Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News February 2017

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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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.

ARMM gov wants more empowered autonomous govt

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL (TMT)

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao: Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman wants Malacañang and the Moro fronts to replace ARMM with a more empowered autonomous government before their terms end on June 30, 2019.

Hataman, now on his 2nd term as ARMM chief executive, said he had urged members of the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), launched in Davao City last Friday, to establish an entity to replace the autonomous regional government at present.

“If established amid our elective tenure, we shall willingly step down and turn over to them the ARMM government for the new self-governing political mechanism to take off unhampered,” he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (PAPP) Jesus Dureza led the symbolic launching of the expanded BTC with leaders of various sectors in the autonomous region, including people from the Islamic, lumad indigenous people) and Christian religious communities.

The expanded BTC will craft a new enabling law for setting up a more empowered self-governing political entity as agreed upon by the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The new BTC, headed by MILF’s first vice chairman, Ghazali Jaafar, is composed of 21 members.

Besides Jaafar, the MILF has 10 members in the group, whereas the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the government have three and seven representatives each, respectively.

ARMM health dept calls on region's employees to donate blood

(PNA), CVL/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 25 (PNA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's Health Secretary Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr. on Saturday urged the region's employees to donate blood to boost ARMM's blood supply.

"More donors mean sufficient supply of safe blood to meet demands in emergency cases within the Cotabato-Maguindanao area," Sinolinding said.

To qualify as a blood donor, one must at least weigh 50 kg., must have a normal blood pressure, and should pass the hemoglobin test and physical check-up.

He said donating blood reduces one's risk of hemochromatosis, a health condition caused by excess absorption of iron by the body due to drinking alcohol or anemia; prevents cancer as the iron stores in the body are maintained at healthy levels; leads to a healthier heart and liver; results in weight loss as one loses about 650 calories by donating; and generates new and healthy blood cells.

Sinolinding's appeal came after the National Voluntary Blood Services Program (NVBSP-ARMM) launched on Friday the first of its four blood-letting activities this year at ARMM's Department of Health (DOH-ARMM).

Blood-letting is a fundamental reason for the creation of the NVBSP through Republic Act 7719, or the National Blood Services Act of 1994, that promotes voluntary blood donation for a sufficient supply of safe blood.

Baibon Piang, NVBSP support staff, said the volunteer team running the activity consists of DOH-ARMM officers, as well as medical technologists, nurses, and doctors from the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC).

The NVBSP caters to an average of 50 blood donors a day. The maximum amount of blood a person can donate every three months, or depending upon the physician’s advice, is 450 ml.

Piang said families of patients in need of blood can go to the DOH-ARMM office and seek assistance from the NVBSP team. They however need to have a blood request from their doctor and that the blood would be replenished immediately through another donor coming from a member of the requesting family.

All the blood collected in the quarterly activity will go to the CRMC Blood Center.

“Those who need blood can have it, provided they have authorization from DOH," said Anthony Francis de Dios of the CRMC Blood Center.

“So long as we have a steady supply of blood and more blood donors, we can release supplies to those in need."

Clients served by CRMC Blood Center are mostly from Cotabato City, Maguindanao, and South and North Cotabato.

ARMM, Lanao del Sur to delete province from poorest list

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb 23 (PNA) -- After long years of government neglect, the people of Lanao del Sur can now see change is indeed coming after officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the provincial government have started mapping out anti-poverty strategies that will remove the province from the list of country's poorest, an official said Thursday.

Officials eye a two-year projection to attain the goal, according to ARMM Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Hataman presided over a special cabinet meeting and consultation on Wednesday attended by regional and provincial officials where updates on anti-poverty projects' status as well as accomplishments for fiscal year 2016 were discussed.

Based on first quarter 2015 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the latest available, showed Lanao del Sur was the poorest province in the Philippines with 74.3 percent poverty incidence.

Presided by the ARMM Regional Vice Governor Haroun Alrashid Lucman Jr., the consultation also discussed areas where they could improve and focus on in the coming months.

Lucman said this is the first in a series of provincial consultations this year covering the five ARMM provinces.

Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mamintal Adiong, Anak Mindanao Representative Atty. Makmod Mending Jr., and the province’s local chief executives were also present during the special cabinet meeting.

Hataman urged Department of Agriculture provincial office to work on expanding the province’s agriculture coverage to make the province rice sufficient by 2019.

Hataman also urged officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to expedite the bidding process on partner conduit to speed up the payout process of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Hataman was surprised to learn that the two districts of Lanao del Sur with combined 92,191 program beneficiaries have not received the amounts due them since last year.

He was told that the lack of a partner conduit that will serve the 4Ps beneficiaries caused the delay.

Pombaen Karon Kader, DSWD-ARMM assistant secretary said no bidder participated in last year’s call for a partner conduit so the agency’s central office has not downloaded the program’s funds for the province.

In health programs, the Department of Health-ARMM, through the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO-Lanao Sur), reported notable improvement in health statistics from 2009 to 2016.

These are as follows: Maternal mortality rate dropped from 81 in 2009 to only five in 2016, while infant mortality rate was also down from four to 1.46.

IPHO-Lanao Sur also reported that malnutrition among children dropped from 15.20 percent to 5.65 percent while tuberculosis cure rate increased to 83 percent; and, immunization for children was up to 86.84%, the highest in the region.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr, ARMM health secretary, said the significant improvement in the health sector are credited to improved facilities development and increased deployment of health professionals in all the provinces of the region.

The Humanitarian Development Action Plan (HDAP) was also discussed during the consultation as a special program that will cover the province’s conflict-affected town of Butig.

ARMM-HDAP is a program of the regional government under the Hataman administration that implements various government initiatives.

These include relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of both “horizontal” – in reference to school buildings, houses, and health centers – and “vertical” infrastructures – or roads and bridges.

It also covers livelihood projects that will promote peace and order and help improve the economic situation in calamity-affected communities, specifically in 15 Maguindanao towns.

Hataman turns over P13.27-M ROADS in Kudarat

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL (TMT)

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao: Thousands of residents in two villages in Sultan Kudarat town now have a better access road with the turnover of a P13.27-million road project by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Gov. Mujiv Hataman said the 1.3-kilometer access road in Sultan Mastura Road (Phase 1) connects Barangay Banubo to Barangay Mulaog at Barangay Mulaog in the town.

He added that another two-kilometer road will be implemented to connect Barangay Mulaog to Barangay Sinditan this year.

Public Works and Highways-ARMM Secretary Don Mustapha Loong said they have implemented 22.39 kilometers of road projects from 2012-2016 in Sultan Kudarat alone with P304.52 million with additional P150 million earmarked another 12.70 kilometers this year.

Sultan Kudarat Mayor Shameem Mastura expressed appreciation on the fast tracking of infrastructure saying that the Mulaog to Sinditan project is an instrument of development for their area.

DA-BFAR to build fishing landing center, ice plant in Tawi-Tawi

(PNA), LAP/NYP/TPGJR

ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) –- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BFAR-ARMM) has allocated PhP 3 million to build a community fish landing center in the province of Tawi-Tawi.

BFAR-ARMM Regional Director Janice Desamito-Musali on Friday told the Philippines News Agency the construction of the project is scheduled to start within the second quarter of this year.

The fish landing center will be placed beside the wet market section of the public market of Bongao municipality, the capital of the province of Tawi-Tawi.

Musali said the community fish landing center, once completed, will boost the economic livelihood of the fisher folks in the province.

Fishing is one of the leading sources of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, which has rich fishing grounds.

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his visit to Tawi-Tawi earlier this week, said his office will allocate funds to build an ice plant as support infrastructure of the fishing landing center.

Piñol said they will organize the fisher folks of Tawi-Tawi into a cooperative to manage the ice plant.

He said the ice plant could be powered by a Hybrid Energy Renewable System (HRES) with diesel generator as back-up when informed of the unstable power supply in the province.

The HRES is a stand-alone power system for providing electricity in remote areas due to advances in renewable energy technologies.

DAF-ARMM joins '5S Week' implementation

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) -- The Department of Agriculture and Fishery in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) joined the ARMM's "5S Clean Up Symbolic Launch" at the regional autonomous complex here on Friday.

Themed “Quality Housekeeping for the Quality Governance in ARMM,” DAF-ARMM was accompanied by other government agencies in the program aimed at improving governance.

ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Masuhud-Alamia relayed one of the priorities of ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman in ensuring that the regional inhabitants get what they deserve in terms of governance.

"A clean regional office will create good vibes in the workplace," Alamia said, reiterating Hataman's directive.

Alamia stressed that discipline and responsibility are essential among ARMM government offices to efficiently serve their clients.

As part of the launch, 5S officials from the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG) have been hopping from one office to another spreading the "culture" so it will multiply and spread to all workforce.

"5S" is the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list of five Japanese words: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke which means "sort," "set in order," "shine," "standardize," and "sustain."

The DAF-ARMM workforce took turns in cleaning their workplaces and surroundings to comply with the requirements of the ORG of submitting photos and videos of workers implementing the "5S."

ARMM offices will compete in the implementation of the project and winners will be announced in a simple program to be held tonight at the Bajao Hall of ARMM executive building.

The implementation of "5S Week" is in compliance to the requirements of ISO-Certifiable Quality Management Systems.

Armm allocates P7M for Inaul

By Ace June Rell S. Perez

THE Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) has earmarked a total of P7-million fund for Inaul production this year.

Inaul is the traditional hand-woven cloth from Maguindanao province.

Inaul Festival director and assistant department head of the Provincial Planning and Development Office Nulfarid Ampatuan said their current direction is to push for the development of the traditional textile. The fund, he said, is from the region’s Gender and Development (GAD) Fund.

Department of Tourism (DOT)-Armm regional Secretary Ayesha Vanessa Hajar Dilangalen, for her part said, apart from local buyers, they are looking at China, the US, and Europe as markets for Inaul.

The Armm government has received inquiries from interested foreign buyers following a marketing campaign for the first Inaul Festival which was set last February 9 and concluded last Tuesday, February 14. The recently-concluded festival has generated interest for the intricately-made fabric.

Dilangalen said a road show in China promoting Inaul is being arranged for April or May.

She added that they will consult the Maguindanao weaving community for the production of Inaul on a commercial scale.

A group of women in Buluan, Maguindanao is among those who make the cloth under a livelihood and cultural preservation program of the local government. Two other weaving centers in the province are privately owned.

To preserve the authenticity of producing Inaul, Ampatuan said, the regional government in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry as well as the Department of Science and Technology is gearing up to build five production centers for the weaving machines.

Last month, inaul was highlighted as one of the materials used for gowns worn by Miss Universe candidates during the Mindanao Tapestry fashion show in Davao City.

ARMM extends aid to Surigao City earthquake victims

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) -- Aware of the pain and hardships a strong earthquake has brought to the people of Surigao del Norte, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through its Humanitarian and Emergency Action Response Team (ARMM-HEART) has sent relief assistance to the victims in Surigao City.

At the break of dawn Monday, a team from ARMM-HEART, the region's humanitarian unit, left for Surigao City, expected to arrive there Monday night or Tuesday morning.

ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia said the relief assistance includes 200 sacks of rice, 50 boxes of instant coffee, 100 boxes of sardines, and 100 bottles of five-liter distilled water.

She said extending assistance to calamity victims recognized no boundaries.

As per latest report, eight persons have already been confirmed dead after the Magnitude 6.7 hit Surigao City and Surigao del Norte on Friday night. As of Monday, the city is still in chaos but restoration of basic services is ongoing after President Duterte visited the city Sunday.

The Surigao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) said about 2,000 people were injured in the disaster that also damaged properties worth more than PHP100 million.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), said at least 300 houses in Surigao del Norte, where the city is located, were damaged by the quake.

Surigao City has been declared under state of calamity.

“The people of Surigao need assistance, and we should provide whatever we can,” Alamia said in a statement.

Whenever it can, the ARMM extends help to people affected by disasters in other regions.

In November 2013, ARMM-HEART also extended relief and medical assistance to the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City, Leyte.

ARMM-HEART is a convergence of agencies that oversee disaster preparedness and response in the region. The team includes Phivolcs; DSWD; Department of Science and Technology; Department of the Interior and Local Government; Office of Civil Defense; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration; and the Regional Planning and Development Office, among others.

It is always in the forefront of relief operations after a natural and man-made calamity hits the region.

DA allocates PHP50M for rice processing center in Tawi-Tawi

By Teofilo P. Garcia Jr. [(PNA), FPV/TPGJR]

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, Feb. 14 (PNA)-- The Department of Agriculture (DA) is putting up a rice processing center in Tawi-Tawi as the agency eyes to make the province rice sufficient.

DA Sec. Emmanuel Piñol told the Philippine News Agency the DA will allocate PHP50 million to finance the project and other operational requirements of the processing center as well as in rice production.

Piñol said the processing center will boost rice production, from cultivation to marketing, and the economic livelihood of the local rice farmers.

“We will have to put up a processing center since it is useless to plant rice without the needed facility,” Piñol said.

The DA chief said he intends to invited President Rodrigo R. Duterte to spearhead the groundbreaking of the project, tentatively to be held in May this year.

He said most likely the rice processing center will be constructed in this town since it is the trading center of the province.

He said his office in coordination with the provincial and municipal governments will organize the rice farmers into a cooperative that will manage the rice processing center.

He said part of the PHP50 million allocation will be used as a start-up capital of the farmers’ cooperative.

Piñol told the local agriculture officer to send 10 farm technicians and farmer-leaders to the DA central office to further capacite them on rice production.

Piñol, during his stay here, inspected rice and rubber farms of the Lapid-Lapid Irrigators Association in Barangay Lapid-Lapid, this municipality.

He was accompanied by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Eduardo Gongona and Janice Desamito-Musali, BFAR director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BFAR-ARMM).

OCD-ARMM, AFP agree to strengthen partnership to save lives, properties

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Feb. 13 (PNA) -- The Army's 6th Infantry "Kampilan" Division and the Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OCD-ARMM) have forged a strong partnership aimed at making government response timely and effective during disasters, both man-made and natural.

Myrna Angot, OCD-ARMM regional director, and her staff met here with Brig. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, newly designated 6th ID commander.

Angot, in a statement, said the meeting was specifically aimed at strengthening the partnership between OCD-ARMM and the 6ID.

She said the communication and coordination mechanisms between partners in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) were also agreed on to save lives and properties during disasters and emergencies.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines has the lead role in the Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR) Cluster,” Angot, said, adding that "this is related to the operations concept of the AFP Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR)."

Dela Vega pointed out during the meeting that the 6th ID, with its manpower resources, is always committed to its shared responsibility with DRRM.

“The 6ID is always ready to support the Office of Civil Defense especially if human lives are at stake. We will be committed to quick response in the event of any minor or major disasters,” Dela Vega said.

The OCD-ARMM and the 6th ID have been effective partners in humanitarian programs as well as disaster response and, according to Angot, the revitalize partnership between agencies of the government will benefit the people in its areas of operation.

DA chief to distribute livelihood support projects to Tawi-Tawi fisherfolk

(PNA), JBP/TPGJR

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, Feb. 12 (PNA) -- Agriculture Sec. Emmanuel Pinol Monday (February 13), will lead the distribution of livelihood support projects to the fisherfolk in this town and the nearby municipality of Turtle Islands, this province.

Pinol and other DA and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) officials are scheduled to arrive here to tomorrow (Monday) via Zamboanga City to distribute the livelihood support projects.

These will include 40 units of 20-footer fiberglass reinforced plastic motorized boats, 40 sets of gill nets and 20 units rain harvester.

Janice Desamito-Musali, BFAR regional director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said 20 of the 40 units motorboats will be given to fishermen of this town while the remaining 20 units to Turtle Islands fishermen.

The fisherfolk of this town will also receive 10 of the 20 units rain harvesters while the remaining 10 will be distributed to those in the Turtle Islands town.

The distribution of the support projects is part of DA’s program to boost the economic livelihood of the local fishermen in line with the poverty alleviation agenda of the agency.

Pinol and the other BFAR officials will also grace the fisherfolk and farmers' forum scheduled to be held in this town.

Conservation, livelihood projects under “My Lake Lanao” showcased

(US Embassy/PIA-10)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur ---Conservation and livelihood projects implemented in barangays on the shores of Lake Lanao, were showcased during the concluding summit of the “My Lake Lanao: a clean Lanao for a peaceful Mindanao” project (MLLP).

The summit, held on February 2 in Iligan City, was participated by more than 80 ighty college and high school students, environmental activists, academic researchers, NGO leaders, local government officials, and community leaders.

Funded by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines., MLLP was implemented by the development organization ABAG sa Kalambuan (ABAG) in close collaboration with the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).

The project leveraged the expertise of academic researchers, government officials, and environmental experts as well as the energy of student associations and community organizations to create community-driven responses to the environmental degradation of Lake Lanao and to develop sustainable livelihood opportunities for the communities.

Over the course of a year, partners worked in 10 lake shore barangays to implement sustainable conservation projects and livelihood interventions.

Projects ranged from establishing vermicomposting and fish farming facilities to planting abaca and reforesting the shores and upland areas of Lake Lanao.

In addition to the conservation and livelihood projects, the My Lake team also responded to the challenge raised by Tomaro Alisood, a seventy-year-old Maranao fisherman and program participant, who asked “Paano mamahalin ulit ng mga tao ang Lake Lanao?” [How will the people love Lake Lanao again?].

Participants conducted community awareness campaigns to increase recognition of the critical role Lake Lanao plays in the spiritual, cultural, social, political, and economic life of Lanao del Sur and Mindanao.

MLLP participants led seminars on solid waste management and recycling in their partner barangays.

MSU-Marawi faculty facilitated a short film contest for student films advocating for lake conservation. The films will be screened in Lanao del Sur schools.

Sixteen-year-old Nur Dadayan of Marawi drew upon Maranao legends to write a story that imagined the trash thrown into the Lake as a monster that haunts the people of the Lake. Through MLLP, her story, The Ranao Monster, has been published as a large format children’s book and distributed to elementary teachers in the province to help students recognize the importance of protecting Lake Lanao.

Through a video message, the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Klecheski said, “There are a lot of things we at the U.S. Embassy find really admirable about the My Lake Lanao project. [One of the things] we really like is that this project found the proper balance between protection of the environment and promoting livelihoods for the people around the Lake.”

ARMM, Army brigade to implement PHP199.7-M road projects in Basilan

(PNA), CVL/TPGJR

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Feb. 10 (PNA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Philippine Army’s 54th Engineering Brigade on Friday agreed to implement the PHP199.7-million road concreting projects in Basilan province.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman and newly installed 54th Engineering Brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Arnold Fernandez signed the agreement shortly after the re-activation of the brigade in Camp Arnaldo Fernandez Jr., Barangay Cabatangan here.

The road projects cover the 3.5-km. Sampinit-Masola Road in Isabela City with an allocated budget of PHP82.2 million, and the 5-km. Sampinit-Punoh-Mahadie Road in Sumisip town with an appropriation of PHP117.5 million, for a total of PHP199.7 million.

Engineer Don Mustapha Loong, secretary of the public works office in ARMM, said the roads form part of the Basilan Transcentral Road and are among the first projects being undertaken under Phase II of the Transcentral road project.

Loong said a total of PHP806.05 million has been allocated for the Phase II Transcentral road project that covers 34.3 km.

Hataman said the completion of the projects will bring peace and development to Basilan.

“It’s completion will deny safe haven to the Abu Sayyaf bandits,” he added.

Loong noted that the Basilan Transcentral road project is one of the key connectivity projects of Hataman in Basilan that will reduce travel time between the town of Sumisip and Isabela City, and between Maluso municipality and Lamitan City.

“The project connects different towns located at the center of the province to the Basilan Circumferential Road. This will allow better logistics and people interconnectivity in Basilan,” he said.

“It is hoped that upon completion of the Basilan Transcentral road, there would be peace in Basilan, faster movement of people, cheaper transport costs, more agricultural areas developed and a more competitive Basilan ready for the ASEAN integration, Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and the Basilan Economic Zone.”

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda; Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.; and Basilan Governor Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman.

Meanwhile, the implementation of Phase I of the Transcentral project is ongoing with a budget of PHP252 million covering 21 km.

The allocation was sourced from the 2016 regular infrastructure budget of ARMM.

Since 2012, ARMM has allocated a total of PHP7.865 billion for infrastructure projects in Basilan.

For this year, a total of PHP2.207 billion has been earmarked for the province under the region’s infrastructure program.

Lanao del Sur tops ARMM provinces in tourist visits, tourism income in 2016

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) -- Despite existence of violence and the high crime rate, the Department of Tourism in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOT-ARMM) recorded a total of 69,606 visitors in 2016 in Lanao del Sur, tourism officials said Wednesday.

Lanao del Sur posted PHP1.2-billion in tourism receipts, making it the No. 1 tourist destination in the five-province ARMM.

Government forces launched massive operation against the Lanao del Sur based Maute terror group with links to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Floods and landslides also hit low-lying communities in the province last year. Despite these, tourist visits had improved.

Aside from Lanao del Sur, ARMM is also composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Regionwide, official figures from ARMM’s Tourism department showed 212,649 visited the five provinces in 2016 with roughly PHP3.7 billion in tourism-related expenditures, according to ARMM Tourism Secretary Ayesha Mangudadatu-Dilangalen.

She said the number of Lanao del Sur's visitors in 2016 was 14 percent better compared with the 61,058 registered in 2015.

“Part of Lanao del Sur governor’s agenda is cultural tourism and promotion of tourist destinations in the province that can help generate income and livelihood to the locals,” Nouraldin Ahmad Tamano, provincial tourism officer, told reporters.

Tamano said Lanao Sur showcased distinct characteristics of the Maranaos' way of life, history, and culture. Lanao del Sur is composed of 39 towns with Marawi City as its provincial capital.

Tamano said one must-see attraction is Lake Lanao, the largest inland body of water in Mindanao and the second largest lake in the Philippines.

It serves as reservoir for the Agus hydroelectric power plants that generate up to 75 percent of Mindanao’s power supply.

Tamano said the arts and crafts of the Maranao tribe, Polo Barakat Mosque in Binidayan, Kilometer Zero, Mindanao State University and Daguduban in Marawi City; Lake Dapao in Pualas town; and white water rafting in Wao could easily lure tourists to the province.

Dilangalen said the influx of tourists in the region falls in the last quarter of the year. Outside of Lanao del Sur, provincial breakdown of the region’s tourism data in 2016 showed the following:

Tawi-Tawi with 63,509 visitors and PHP1.1 billion in gross receipts;

Maguindanao with 40,981 visitors and PHP721 million in gross receipts;

Basilan had 24,243 visitors with PHP424 million in gross receipts; and Sulu with 13,857 and PHP242 million in gross receipts.

“Tourist gross receipts cut across other industries like transport, trade, food, and telecommunications, among others,” Sec. Dilangalen explained.

She said tourism can easily provide direct jobs to the community and "visitors' expenditures generate income for the local community and can lead to the alleviation of poverty."

Famous Moro cloth to take center stage in Maguindanao Festival

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

BULUAN, Maguindanao – With the famous Maguindanao fabric, used for centuries as "malong" (Muslim tube cloth) among Moro people gaining local and international exposures, more and more Muslim jobless women, including widows of former Moro rebels, now have a source of income, officials said Wednesday.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu said his office is saving from extinction the "inaul" cloth weaving tradition and make use of this colorful tradition to boost eco-tourism development in Maguindanao and elsewhere in the country.

"Inaul" cloth, now even more famous, was elegantly used by candidates of the recently held Miss Universe 2016, during a fashion show in Davao City. Philippines’ Miss Universe Maxine Medina and other candidates, to include Ms. International 2016 Kylie Mendoza, stunningly displayed the Muslim popular cloth.

It will again take center stage when the First Inaul Festival commences here simultaneous with the Sagayan (war dance) Festival starting Thursday.

“Inaul” is a hand-woven fabric/textile that is traded and is worn by modern women, and men, in Maguindanao.

According to Eman Aljani, Mangudadatu's chief of staff, more than 100 jobless Moro women have been added to hundreds of female constituents involved in inaul fabric-weaving who underwent extensive training.

The 120 women weavers finished a 15-day training initiated by the provincial government in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Aljani said the training was part of preliminary events in the First Inaul Festival.

Among them was 56-year-old mother Lagawlan Pagalad, who said she was happy the provincial government gave them the opportunity to shine and earn modest income for their families.

She was also glad the training gave her the opportunity to be part in efforts to revive the almost forgotten "Inaul" weaving industry.

Those who have been in the weaving industry said it took them a month to produce five pieces of "Inaul" malong that would cost PHP1,200 to P1,800 a piece.

Mangudadatu vowed to personally promote here and abroad "Inaul", aside from the tourism department and other agencies of the government.

In a press briefing early Wednesday, Bai Ayesha Mangudadatu Dilangalen, tourism secretary for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said promoting "inaul" can easily push for tourism development in the region.

She said the “Inaul” exhibit would educate the people on its historical relevance.

"It is deeply connected to Moro residents of Mindanao," she told reporters.

She said the Miss Universe candidates fashion show in Davao City was one opportunity for the Inaul to gain international recognition. In fact, Dilangalen said, it is set to be exhibited next month in Berlin, Germany.

"The demand for the fabric is overflowing," she said. However, she fears the local manufacturers of “inaul” could meet the rising demand so, the Maguindanao provincial government's livelihood training for about 120 women weavers was timely.

ARMM leaders, stakeholders gather to address threats of water hyacinth build-up in Maguindanao rivers

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, Feb. 7 (PNA) -- Leaders of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), town mayors, military and police officials convened here Tuesday to act on impending floods that may affect low lying areas in Maguindanao and Cotabato City due to water hyacinth build-up in the Rio Grande de Mindanao.

ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia convened the major stakeholders to come up with a joint action that will save communities from floods and prevent a repeat of previous floods that submerged huge part of Maguindanao and Cotabato City due to clogged waterways.

Alamia said short term solution to the problem must be ready since the build-up of water hyacinth was observed in the river waters between Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao and Cotabato City as well as in the other part of Rio Grade de Mindanao, particularly in the towns of Datu Piang in Maguindanao and Midsayap in North Cotabato.

Water hyacinth has covered around four hectares on these waters and some have already formed into islets based on a report from the region’s Humanitarian and Emergency Action Response Team (HEART), ARMM's emergency unit.

Unless checked and removed immediately, the build-up will likely result in the rise of river water that could inundate nearby areas.

James Mlok, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Maguindanao 2nd district engineer, said his team has started to clear up parts of the river below Sajid Piang Bridge connecting Datu Piang and Midsayap as early as last week.

As agreed upon during the meeting, DPWH will re-start the removal of water hyacinth build-up in the Datu Piang-Midsayap area of the river today.

Part of the clearing operation is Datu Piang local government unit’s (LGU), relocation of families living under the Sajid Piang Bridge to prevent casualties once the river water rises significantly.

Alamia said the ARMM government is eyeing two long-term solutions to the recurring problem of flooding in Maguindanao and parts of Cotabato City, one of which is a project to be funded by the Peoples' Republic of China. It will be implemented within the year.

Officials from ARMM-HEART, Office of Civil Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 6th Infantry Division, Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities, the LGUs of Midsayap, Datu Piang, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City, as well as representatives from the Moro Islamic Front and the Moro National Liberation Front were present during the meeting.

During the meeting, it was agreed that the military assigned upstream will monitor the water level and quickly alert its counterpart downstream so people will be informed of impending floods.

Water hyacinth build-up has been monitored in the Quirino Bridge and Delta Bridge that connect Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat town.

Huge chunks of water lilies are also monitored along Tamontaka River that may threaten to clog under Tamontaka bridge if remained unchecked.

The worst floods to hit Cotabato City was in 2011 when 30 of the city's 37 villages were submerged by flood waters for a week due to thick water hyacinth travelling downstream then blocked the smooth flow of river water to the Moro Gulf.

Alamia said local leaders and stakeholders should be pro-active in this case to save peoples' lives and properties.

ARMM, Maguindanao to build new, larger bridge in poor Mamasapano town

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

MAMASAPANO, Maguindanao, Feb. 6 (PNA) -- The Maguindanao engineering office, through a private construction company, will commence this month the construction of a larger bridge here as part of the development initiatives of the provincial and regional governments, provincial engineering officials said today.

Speaking to reporters, Engineer James Mlok, district engineer of Maguindanao’s Second District Engineering Office, said his office and the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will work closely with Roma Construction firm to ensure transparency and completion of the PHP180-million bridge project.

The bridge will be constructed in Barangay Tukanalipao, site of the bloody encounter between elite Police Special Action Force and Moro bandits two years ago that left 67 people dead, including 44 SAF members.

Engr. Don Loong, DPWH-ARMM regional secretary, today said a larger bridge will connect the banks of the Tukanalipao River in Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano.

It will be built parallel to a small bridge built after the bloody encounter. It replaced the wooden bridge used by townspeople in crossing the river from corn fields.

Aside from the bridge, regional and provincial governments also built a Mosque, a covered court, fish landing area and new school buildings in Barangay Tukanalipao.

The dirt road leading to the village from the town center was also paved, making farmers’ transport of goods quicker and cheaper.

Presently, DPWH-ARMM is constructing the PHP14-million concreting project Malingao-Libutan Road and the PHP28-million Tukanalipao-Pidsandawan-Pimbalkan Road that crosses poor communities in Mamasapano.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu has ordered the construction of a covered court in Barangay Tukanalipao that residents can use in times of natural and man-made calamities as evacuation sites.

Mayor Benzar Ampatuan of Mamasapano said the government projects have helped improve the standard of living of his constituents when roads were concreted, new school buildings that inspire the youth to pursue education were built, and transport of goods of farmers became cheaper, faster and safer.

ARMM eyes 7 economic zones for the region by 2020

(PNA), FPV/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) -- Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Thursday said the region is strongly considering opening at least seven fully operational economic zones by 2020 in five-province region.

Speaking during the opening program of the Mindanao Econozone Summit in Davao City organized by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and aimed at completing and finalizing the ecozone masterplan in Mindanao, Hataman said his administration is bent on putting up and operationalize one ecozone per province.

“Our goal is to establish at least one ecozone in each of the ARMM provinces – Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi – as well as in the cities of Marawi (Lanao del Sur) and Lamitan (Basilan) by the year 2020,” Hataman said.

Hataman stressed that investors always prioritize infrastructures in pouring capital in a particular region in Mindanao, ARMM included.

ARMM has still managed to hit by 235 percent its investment target of PHP900 million for the year, despite uncertainties in 2016 brought by the synchronized national and local elections and the rise in armed violence by criminal and insurgent groups in the region and some parts of Mindanao.

Lawyer Ishak V. Mastura, chairman of ARMM Regional Board of Investments (RBOI), said in 2016, RBOI has registered total investments of PHP2.11 billion due to the approval of the PHP1.3 billion palm oil plantation development project of the Gintong Agri Corporation and the 8MW diesel power plant project of Kaltimex Rural Energy Corporation worth PHP811 million.

“Since 2013 to the present, the agency has registered a sum of PHP14 billion worth of investments project in the region. ARMM has been consistent in attracting investments of at least PHP1 billion per year,” Mastura said. The two companies are expected to employ 1,034 workers.

Hataman said the move was designed to attract investments, help generate local jobs and enhance the region’s overall economic performance.

He said the regional government is institutionalizing the operation of the Regional Economic Zone Authority, which was created by Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act 154, as cited in Republic Act 9054 (Art XII, Sec.4).

Currently, the ARMM has only one operating ecozone, the Polloc Freeport and Economic Zone (PFEZ) in Maguindanao, which, as of 2016, has generated an income of PHP27.9 million and revenues amounting to PHP134 million for the Bureau of Customs.

Gov. Hataman said his declaration of the PFEZ as “halal hub” is in support to the PEZA’s “mission to expand into new frontiers” and takes advantage of the region’s “potential as a gateway of the Philippines to the multi-trillion dollar halal industry.”

He added the region will focus on economic sectors where it has a competitive advantage and these include agro-industry, tourism, trading, halal investment, and Islamic financing.

The ARMM government, he said, has already established a link with countries in the Middle East and in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to explore possible collaborations on economic development projects that will benefit not only the region but the rest of the country as well.

The reopening of commerce and trade between the Philippines and Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asian Growh Area (BIMP-EAGA) is seen as another opportunity to increase economic activities in the ARMM and its neighboring countries.

DoT-ARMM eyes 15% rise in tourist arrivals in Tawi-tawi

(PNA), FPV/LCM/DIGNA D. BANZON/LDP

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The Department of Tourism in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOT- ARMM) expects a 15 percent increase in tourist arrivals in Tawi-tawi this year, after receiving a million visitors in 2016.

DOT-ARMM regional secretary Ayesha Mangudadatu-Dilangalen however said the one million arrivals posted last year by Tawi-tawi could be more since all visitors were not captured by the data gathering mechanism.

She said 15 percent of one million were foreign visitors and the remaining 85 percent were domestic travelers from Luzon, the Visayas and the neighboring provinces and cities of Mindanao.

Dilangalen said majority of the foreign visitors were Malaysians, who come yearly for a pilgrimage to the 637-year-old mosque, the Sheik Karim al Makdum Mosque in Tubig Indangan, Simunul, Tawi-tawi.

The island province is also known for its beaches found in the municipalities of Balimbing, Bongao, Cagayan de Tawi- Tawi, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ubian, Tandubas, Turtle Island, Languyan and Sapa-Sapa.

Dilangalen said the island is also home to wild cattle, wild hogs, and monkeys of the brown and white variety, and the many exotic fauna abound in the forests of mainland Tawi-Tawi.

Lying at the southwestern tip of the Philippines, Tawi-tawi is only a few hours from Sabah in Malaysia.

Tawi-Tawi boasts of its natural zoos.

She said Sibutu is a place where wild hogs come in bands and also rare birds of orioles, peacocks, and the green, gold and white parrots. Thousands of seagulls have settled at Gusong Reef in Cagayan de Tawi-tawi, where they lay eggs while the Bongao Peak is a monkey sanctuary.

The Turtle Island is a sanctuary where a biodiversity project is being undertaken. This can be reached by boat for 17 hours from Zamboanga but only 45 minutes from Sabah.

Dilangalen is calls on the national government to help Tawi-tawi in its development plans.

The province is marketing the place as an eco-tourism destination.

It has a total of 500 rooms and is being served by Cebu Pacific for one flight daily from Zamboanga City.

The province is also planning the expansion of the airport. The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), on the other hand, is coming up with a master plan for Tawi-tawi province.

MinDA chair Secretary Abdul Khayr Alonto said the proposal will be submitted to the national government for funding in the preparation of a master plan that will include the development of the area as an economic free zone in support to the tourism industry of the island.

Alonto said the Tawi-tawi infra plan is part of the comprehensive and detailed infrastructure development program that will link the different places of Mindanao through road networks, bridges and ports.

"We wanted to transform the area within the term of President Duterte," he said.

Alonto said there are already interested investors from the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

ARMM's major port now 'halal hub'

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY (PNA) -- To meet the growing demand for a "halal" port in the country, especially in Mindanao where the Muslims reside, Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has officially declared the Polloc Freeport and Ecozone in Maguindanao as "halal hub", the first truly halal ecozone in the country.

The freeport is located in Barangay Sarmiento, Parang, Maguindanao.

“The ARMM government is continually working to open the possibilities to the halal market in the region as well as in the country that serves as a gateway to the multi-trillion dollar halal industry,” Gov. Hataman said in a statement.

The declaration of a halal economic zone will attract local and foreign investors to export and import halal products and services, especially the the country's biggest Halal slaughterhouse is situated in Cotabato City, the ARMM temporary regional seat.

The declaration came as ARMM sent a delegation to the Burnei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippine-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) meeting in Indonesia for the re-opening of cross-border trade in BIMP-EAGA growth area.

According to Aleem Guiapal, ARMM’s economic zone authority (REZA) executive director, a declared halal ecozone becomes halal-industry ready and industry investments would be fully supported.

Guiapal stressed that REZA continues to forge stronger partnerships with potential investors.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning permissible based on Islamic Sharia law and the term can cover both goods – such as foods, drinks, medicines, clothing and cosmetics – and services as well as places.

“We see tremendous opportunities here in the region. So now, we want to differentiate our market on the other economic zones in the Philippines,” Guiapal told reporters.

“The declaration is considered a medium to attaining the vision of a sustainable ARMM economy,” Guiapal added.

“We, in Muslim Mindanao, should seize the opportunity as the halal market worldwide is continuously growing,” he added.

Ecozones are selected areas with highly developed, or which have the potential to be developed into, agri-industrial, industrial, tourist/recreational, commercial, banking, investment and financial centers.

Having halal ecozones in the ARMM means it would open opportunities to the region as well as the country for the growing global halal industry.

A worldwide study conducted two years ago by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with Dinar Standard noted the global halal market in 2018 would reach US 1.6 trillion dollars with an annual growth rate of 6.9 percent.

Among the potential markets for Mindanao-produced halal foods are Middle East countries, Singapore as well as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines under the East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

With these exciting opportunities, Guiapal said the region is still facing challenges. “We still need to continually capacitate our experts, the halal-certifying bodies and in terms of technical know-how and operations to run a halal hub,” he said.

In the region, outside of the Polloc Freeport, REZA’s list also included the facility of B.J. Coco Oil Mill, a firm operating in Zambonga Peninsula and in Sulu, as an ecozone. Coco Oil Mill’s port, however, is currently not operating.

Other planned ARMM ecozones are located in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Jolo, Sulu; Malabang; Lanao del Sur; Marawi City in Lanao del Sur; and in Basilan.

As early as 10 years ago, Polloc Port had been identified as priority area in hosting halal-related enterprises but this was not officially declared and did not receive adequate push from the government.

Ishak Mastura, then ARMM trade and industry secretary and now chairman of the Regional Board of Investments, said in August 2006, a halal chicken poultry project under the BIMP-EAGA cooperation will be hosted by the Polloc Freeport.

Recently, REZA conducted a round table ecozone consultation with the ARMM local government units.

ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Masuhud Alamia in her opening remarks cited the importance of ecozone development in the ARMM.

REZA is mandated to oversee the integration, coordination, planning and monitoring of special economic zones, industrial estate/parks, export processing zones and other economic zones in the ARMM.

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