, completed their elementary education. In the same year, around 72,476 students, or almost half of the 148,000 enrollees completed their secondary education.

“This is our mission: the enrollment and completion rate in Sulu must be at the same level. This is because our overall target is that no Filipino learner must be left behind. That is what we must all achieve together,” Luistro said during the summit.

The K to 12 Summit was held last Jan. 20 at the Notre Dame of Jolo College. There were over 300 education stakeholders—students from public and private schools, parents, teachers, and superintendents—who attended the event and pledged their support for the full implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program.

Luistro also highlighted that education was not only done through formal schooling since the Department of Education (DepEd) provides alternative options to existing formal instruction, such as the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Managed by ALS learning facilitators, the ALS education is delivered outside the classroom, usually conducted at community learning centers, barangay multi-purpose hall, libraries, or at home.

“We have students whom we should reach out to. We need to strengthen our ALS program and provide more mobile teachers. We will make sure that they are part of our program,” Luisto said.

Luistro further cited the number of participants for the Senior High School (SHS) Early Registration in ARMM.

“There are 19,658 Grade 10 completers who participated in the SHS Early Registration in ARMM, out of the 28,915 students who enrolled in 2015. Look for that Grade 10 student who has not enrolled yet in SHS,” he said.

He added that the government will aid Grade 10 completers who will pursue SHS in a non-DepEd public or private school through the SHS Voucher Program.

Starting School Year 2016-2017, the SHS Voucher Program seeks to subsidize a partial amount of public and private Grade 10 completers’ tuition fees in a non-DepEd public and private schools licensed to offer SHS Program. These include private schools, State Universities and Colleges/Local Universities and Colleges, and Technical and Vocation Schools.

The Education chief commended the creativity of Muslim Mindanao, noting that they will create the next biggest educational reform in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“The most colorful Filipinos are Muslims. There are so many colors seen in a Muslim gathering. They wear colors from head to toe. People who love colors are the most creative people. If we walk together, we will be able to outshine the other provinces. The next biggest reform in education will come from here,” said Luistro.

“My trip here is actually a vote for Mindanao. Dahil sa palagay ko po, hindi uusad ang Pilipinas kung hindi tayo sabay-sabay. Kailangan kasabay natin ang Mindanao (In my opinion, the Philippines will not progress if we’re not in unison. We need to move forward with Mindanao as one,)” he added.

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