Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News June 2014

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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 modifies office hours during Ramadhan

By Oliver Ross V. Rivera (ORVRivera-PIA12)

COTABATO CITY, June 30 (PIA) – The ARMM government has fixed new office hours for employees observing the holy month of Ramadhan.

ARMM employees will work in their offices from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to ease themselves from fatigue and stress during the month-long fasting season. The adjusted work schedule which will last until the Eid’l Fitr or the culmination of Ramadan is pursuant to Civil Service Commission No. 81-1277.

ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Alamia, by the authority of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, has released memorandum order no. 280, series of 2014 directing all offices and departments under its jurisdiction to abide by the allowable work time adjustments. This is to allow fasting employees to go home early in time for their buka, or first meal after a day-long fast.

However, employees who are not fasting are not entitle of the modified official time and shall observe the usual working hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the "five pillars" of the Islamic faith, which include the belief in Allah, the giving of zakat or alms to the poor, praying five times daily facing Mecca, and for those who can afford, joining the haj, or pilgrimage to Mecca even just once in a lifetime.

A year of change for 28 young Muslims from Mindanao

By Amalia Bandiola Cabusao (editor in chief of Mindanao Times, is one of the founding members of MindaNews Co-op).

MANILA (MindaNews/29 June) — After studying abroad for a year, the lives of 28 Muslim youths will never be the same again.

Bryan Khetmir, 17, a student from the Ireneo Lopez Santiago National High School in General Santos City who was hosted in Spokane, Washington, said the experience taught him that “no matter what color your skin is, your nationality, or even if you’re Muslim, Christian or Jew, these do not define your capability, decency and attitude as a human being.”

Bryan is among the youths from the cities of General Santos, Marawi, Iligan, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Iligan, Isabela in Basilan and Jolo, Sulu, selected for a year-long study program in the Unites States.

They are scholars under the Keneddy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Progam which was established by the US Congress in October 2002 in response to the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. It is funded through the US Department of State and sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs to provide scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the US.

US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg said this is the 10th year of the program and through the years, they have tracked how successful the scholars have become in the respective fields they have chosen. He said with the positive impact it has on the scholars, he is optimistic the program will continue for more years. YES SCHOLARS HOME. US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg with the YES Program scholars at the Thomas Jefferson Center, US Embassy Manila. Twenty-eight young Muslims from Mindanao spent a high school year in the United States. MindaNews photo by Amalia B. Cabusao

YES SCHOLARS HOME. US Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg with the YES Program scholars at the Thomas Jefferson Center, US Embassy Manila. Twenty-eight young Muslims from Mindanao spent a high school year in the United States. MindaNews photo by Amalia B. Cabusao

There are already 393 Filipino YES program alumni scholars since 2004.

“Getting these students out of their community when most of them haven’t even been to Manila or have never ridden an airplane, and seeing them now – I am impressed,” he said during the debriefing of the scholars at the Thomas Jefferson Center of the US Embassy in Manila last June 23.

He said there is “no pay back” for the scholars and they do not expect the students to embark on programs after their return home. The US is just giving them the opportunity to expand their experience at a young age, he said.

Achievers

Arriana Kani Jupakkal from Basilan National High School in Isabela City, wanted to know how Americans treat people coming from a different cultures and how the educational sytem in her city compares to US schools. She also desired to improve her English language skills.

She went to school at Southwestern High School in Flat Rock, Indiana and learned that student life in the US was not as tough as she imagined it to be. She said the students were friendly and supportive which allowed her to excel in various school and community activities.

She said it was a year of great experiences – her first snowfall in Michigan with her host family, seeing Niagara Falls in New York side, first rollercoaster ride in Gatlinberg, Tennessee, first Halloween and Thanksgiving. She also performed a Yakan Dance during the Indianapolis International Cultural Festival.

It was a busy year for Aiza Majid Dahman, a student of Notre Dame of Jolo, Sulu who stayed in Tonasket, Washington. At the end of the schoolyear, she received numerous awards: honor roll, Tiger Pride, Sportsmanship Award, Recognition of National Honor Students from the US Achievement Academy and more. She also rendered a totalof 103 hours of volunteer work and community service.

“Before I left for the United States, I personally hoped that I will do better academically. When I came back, I realized I achieved way beyond my expectations. I became a better person and I have a better understanding of the US. I gained better leadership skills and have more respect for diversity and tolerance for others with different views and beliefs,” Aiza said.

Good social skills and open-mindedness smoothened the transition to a different culture for her. She said that she is open to learn their culture and was able to share her culture, as well.

Jherfar Sali Ajirim studied at the Ontario High School in Oregon where he honed his interpersonal skills.

“I was outgoing, I would say hi to everyone, played sports, joined clubs in school. And I volunteered,” he said when asked how he was able to adapt to life in America.

Coming home

The changes of the scholars after a year spent in America are visible in the way they speak English like a native, their confidence in articulating their opinion and the way they carry themselves.

Bryan knows that there will be some adjustments when he returns to General Santos City.

“I know they will think that I am arrogant because of the way I speak but I am prepared for this and really look forward to sharing my experience in the US,” he said.

He said it was a unique cultural experience and was an opportunity to acquire new skills and forge friendship in another country. While in Spokane, he was able to appreciate his own culture, became more tolerant to differences and appreciate diversity.

YES Program

The YES Program is implemented by the AFS Intercultural Programs Philippines. The students live with host families, attend high school and engage in activities to learm about American society and values, acquire leadership skills and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.

It is administered in partnership with the US Department of State by a consortium of non profit organizations led by American Councils for International Education and various placement and recruitment organizations.

P2-B infra projects for Sulu set

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - Local officials in Sulu were delighted learning there is a P2 billion infrastructure allocation for the province from the 2015 budget of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), in what is for them a meaningful Ramadhan gift for local ethnic Tausog and Samah constituents.

The Islamic Ramadhan fasting season starts on Sunday and will last for one lunar cycle, about 29 to 30 days. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during the Ramadhan as a form of atonement, while doing reparations for wrongdoings.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman on Wednesday personally assured local executives in Sulu, led by Gov. Sakur Tan, Jr., that they will have some P2 billion worth of infrastructure projects next year, in a message during the inauguration of newly-completed road projects in the province.

The ARMM governor made the announcement after presiding over a regional cabinet meeting in Sulu’s Maimbung town. Among the projects Tan and Hataman jointly inaugurated on Wednesday was a newly-concreted road straddling through Muslim enclaves in Maimbung, a strategic trading hub near Jolo, capital town of Sulu.

Tan said the provincial government is grateful to the Hataman administration and to Malacañang for continuously implementing various infrastructure projects in Sulu, which complement the efforts of local leaders in addressing domestic socioeconomic issues.

Hataman told reporters he is thankful to Tan and his patriarch, Sulu Vice Gov. Sakur Tan, Sr., for their hands-on involvement in ensuring the prompt accomplishment of the ARMM’s infrastructure goals in the island province, and for helping secure the people implementing the projects.

Hataman and Tan also led the groundbreaking rite for a new P50 million-worth Maimbung seaport project, in the presence of members of the regional cabinet, among them ARMM's public works secretary, Hadji Emil Sadain, and Regional Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia.

"We are aiming to construct small seaports for every island municipality (in Sulu). We shall also focus on the completion of the circumferential road in the larger mainland of the province. These are just some of the projects we have lined up for Sulu. We are targeting more projects in the area under the 2015 ARMM budget." Hataman had told local officials.

Sadain and his deputy, Engineer Doon Loong, had earlier inaugurated two seaport projects in Sulu, the new P15 million-worth Tuyang seaport in Talipao, and the fully rehabilitated seaport in Panglima Tahil, which was rebuilt from a P10 million allocation.

The seaport projects were part of a macro socio-economic intervention, being carried out with the help of Sulu's provincial governor, meant to address poverty and underdevelopment resulting from security problems and the adverse effects of religious extremism spreading in some parts of the island province.

Sulu is a stronghold of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and where the dreaded Abu Sayyaf, which is fighting for a puritan Islamic state and notorious for beheading of captives, has been harboring kidnap victims snatched from outside of the province, such as the island states in Malaysia and coastal towns the Zamboanga Peninsula.

The MNLF signed a final deal with government on September 2, 1996, but one of its three factions, the one led by the fiery Nur Misuari, who was born and raised in Sulu, had turned around and is now hostile due to misunderstandings on the implementation of certain sensitive provisions of the now 27-year accord, brokered by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc of 57 Muslim countries, including petroleum-exporting states in the Middle East and North Africa.

The two newly constructed seaports were earlier opened to public use following symbolic inaugural rites attended by local officials and engineers from the ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Sadain said the seaport projects were carried out with utmost transparency, in keeping with a directive from Hataman to keep all programs of work and budgetary details open to scrutiny by media and the local civil society organizations.

The DPWH-ARMM also has two on-going water system projects in the province, the multi-million Tumantangis, and Sagay-Sagay water supply facilities in the periphery of Jolo, the capital town of Sulu, both designed to provide villagers with safe drinking water.

The Tumantangis wayer system, costing P40 million, will be comprised of two large, 1,000-cubic meter catchment facilities and supply ducts. The DPWH-ARMM has earmarked P30 million for the Sagay-Sagay water system from the region’s 2014 infrastructure subsidy from the national government.

Sadain said their projects in Sulu complements the Southern Mindanao peace process of President Benigno Aquino III, which aims to provide socio-economic empowerment to local Moro communities to hasten the restoration of normalcy in areas beset by nagging, decades-old peace and security issues.

Muslims look to sky to determine start of Ramadan

By Dennis Arcon (InterAksyon.com)

MANILA, Philippines -- Followers of Islam will be looking at the sky Friday night to determine the start of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

The month of dawn to sunset fasting is one of the five “pillars” of Islam and begins with the sighting of the “hilal,” or the crescent moon that follows a new moon in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

Should the moon be sighted by 8 p.m. Friday, Ramadan will begin on Saturday, explained Ustadz Jaafar Ali, spokesman of Cotabato City’s Darul Iftah, or organization of Islamic leaders.

Otherwise, Ramadan will begin on Sunday, he added.

In Cotabato City, members of the Darul Iftah will locate themselves at Polloc Port, the city’s Grand Mosque, PC Hill and Barangay Ladia for the moon sighting.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has also lined up several events during Ramadan, among these a trade fair featuring the products of the region’s provinces.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division has gone on alert for possible violence that may disrupt the observance although the leadership of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters has sent out Ramadan greetings to Muslims.

The BIFF broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front after it rejected the autonomy the main rebel organization had adopted during peace talks with the government.

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed in March between the government and the MILF calls for the creation of a new autonomous region to replace the ARMM.

However, the BIFF has refused to give up its aim of an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

Price spikes won’t spare garlic Tawi-Tawi gets from Sabah

By Julie Alipala, with a report from Allan Nawal, (Inquirer Mindanao, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi—When the price of garlic hit nearly P170 per kilogram here, traders were worried and consumers were furious.

Even when prices hovered between P110-P130 per kilogram, the complaints did not stop.

“It’s now expensive here,” said Mudz Idjiran, who has been selling garlic for 20 years now.

Consumers in the province are used to cheap spices, garlic included, but the lack of supply is driving prices up in recent days.

Idjiran said that last month, he could still buy an 18-kg sack of garlic from neighboring Sabah for just over P2,000. The price shot up to about P3,000 per sack.

He said he suspected that the increase in prices was due to a spike in the demand for garlic from Sabah as a result of a decline in supply in many parts of the Philippines.

“Garlic is so expensive in other areas,” Idjiran said, citing the nearly P300 per kilogram price of garlic in Metro Manila.

The same is true in Zamboanga City where a kilogram of garlic costs from P280 to P300.

Idjiran, however, said he was unaware if traders here were taking advantage of the situation by shipping their garlic to areas where costs were high.

Gov. Nurbert Sahali said doing business with Sabah was the main reason prices of garlic here were way lower than in other areas.

The province gets not only garlic from Sabah but also sugar, and even fuel. Sabah is about two hours by boat from here.

“Goods are much cheaper if we get it from Sabah than from Zamboanga,” Bongao Mayor Jasper Que said.

Que said the reasons prices rarely move up here were the absence of a trade cartel and that businessmen were not restive.

“For as long as our local businessmen are not in panic mode, prices will remain affordable,” he said.

The militant group Anakbayan said the lack of government support for local garlic farmers was to blame for the high prices.

This lack of support has resulted in the shrinking of garlic-producing lands from 7,000 hectares in 1994 to just 2,500 ha today, said Vencer Crisostomo, Anakbayan chair, in an e-mailed statement.

Crisostomo said the garlic industry in the Philippines was on the verge of collapse because of the government’s importation policy.

“It is clear that this government does not care for farmers,” he said.

DepEd-ARMM works on flooded schools in Maguindanao

(PNA), JBP/NYP

COTABATO CITY, June 25 (PNA) -- The Department of Education-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) would immediately begin rehabilitation works on flooded schools in the province of Maguindanao, its top official said following a site visit to areas still immersed in water.

On Tuesday, ARMM Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan personally headed regional school officials on inspecting some 10 flood-affected schools in the towns of Kabuntalan and Northern Kabuntalan.

“A plan is underway to address the problems of the schools in Maguindanao. We will submit it also to the DepEd central office,” he said.

Kulayan said one of the viable solutions they are considering is elevating the school buildings in low-lying towns of the province.

Classes in some schools are still ongoing despite the flood brought by inclement weather the past two weeks.

Overall, the DepEd-ARMM has identified 35 schools in 13 flooded towns in the province as severely affected.

ARMM records 'inclusive growth" with P2.5-B investments in 1st half of 2014

By Edwin O. Fernandez [(PNA), CTB/NYP/EOF]

COTABATO CITY, June 24 (PNA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the poorest region in the country, delivered record private sector investments in the first semester of this year, the ARMM Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) reported Tuesday.

Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI chair, said RBOI registered seven firms during the first semester of 2014 with total investment valued at P2.52 billion.

”This or 72 percent higher as compared to the whole of last year worth only P1.463 billion of investments,” Mastura told the Philippine News Agency.

Mastura said the back to back investments of more than one-billion pesos for the past two years are unprecedented in the ARMM, known as a hotbed of the Moro insurgency in Mindanao.

The RBOI chair attributed the increase in investments to the signing this year by the government of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which paved the way for the surge in investments in the ARMM.

ARMM is envisioned as the core territory of the proposed Bangsamoro political entity.

The administration under President Aquino, through the Department of Budget and Management, has laid down its Budget Priorities Framework for 2014-2016, effectively setting the government’s course in establishing rapid, long-term, and inclusive development before the conclusion of the president’s term.

”One of the pillars of this program is “inclusive growth” so that the regions that are behind can catch-up in terms of economic development vis-à-vis the richer regions,” Mastura said.

“The record-high private sector investment in the ARMM, the country’s poorest region, is clearly a positive step forward in addressing the perceived lack of inclusive growth in the Philippine economic takeoff,” the visibly elated ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said after receiving the report from Mastura.

Top investors in the ARMM are into biomass energy projects, Mastura said.

Lead energy investor is the Lamsan Power Corporation (LPC) based in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. The pioneer biomass renewable energy project is worth P921 million.

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

Lamsan Power will be selling 11.5 MW to the National Power Corporation and the Mindanao Grid.

Mastura said the second highest biomass renewable energy project is by the Green Earth Enersource Corporation, a subsidiary company of Agumil Philippines Inc., at the Agumil Compound, Buluan, Maguindanao.

The Biomass Power Plant has an investment value of P366 million with a capacity of 4.5 MW. The power plant will support the energy needs of Agumil’s milling and crushing plants in Buluan, Maguindanao, while the excess power will be sold to the national transmission grid.

The third, Mastura revealed, is the Philippine Trade Center, Incorporated which has put-up their own power plant to fuel their existing Cornstarch Milling Plant in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

The Renewable Energy Project with a capacity of three megawatt has an investment value of P486 million.

At present, out of the 3 megawatt produced by the power plant, the milling plant consumed only 1.3 MW and so the excess of 1.7 will be sold to Cotabato Light and Power Company.

Another energy related project is the importation and distribution of petroleum products by Power-Up Ventures Inc.. The company is proposing to construct five oil depots in Barangay Polloc, Parang, Maguindanao with an investment capital of P50 million for the project.

The depots to be constructed have a total capacity of five million liters or one million liters per depot.

Mastura said the company’s registration is provisionally approved by RBOI since it still has to comply with some requirements.

As such, they will only be given incentives after complying with the required documents and at the start of their commercial operations.

Other investments registered by RBOI this semester are oil palm, mining and trading.

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

Agumil Philippines Inc., is set to put-up an Oil Palm Kernel Crushing Plant in Buluan, Maguindanao with a project cost of P170 million.

The Crushing Plant will process accumulated quality palm kernels from its milling plant into Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) for export and Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) for animal feeds.

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

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

Mastura said the seven firms registered with RBOI recorded a total of 1,784 jobs created in the first half of this year.

“The biggest business opportunity of our time is connectivity and those companies that understand connectivity and engage in building connectivity whether in traditional networks, technology networks or infrastructure will be the winners. Those who build connectivity in ARMM in energy, transport, infrastructure, telecommunications, value chains and commodity flows will finally capture the missing piece of the Philippine market,” Mastura said.

Optimistic as he was, Mastura sees investment in the region to double by the end of 2014.

ARMM schools get free digital library

(PNA), LAM/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, June 23 (PNA) -- Thousands of students in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will no longer have a hard time doing research work as the regional government provides "Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station," also known as STARBOOKS, to various schools in the region.

Dubbed as the “library in a box,” STARBOOKS, the latest project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), is a stand-alone research kiosk and a system designed especially for students who do in-depth research on science and technology resources.

Myra Alih, DOST-ARMM secretary, said that in the country, “only the ARMM government provides the STARBOOKS kiosks to the different schools for free.”

“What makes the STARBOOKS unique and more useful is that people can access data needed even without Internet connection,” she said.

Together with ARMM’s Department of Education, DOST-ARMM turned over Friday a complete package of the science digital library to the ARMM Regional Science High School (RSHS) in Parang, Maguindanao.

The two agencies had earlier provided a similar package to the Racma Maniri Pimping National High School in Marawi City, making it the first recipient school of the project in the region.

“We are very glad that our school is one of the recipients of this science digital library, now we know we can compete with confidence with other schools in the country,” Mike Castillon, a Grade-9 student at the ARMM-RSHS, said.

Myrna Lidasan, school principal, lauded the ARMM efforts, describing it as unprecedented.

“Now we really feel the presence of the ARMM government. We know this will bring more opportunities to our students and help them learn easier and faster.”

"With this library, our students will be at par with other schools in terms of educational aides," she said.

Lawyer Jamar Kulayan, ARMM education secretary, broke another good news during the turn over ceremony.

He said together with the Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM), they plan to turn over a laboratory for physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics to the school within the month.

The ARMM RSHS is regarded as the center for excellence in science and in mathematics in the region and is the only school in ARMM that provides a subject on robotics.

Young Moro Professionals Shine in ARMM International Biz Conference

By Robyn Allas

Bongao - United Kingdom (UK) scholars and lawyers Ishak Mastura and Loren Lao presented at the valuable business event held at Sandbar Lepa Resort last June 17-18 that boosted confidence for the region.

Another YMP and National Youth Parliament (NYP) alumnus ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman delivered the keynote address." The business and investment climate in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has never been more upbeat than it is today. For the past two years, we continue to experience remarkable increase in the amount of investments that have come into the region. The ARMM is beginning to stand out as one of the country’s most viable investment destinations. We give credit to the favorable turnout of the peace process for boosting investors’ confidence in the region."

Business chamber leaders of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia Phil (BIMP) East Asean Growth Area came to network and business match with some of the local businesses. Memoranda of Understanding were signed between Tawi Tawi groups such as its Chamber and the MSU Campus and the BIMP EAGA Council .

Regional Economic Zone Authority (REZA) Chairperson Lao a former MSU professor presented on Polloc Port while Regional Board of Investments Chairperson Mastura presented on Opportunities and Challenges of Trade in ARMM.

Mastura cited advantages of the incoming Bangsamoro to include more powers on power distribution and transmission. He also cited Malaysia as beneficial to Tawi Tawi because of the proximity of the island to its possible trading neighbours such as Tawau, Sabah .

YMP proposed in the Open Forum acknowledging the youth to be a vital sector to strengthen linkaging, information, communication, technology, and strengthen private and public partnership.

"We relate with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei - geographically and historically. We are at the heart of BIMP-EAGA to speak of the possibility for economic growth," said Tawi Tawi Representative Ruby Sahali.

Tawi Tawi is a fit site of the conference being the 1st entry of Islam in the Philippine 6 centuries ago in Simunul island. Renowned architect Felino Palafox referred to the island as one with the longest coastlines . Tourism Assistant Secretary Art Boncato extolled the positivity in the island in that 300 rooms in 16 hotels are available despite the negative perceptions against the region.

Palafox called Philippines, 1st in marine bio-diversity, 1st in voice call centers, 1st in sailors and seafarers, 2nd in BPOs, 5th in all other mineral resources in the world.

Challenges to trade presented include electricity, water , peace and order, and stability of investments.

Still, Tawi Tawi Governor Norbert Sahali proposed Bongao to be declared an economic zone.

Local success stories of coffeesug by Princess Kumala, and marine culture in the islands were presented. Hot Moro spice from Simunul island, dolls and mats were sold.

ARMM may have 100 hectares for oil palm plantations, said Phil. Palm Development Council's Dr Pablito Pamplona .

Private sector is key, reminded business chambers. The conference also noted the importance of water, energy, information, communication technology, linkaging and confidence-building.

On the side, RCBW Chairperson founding YMPN Chair Jehanne Mutin convened women fora and visited a jail in Bongao. Regional Ports Authority Manager Hanie Bud serviced halaws who arrived on the said days of the conference.

As the rains lashed Monday morning, we attended the flag ceremony and Convocation of MSU Tawi Tawi attended by 500 freshmen and 2000 students , deans and faculty at Henry Kong.

Tawi-Tawi, Malaysian traders forge ties

(MindaNews)

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi (Mindanews/21 June)—Filipino and Malaysian businessmen have forged joint ventures in tourism and employment during the two-day 1st Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) International Business Conference last June 17-18 here.

The Tawi-Tawi Divers Club and the AS SAAH Picasso International Sdn, Bhd agreed to promote friendly relationships and to strengthen common cultural heritage, while the Mahardika Institute of Technology, Inc. (MITI) and Agensi Pekerjaan Pimpinan Murni Sdn Bhd agreed on the deployment of Filipino workers to Malaysia.

The Tawi-Tawi Divers Club is engaged in the protection and conservation of marine resources and dive sites in the province through diving programs while the AS SAAH Picasso International is engaged in the tourism business in Kuala Lumpur.

Under their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the divers’ club will provide travel assistance to tourists from Malaysia especially in dive tour activities in Tawi-Tawi while the Kuala Lumpur-based tourism firm will facilitate the documentation of visiting tourists.

The signatories to the MoU were Tawi-Tawi Divers Club president Engr. Rosendo Reyes and AS SAAH Picasso International managing director Hamali Rahmat.

Under the MoU of MITI and Agensi Pekerjaan, the former will train and screen applicants and assist in the documentation of their travel documents while the latter will facilitate the documentary requirements of Filipino applicants to work in Malaysia and their deployment to employers.

The MOU signatories were MITI Engr. Sambas Hassan and Agensi Pekerjaan executive chairman Dato Naufal Jumadil.

The MOU signings were witnessed by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Tawi-Tawi provincial director Nazrullah Masahud, Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president for external affairs Prof. Romeo Taup and Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area Business Council-Malaysia chairman Datuk Roselan Joahr Mohammad.

DTI-ARMM Secretary Sakiran Hajan said the objective of the business conference, which is to showcase the business potential of the ARMM, “was realized within the two-day conference.”

“The business matching yielded positive results,” Hajan said.

The two-day business conference was themed “Strengthening Public-Private Partnership towards economic stability in ARMM.”

It was attended by at least 500 local and foreign business as well as tourism stakeholders.


OIC wants peace pacts with MILF, MNLF linked

By KIMBERLY JANE TAN (RSJ, GMA News)

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for the linkage of the peace pacts with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), saying the Philippine government "overlooked" the previous agreements.

"The support of the rapprochement of both fronts and legal follow up of the implementation of the new agreement and the compliance of the Philippine government to its text and soul is unavoidable if we want Bangsamoro Muslim people in the Philippines to obtain their most basic rights," OIC secretary-general Iyad Ameen Madani said at the 41st Session of The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers Session of Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation held in Saudi Arabia last June 18.

He said that there is a need to do this because "all factions" of the MNLF opposed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the declared texts of the new pact "do not mention or build explicitly" on the Tripoli and Jakarta Agreements of 1976 and 1997 with the MNLF.

"Being the two conventions which establish the position of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation towards that conflict - the General Secretariat has spared no effort to bring the two fronts together," he said.

"They actually met a few days ago and reached a memorandum of understanding which we hope will be the basis for bridging the gap between them and establishing a united national front that follows up the implementation of the new agreement and links it to the previous agreements overlooked by the Philippine government," he added.

But in a text message to GMA News Online, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Sec. Teresita Quintos Deles said the CAB "builds on the gains" of previous peace agreements, particularly the 1996 peace accord.

"This is clearly reflected in the final section of the Annex on Power-Sharing to the CAB," Deles said.

Still, Deles said the government recognizes the continuing efforts and support of the OIC in bringing lasting peace to Mindanao.

"The Philippine government is in the same fold with the OIC in working for a single framework focusing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law towards a genuine autonomy, lasting peace, and sustainable development in and for the Bangsamoro," she said.

The CAB, signed last March, will serve as the basis for the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will formalize the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

President Benigno Aquino III has called ARMM—established in 1989 through Republic Act 6734—a "failed experiment" because it supposedly "alienated" people and forced them to resort to violence. He said his administration wants to change what happened in the past with the new pact.

In 2001, RA 9054 was passed to amend RA 6734 and expand ARMM's territory as part of the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF, which in turn traces its roots to the 1976 Tripoli Agreement between the government and the Nur Misuari-led MNLF.

A faction of the MNLF loyal to Misuari, who founded the group, had opposed the peace deal between the government and the MILF, saying it effectively abrogated the 1996 agreement.

The MILF is a splinter group of the MNLF.

But new MNLF chairman Datu HJ. Abul Khayr Alonto had said that he supports the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity.

“We are supporting the creation Bangsamoro political entity,” Alonto said at a news forum in Manila in March. “We are supporting this initiative by having the approval of the Basic Law. It will be the people who will decide at the end of the day through a plebiscite.”

World Bank wraps up projects in ARMM

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - The socio-economic projects of the World Bank in far-flung Moro communities come to an end as the time frame set by government and the multilateral financial institution reached its culmination.

Employees of World Bank’s conduit for its projects in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the ARMM Social Fund Project (ASFP), are now packing up, preparing for their return to the different regional government agencies where they belong, after helping oversee, as an inter-agency composite group, dozens of projects in remote underdeveloped areas for nearly two decades.

The ASFP’s office in Cotabato will totally shut down by September this year, according to insiders.

The World Bank–ASFP tie up officially ended on May 31, 2014. The partnership began with a soft loan of$36 million more than ten years ago and, subsequently, extended in late 2010 with another $30 million package.

The development packages were spent for various projects such as farm-to-market roads, footbridges, small river and sea boat docks, solar dryers and warehouses, health centers, multi-purpose halls, and other small infrastructure in the five ARMM provinces- Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both in mainland Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said residents of the autonomous region are very grateful of the help the World Bank had extended to them.

"The projects revolutionized the lives of people in recipient-areas, implemented as communal initiatives, where folks have had direct participation as construction workers," he added.

Even Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, whose administration also has on-going local interventions intended to address poverty in far-flung areas in the 36 towns under his jurisdiction, lauded the World Bank, too.

Among the projects the World Bank had implemented in Maguindanao were school buildings and solar dryers in the towns of North Upi, Parang and Datu Paglas.

The ASFP had also facilitated the construction of a solar dryer, a warehouse, and a health center in a predominantly Moro barangay in Pagalungan town in the second district of Maguindanao.

The same projects were also implemented in the ARMM provinces of Lanao del Sur, and in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Besides having built footbridges in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the World Bank also helped put up small sea and river boat docks in the two island provinces, now benefiting seafarers and marine merchants that ferry their merchandise from one island town to another using small traditional "Kumpit" boats powered by automobile engines.

Among the latest World Bank projects implemented in Sulu is the P1.9 million multi-trade center in Barangay Pasil in the municipality of Indanan.

The trade center, which ASFP engineers describe as more of a multi-purpose structure, is free for use by local folks for development and peace-oriented community gatherings.

“These projects were religiously implemented, free from any political color, because it was the people in the communities that constructed them, in the spirit of the Filipino 'bayanihan’ tradition,” according to Lamitan City Vice-Mayor Roderick Furigay.

Furigay said the ASFP has implemented more than a dozen projects in Lamitan City, the provincial capital of Basilan, with the help of World Bank.

Technical staffers of World Bank had rated “satisfactory” for eight consecutive times, in recent years, the ASFP’s implementation of the projects it bankrolled through a soft loan scheme. The now defunct ASFP operated under Hataman's ministerial supervision.

DTI-ARMM exec calls on businessmen to invest in ARMM; showcases region's business potentials

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

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, June 18 (PNA) – Department of Trade and Industry-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DTI-ARMM) secretary Sakiran Hajan called on businessmen participating in the two-day business conference to invest in the autonomous region.

Hajan made the call as the two-day 1st ARMM International Business Conference reeled off here Tuesday with more than 500 local and national businessmen as well as tourism stakeholders in attendance.

Also participating in the business conference, which is set to end this Wednesday, June 18, are the delegations from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippine-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Business Council-Malaysia, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce.

Hajan earlier presented to the participants the vast business opportunities in the ARMM, ranging from agriculture, aquaculture and tourism.

In a bid to entice investors, Hajan said that ARMM particularly Wao, Lanao del Sur is home to the Wao Development Corporation under the Unfruti that produces the sweetest pineapple in the country.

He said that Lanao del Sur is also groomed to be the Abaca center for ARMM “because of its abundance in that magnificent province.”

“You might be surprised that raw materials used in some popular food supplements and candies are from Sulu,” he said, citing the Durian and Mangosteen from Sulu that “taste uniquely delicious” although these are also available in other parts of the country.

Hajan also said the Padang-Padang Adventure Park in the town of Parang, Maguindanao “is where you can find the only zip-line in ARMM where zip-lining is so exciting over viewing the Polloc Port.”

He said the first rubber trees were planted in Basilan by James Strong in 1908, which “in later years became a commercial plantation.”

“Several known companies like Menzi, Inc., Sime Darby and BF Goodrich, among others followed,” he added.

Hajan said that great-tasting marine products are abundant in BaSulTa (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) areas and are brought and sold to some parts of the country and even exported outside the Philippines.

“You might be surprised that sea-foods served in your favorite restaurants in big cities actually are fresh catch from our region, particularly BaSulTa,” he said.

“What I have just presented to our dear guests and participants is only the tip of the ice berg. There are a lot of business opportunities in ARMM,” Hajan declared.

“Come to ARMM! Welcome to ARMM! Invest in ARMM!” he stressed.

First ARMM International Business Conference reels off in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

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

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, June 17 (PNA) – The provincial government welcomed with great enthusiasm the holding of the 1st Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) International Business Conference in this municipality.

This as more than 500 businessmen and tourism stakeholders from different parts of ARMM and other parts of the country gathered here as the 1st ARMM International Business Conference reeled off Tuesday.

The other participants include officials and representatives from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Malaysian Consul Mohammad Khalil Ibrahim.

The business conference, which will end Wednesday, is anchored on the theme: “Strengthening Public-Private Partnership Towards Economic Stability in ARMM.”

“Our province is more than willing to host this big event, the first of its kind in the autonomous region. It is not just to show that you are all welcome, but in welcoming you, we are ready for this grand affair,” Rep. Ruby Sahali said.

Sahali said the Tawi-Tawians view this activity as a much awaited opportunity to showcase and further promote the potentials of this province to become the prime tourist destination of ARMM, where incomparable white-sand beaches can be found.

She said the Tawi-Tawians also desire to promote their aquamarine resources particularly the seaweed, which are abundant in this province.

Earlier, Department of Trade and Industry-ARMM (DTI-ARMM) Sec. Sakiran Hajan said the business conference is aimed to serve as an avenue to show the participants what are the business as well as tourism potentials of Tawi-Tawi and the entire autonomous region.

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

Hajan said it will also serve as guide for stakeholders where and on what business they could invest.

The two-day business conference was preceded by a trade fair and exhibits that opened Monday featuring the products of this province.

The business conference is being held at the Sandbar Lepa Convention Center in Pasiagan, here.

Peace deal sends ARMM investments to all-time high

(Rappler.com)

Following the signing of a final peace pact between the national government and Muslim rebels, more investors are pouring capital into the ARMM

MANILA, Philippines – Invesments in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) reached record-high of more than P2 billion in the first 6 months of the year.

The Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) of the ARMM registered P2.532 billion worth of projects from 7 firms in the January to June period, 72% higher than the P1.463 billion investments registered in full-year 2013.

The ARMM government attributed the jump in investments to the breakthroughs in the peace process and ongoing reform efforts.

“ARMM is a potential investment hub. And we are continuously looking at policies that could further make the region investor-friendly,” said ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman. (READ: Bizmen on Mindanao's dev't: We must do our part)

​The top investors in the region are into biomass energy projects.

Based in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Lamsan Power registered a pioneer biomass renewable energy project worth P921 million. The power plant will utilize rice hull, cornhusks, cobs and other agricultural wastage from its own cornstarch plant with a capacity of 15 megawatts (MW). Power from the plant will augment the reserves of the National Power Corporation and the Mindanao grid.

Green Earth Enersource Corporation, a subsidiary of Agumil Philippines Inc., will also build a biomass renewable energy project worth P366 million in Buluan, Maguindanao. With capacity of 4.5 MW, the plant will support the energy needs of Agumil’s milling and crushing plants in Buluan, while the excess power will be sold to the grid.

Another huge investment came from the Philippine Trade Center (PTC) for the construction of a P486-million power plant that will be fueled by rice hull. The plant, which is now 70% complete, will have a capacity of 3 MW.

Other investments included:

• P520 million from SR Languyan Mining Corporation for a nickel ore mining project in Languyan, Tawi-Tawi. The project will have a capacity of one million metric tons a year.
• P170 million from Agumil Philippines for an oil palm kernel crushing plant in Buluan.
• P50 million from Power-Up Ventures Inc. for the construction of oil depots in Polloc Parang, Maguindanao. The company is engaged in the importation and distribution of petroleum products.
• P10 million from ABSCOR Multi-Trading Company for an import and export trading business in Maluso, Basilan.

The 7 firms employed a total of 1,784 workers in the first half.

Kids born in war find way to school

By Nash B. Maulana (Inquirer Mindanao)

UPI, Maguindanao—Marlyn Enggay was two months pregnant when her family fled the final wave of the all-out war between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Barira, Matanog and parts of Buldon towns in Maguindanao province in May 2000.

Months later, she gave birth to her youngest, Poypoy, while seeking refuge from place to place with husband Dominador and four small children in tow.

Shooting wars, poverty and the long period of wait in postconflict clearing and rehabilitation for a safe return had taken much of the children’s time off school.

Reporters, who covered the biggest war the government has ever waged against the MILF, had visited a household of Good Samaritans in Parang, Maguindanao, while hosting simple ceremonies for the baptism of infants born in evacuation camps from 2000 to 2001. Poypoy was one of them.

Poypoy, now 13, found his way to a Grade 2 class in the uphill village of Kabakaba, where rocky, slippery roads are often impassable to vehicles. He was teary-eyed in this interview, recalling, as his parents told him, his family’s difficulties and of him missing much of his life in school.

The family of Marlyn, an Iranun Muslim, and Dominador, a Teduray native of Upi, was staying with Marlyn’s mother in Barangay Malagapas in Barira when the war broke out in 2000. The first casualty was the community school attended by the couple’s eldest child, who has since been out of school. None of the children in the village have returned to school.

Some, like Poypoy, have enrolled in elementary school, more than a decade after the war.

Their community’s old madrasah (Arabic for elementary school) in Barangay Malagapas has since closed down. Local educators blamed the closure on the lack of teachers.

The family’s ordeal of evacuation took all of 13 years. Two children have turned to working on farms and two others are working as household helpers in Parang and Cotabato City.

Poypoy said it was his sister, Merlyn, learning from her own lesson as a barely schooled household help, who decided to send him to relatives in Upi to be enrolled, though late, at Kabakaba Elementary School.

Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan, of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said children of war suffering the same fate as Poypoy’s and his siblings’ could still be in appropriate school levels, through the Alternative Learning System (ALS) or by taking practical tests in the government’s acceleration program.

From what she earns as a house help, Merlyn spends for Poypoy’s expenses while Poypoy is with relatives. But most of the time, he has to walk 2 kilometers daily to and from school to save money, or on days when he doesn’t have anything to spend even for snacks, his teacher Jenelyn Betta said.

Betta said Poypoy was faring well in class and seemed to be “bright and happy.”

The teacher said the Kabakaba community helped construct the school building in partnership with World Bank, through the ARMM Social Fund Project. The new school building helped ease congestion in currently existing dilapidated classrooms that have barely enough armchairs for students.

A space in the building, she said, houses a computer room with seven units of desktop computers and other devices sent by Kulayan and ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Betta is handling 51 students in the classroom with sufficient number of armchairs, enough to accommodate her pupils on a one-to-one ratio.

But on the average, each student would have to walk 2.7 kilometers to and from school.

Kabakaba Barangay Councilor Rodrigo Andres said students were now better off than those during his time, when students had to walk on muddy roads where the main mode of transportation was horses.

Hataman said Poypoy’s story formed part of the Bangsamoro history, with armed conflict being the primary cause of the region’s low literacy rate, particularly among females.

This, Hataman said, could be solved only through peace. He called on lawmakers and others to help Muslim Mindanao achieve this by throwing their support for the peace agreement recently signed by the government and MILF.

BRAC opens floating schools in ARMM island provinces

By Hader Glang

In pursuit of providing greater access to education for the disadvantaged communities of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) especially the Badjao and Sama children, BRAC announces the opening of its floating schools in the island provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

In its press release, BRAC said the initiative is in partnership with the Department of Education in ARMM and Australian Government. The launching of BRAC Floating Learning Centers will be held on Sunday, 15 June 2014, in the coastal villages of Tampakan and Tongtong in Siasi town, Sulu.

“A total of seven BRAC Floating Learning Centers will formally open on 16 June along with all BRAC Learning Centers (BLCs) that were opened throughout ARMM since June 2,” BRAC said

It also disclosed that there are three floating schools for Tawi-Tawi (Bongao and Panglima Sugala), three for Sulu (Siasi) and one for Basilan (Lamitan City). The classes of the schools under construction are holding sessions in suitable places for the time being.

According to Country Representative M. Nazrul Islam, the initiative originated from ‘boat school’ of BRAC Bangladesh. However, the floating schools are fixed in one place only unlike the Bangladesh boat schools.

He said floating learning centers are docked in coastlines, particularly in the island communities that are unable to contribute a land or space for BLCs. It also targets the communities living in the shorelines, areas that are far from public schools.

This innovation is one of the highlights of the present school year as BRAC steps forward on its third year implementation of Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) Project within ARMM. The initiative on establishing floating schools is the first in the Philippines.

“Badjaos and Samas are aloof with other larger tribes. They feel reluctant in mingling with others. That’s why most of them prefer not to be in school. The BRAC Floating Learning Center is the best learning facility, we thought, that would fit their culture, that would build their trust and confidence, and would make them feel the sense of ownership, which is most important consideration to the sustainability of the project,” Islam added.

An estimated 40,000 out-of-school children benefit the BRAC-ADM Project for this school year with 1,220 BLCs in five provinces of ARMM. There are 312 BLCs operating in Maguindanao as of today, 610 in Lanao del Sur, 118 in Tawi-Tawi, 102 in Sulu and 78 in Basilan.

BRAC is an international development organization that started in a remote village of Bangladesh and has developed as the largest development organization in the world today. It has operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Haiti and Philippines in January 2012.

ARMM teachers laud restoration of GSIS benefits

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - For teachers Rosita and Linda, the June 11 restoration of transactions --- cut for almost two decades --- between 15,715 mentors in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Government Service Insurance System was a good way to celebrate the 116th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence.

The GSIS, the office of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, and the Department of Budget and Management forged in Manila, on the eve of the Independence Day, a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to settle P1-billion worth of unpaid premiums deducted from teachers’ salaries that were allegedly pocketed by past regional officials.

The DBM, under the MOA, will pay the GSIS to facilitate the resumption of the benefits of the affected ARMM teachers, most of them assigned in far-flung towns in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“This initiative of the ARMM administration, the DBM and the GSIS gave us independence from the bondage of being somewhat like `owned’ by loan sharks and usurers because of heavy indebtedness,” said Najirul, also a public school teacher.

Jamar Kulayan, regional secretary of the ARMM’s Department of Education, said they are grateful to Malacañang for supporting the “tripartite effort” to address the plight of thousands of teachers in the autonomous region, whose lives were made difficult by the non-remittance to the GSIS of their monthly insurance premiums that were deducted from their salaries during the time of past administrations.

"Our teachers in the region have finally been freed from uncertainty on their entitlement to their benefits from the GSIS. The problem was so serious that even some retired DeEd-ARMM employees were just as badly affected,” Kulayan told The Star.

Earlier reports detailed how several teachers in the ARMM faked death to claim benefits to pay usurers and avoid prosecution for failing to pay high-interest loans.

Hundreds of rank-and-file employees of the DepEd-ARMM joined Thursday’s commemoration of the 116th Philippine Independence Day at the 32-hectare regional government compound in Cotabato City, as a joint celebration of the country’s birth as a nation, and as thanksgiving for the crafting of the MOA.

“We ought to thank Allah, first and foremost, for giving the officials of ARMM, the DBM and the GSIS the wisdom needed in settling the problem that has, for so long, affected our working morale and efficiency, and made our lives so difficult,” commented Edna, who teaches in a public high school.

Thursday’s celebration of the Independence Day at the ARMM compound was capped off by Hataman and Kulayan’s release of stipends to dozens of new “Iskolar ng Bayan” beneficiaries from Maguindanao and other parts of the autonomous region.

“This scholarship package is a big help to me and my family. My father earns only a measly weekly income of about P1,000 by fixing cars and trucks in a small repair shop,” said Angeline, who is pursuing a master’s degree at the Basilan State College.

ARMM marks Independence Day with release of scholarship stipends, tree planting

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

COTABATO CITY, June 12 (PNA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) marked the 116th Philippine Independence Day celebration Thursday with the release of the initial stipend of 95 scholars and planting of trees at a watershed area in Maguindanao.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman, who led the simple Independence Day commemoration at Shariff Kabunsuan Complex here, said the Filipino struggle for freedom lives on to this day and the leaders of our time must aspire to free people from what he considers to be the equivalent of colonialism and oppression – poverty, conflict, illiteracy and a host of other challenges to development.

At least 95 recipients of ARMM’s “Iskolar ng Bayan” program from Maguindanao received their stipend for this semester, amounting to P10,000 each for those with full scholarship and P5,000 each for those with partial scholarship.

“We want to free these students and their family from poverty by helping ease the burden of college education,” the governor said.

One of the scholars, 22-year old Angeline Luna Ramos is pursuing a master’s degree on education at the Basilan State College after finishing her undergrad in the same school cum laude.

She said her father’s income as a mechanic can barely support their family.

“He’s lucky if he can earn at least P1,000 in a week,” she said adding that her family is grateful to the ARMM government for the scholarship grant.

Following the distribution of scholarship stipends, officials of the region and hundreds of employees proceeded to a watershed in the town of Parang, Maguindanao to plant at least 2,000 tree seedlings.

ARMM prepares for 500 participants on 1st int’l business conference in Tawi-tawi

(PNA), LAM/NYP/

COTABATO CITY, June 11 (PNA) -- Final preparations are underway for the first-ever Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-International Business Conference (ARMM-IBC) that would be held on June 17 – 18 at the Sanbar Lepa Convention Center in Bongao, Tawi-tawi.

Sakiran Hajan, regional trade secretary, said some 500 foreign and local businessmen are expected to attend the gathering aimed at generating investments and jobs for the region.

Trading partners from Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, among others, have earlier committed to attend the event.

“Commercial airliners have opened daily flights for the Bongao airport in connection with the upcoming activity,” Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said.

Fast sea craft services would also be reactivated for entrepreneurs who would prefer to travel by sea, particularly those from neighboring Sabah, Malaysia, she noted

Alamia added that Tawi-tawi officials have insisted that the biasness forum be held in their area considering that the island-province is the “most peaceful” in the five-province component of the region in recent years.

Apart from Tawi-tawi, the ARMM also cover the provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Lanao del Sur and Basilan in its area of jurisdiction.

“In fact, the Tawi-tawi provincial government has also taken cared of the security aspect of the delegates,” Alamia said.

Hajan said participants would engage in business matching activities during the two-day event correlated to maximizing the economic potentials of the region.

Alamia said they have invited Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, himself an entrepreneurial expert, as special guest speaker to the convention.

During the first quarter of this year, the ARMM Regional Board of Investments has chalked an outstanding registration of P1.451-billion worth of investments, overshadowing the total amount of investments for the whole of 2013, which stood at P1.463 billion.

Alamia said the exemplary feat was due to the much-improved peace and order situation in the region brought about by the near completion of the comprehensive peace deal between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Australia grants scholarship to ARMM teachers, country's leaders

By Edwin O. Fernandez [(PNA), CTB/NYP/EOF]

COTABATO CITY, June 10 (PNA) -- Fifty-four public sector leaders in the autonomous government for Mindanao were awarded the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarships, the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) announced Tuesday.

The scholars are set to leave for Australia this week to pursue master’s degree in premier Australian academic institutions, according to DepEd-ARMM Regional Sec. Jamar Kulayan in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The scholars are from the Dep-Ed-ARMM, Civil Service Commission, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Economic and Development Authority, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, Metro Manila Development Authority, and from the provincial governments of Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Guimaras, and Surigao del Norte.

The scholars are expected to return in 2015 to implement their re-entry action plans (REAP) in their organizations.

REAP is a unique feature of Australia Awards that enable scholars to implement a development program and apply their Australian education and skills.

“Filipino scholars, both past and present, have been known for their commitment to academic excellence. We are pleased that this year we are sending 54 high quality scholars from our partner organizations,” Australian Embassy Minister Counsellor Layton Pike said in a statement.

”Australia Awards Scholarships will give the awardees the opportunity to improve their skills and competencies so they can further contribute to Philippine development,” Pike added.

Since the 1950s, thousands of Filipinos have been awarded the Australia Awards Scholarships and have implemented development programs in their communities or workplaces.

Australia Awards Scholarships is a development tool to help improve the human resource base of the Philippines.

To prepare the scholars for student life in Australia, they recently had a departure briefing in Davao City.

P28-M hotel for Turtle Islands soon to rise

By Claro A. Lanipa (FPG/CAL/PIA-Zamboanga del Sur with reports from Obing Tan, DENR-IX)

PAGADIAN CITY, June 9 (PIA) – To boost ecotourism and accommodate tourists for the Turtle Island Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS) in Tawi Tawi, the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) approved last Monday a resolution for the construction of a P28 million hotel to be erected at Taganak Island.

Regional Director Arleigh J. Adorable of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-IX based in this city told the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that the PAMB of which he serves as chair, had approved the resolution after the presentation of the perspective and lay-out plans by a representative of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) during the 1st PAMB regular meeting held at Chandler Suites, this city.

The hostel, which is being funded by TIEZA, consists of one hotel main building, restaurant, power house and eight cottages and is designed to be modest and functional so as to accommodate guests and provide the basic comforts that they need during their visit.

Adorable said that once the other basic requirements are fully complied with, there is no impediment for the project to push through within this year.

Aside from the hostel, other proposed infrastructures shall also be constructed to include a law enforcement center and a small port for the utilization of tourist boats, Adorable added.

This project got full backing and support from other PAMB members composed of local government units, non-government organizations, academe, religious sector and government agencies, as this will boost not only the ecotourism potential of the area but also help in the conservation efforts of marine turtles.

Turtle Islands is part of the Sulu Archipelago which is composed of approximately 400 islands of varying shapes and sizes. It is located at the southwestern tip of the Philippines, about 1,000 km southwest of Manila.

The municipality of Turtle Islands is right at the edge of the international treaty limits separating the Philippines and Malaysia. The groups of islands, namely, Boan, Lihiman, Langaan, Great Bakkungan, Taganak and Baguan, are situated south of Palawan, northwest of Tawi-Tawi mainland and north-east of Sabah, Malaysia.

The islands have an aggregate land area of 308 hectares. The smallest island, the Langaan measures about 7 hectares only, while the largest, the Taganak Island, is about 116 hectares.

JICA to boost growth of ARMM industries

(PNA), CTB/LCM/AURELIO A. PENA/LDP

DAVAO CITY, June 8 (PNA) -- In an effort to boost the growth of various industries in the Autonomus Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), five industries are now undergoing an intensive two-year industry cluster capacity enhancement project under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

These pilot industries include the Seaweed, Abaca, Rubber, Palm Oil and Coffee industries located in the ARMM areas of Tawi-tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao provinces.

With the recent signing of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the ARMM however, will soon be known as the Bangsa Moro region.

Assistant Secretary Abubakar Datumanong of the ARMM Department of Trade and Industry urged the various stakeholders composed of private sector, academe, and government agencies to unite and work together to make this project succeed as the region prepares for the Bangsa Moro new government.

JICA senior consultant Tetsuo Inooka stressed that the “consensus building stage” of the project is very important among members of each cluster and hoped to see everyone helping each other work towards a common goal.

“This project will help each cluster boost their capacities to produce more output, to improve product quality, not just with training but action planning with everyone’s participation,” says Inooka during the first day of the ARMM industry capacity four-day workshop held in this southern city.

Inooka also made it clear that the project is a “technology transfer project, not a fund assistance project” designed basically to teach various planning and management strategies to each industry cluster to help each one achieve the goals they set for themselves.

All the five industry clusters are expected to undergo four training modules in the JICA-sponsored program : A-1 Understanding the cluster approach; A-2 Strategic planning; A-3 Implementation; and A-4 Project monitoring, according to Inooka.

Central Mindanao, ARMM leaders gather in Cotabato for int'l peace conference

(PNA), JBP/NYP

COTABATO CITY, June 7 (PNA) - - Local chief executives from the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat congregated Saturday at the Notre Dame University here to attend a daylong peace forum dubbed as Religions and Cultures in Dialogue for Peace and Reconciliation in Mindanao.

Top program presenters on their experiences in the Mindanao conflict include Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Mujiv Hataman, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza, among others.

Government peace panel chair Prof. Miriam Coronel Ferrer and MILF counterpart Mohaqher Iqbal, meanwhile, would present significant experiences on the peace process for Bangsamoro, the political entity that would replace the old, graft-ridden ARMM set up.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles and MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghazali Jaafar are also expected to grace the occasion.

The two-day activity, which began Friday, has for its theme “Peace is Living Together” that supports the ongoing government–Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace overture.

The principal event sponsors, aptly called the International Conference of Cotabato, include Italy-based Community of Sant Egidio, Muhammadiyah Indonesia and Archdiocese of Cotabato.

“At the heart of peace is respect and trust with each other,” said Orlando Cardinal Quevedo in briefly describing the purpose of the gathering.

If peace given a chance in mind and spirit, he said dialogues instead of armed fighting play a vital role in the co-existence of Christian and Muslim settlers in Mindanao.

“Lasting peace could not be changed overnight. The culture itself has to change,” Quevedo, stressed.

The prelate’s stand was supported by foreign peace advocates Sudibyo Markus, vice chairman of the Muhammadiyah Indonesia, and Alberto Quattrucci, secretary-general of the Sant’ Egidio, who are also attending the forum.

In particular, Markus and Quattrucci commented on the issue of religious extremism that might possibly agitate the proposed Bangsamoro entity.

“Extremism exists everywhere. The solution to this is through education,” Markus, himself a Muslim, said.

“Dialogue is a good medicine against extremism,” Quattrucci said for his part.

Here in the Cotabato area, Quevedo said extremism is still minor, though there are now those in the field taking their own brand of interpretation on religion.

“We should not kill anyone in the name of peace,” he said.

Quevedo noted that Mindanao is currently being watched worldwide as a roadshow for peace on living together.

Sulu school children get new school building through ASFP

(PNA), FPV/NYP

Tausog villagers in Barangay Taingting are now confident their children can study well enough inside a school building they have just constructed as a community project that they implemented not just as stakeholders, but as owners of the facility as well.

Barangay Taingting is located in Parang town in Sulu. The barangay is home to 1,587 ethnic Tausog residents.

The villagers have constructed the school building at the center of the barangay with the help of the World Bank, whose conduit for its projects in the south is the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Social Fund Project.

Halima, a mother of three, said she did not hesitate to help in the construction of the school building because her three children are among those that are to benefit from it.

“It was so nice to see community members, mothers, fathers and their children construct the school building all together,” she explained in the local vernacular.

Barangay officials were elated with the recent completion of the project, whose implementation the Parang local government unit had supported extensively.

The school building project in Barangay Taingting is just one of the dozens of projects of World Bank in the autonomous region.

The World Bank in fact, rated as “satisfactory” for eight time, in recent years, the ASFP’s implementation of the projects it had bankrolled. The ASFP operates under the ministerial control of ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

The projects were designed by beneficiary communities themselves and implemented the traditional “bayanihan” style.

ARMM implements P2-B worth of PAMANA development projects

(PNA), FPV/NYP

COTABATO CITY, June 5 (PNA) - - The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has so far implemented Php 2- billion worth of development projects under the government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program.

Dong Anayatin, PAMANA-ARMM program manager, said the scheme help foster peace in conflict-affected communities in the region through poverty reduction and the improvement of local governance.

More so, he said PAMANA also promotes social cohesion to capacitate residents in the conflict-stricken areas.

The program include, among others, livelihood projects provided by the region’s Department of Social Welfare and Development in at least 386 barangays; and construction of roads and infrastructures undertaken by ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways.

Anayatin said the regional government remains resolute on increasing livelihood and job opportunities in the region, and intensify community participation in the pursuit of peace and development.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace process handled PAMANA prior to its introduction to the ARMM in 2011.

Last year, the ARMM government officially took over the management of PAMANA projects in the region.

“We regularly conduct focus group discussions with local leaders and the program’s steering committee to assess the needs of recipient communities,” Anayatin said.

The bulk of PAMANA projects are undertaken in Moro National Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front communities on efforts to address development gaps in conflict-affected areas.

ARMM sets first int'l business confab in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

(PNA), JBP/TPGJR/TPGJR/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, June 4 (PNA) -– The Department of Trade and Industry-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DTI-ARMM) has scheduled the holding of a two-day business conference in the province of Tawi-Tawi.

The event, dubbed as the 1st ARMM International Business Conference, is set to be held from June 17-18 at the Sandbar Lepa Convention Center in Pasiagan, Bongao municipality.

DTI-ARMM Secretary Sakiran Hajan said the event is anchored on the theme: “Strengthening Public-Private Partnership Towards Economic Stability in ARMM.”

Hajan said the event is aimed to serve as an avenue to show participants the business and tourism potentials of Tawi-Tawi and the entire ARMM.

Hajan said it will also serve as guide for stakeholders where and on what business they could invest.

Hajan said the two-day event will be preceded by a trade fair and exhibits, which will be held Monday, June 16.

He said that several business stakeholders as well as from the tourism industry have been invited as resource persons in the two-day business confab.

He said that other top personalities like Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino, IV, DTI Sec. Gregory Domingo and ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman will also grace the business event.

Ecotourism projects eyed for Tawi-Tawi’s Turtle Islands

(PNA), CTB/PR/UTB

DAVAO CITY, June 3 (PNA) -– Ecotourism projects aimed at protecting endangered marine species and help sustain community-based tourism enterprises are being developed on Turtle Islands, one of the world’s major nesting sites of marine turtles located in the country’s southernmost frontier.

Situated at the tip of Tawi-Tawi province, the group of islands is starting to attract local and international tourists being a wildlife sanctuary and the only major natural nesting ground of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the whole ASEAN Region.

Turtle watching lounges, elevated wooden boardwalks, and several wooden cottages are among the ecotourism facilities that are considered on the islands of Taganak, Bakkungan and Baguan, three of the six major islands that comprise the municipality of Turtle Islands.

The wooden boardwalks and turtle watching lounges will protect the green sea turtles from tourists who visit the islands to watch the amphibians lay their eggs at night. The facilities will also allow watchers to observe this rare experience without bothering the nesting creatures.

“Through these initiatives, the residents of Turtle Islands can earn sustainable livelihood by promoting this famous attraction, while ensuring the protection of the endangered species and their nesting sites,” said Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority.

At present, there are only 10 remaining nesting sites of marine turtles across the globe. The critical decline of the world’s population of marine turtles prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources to declare all of marine turtle species as endangered.

“A P30 million budget for the ecotourism projects was already secured for the area, with around P28 million to be sourced from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA),” announced Antonino, who went to the islands for an ocular visit last month.

The ecotourism projects on the Turtle Islands are part of the Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippine East ASEAN Growth Area’s (BIMP-EAGA) environment programs endorsed through the environment and ecotourism pillars of the sub-regional economic grouping.

“This is one of our major initiatives within the Greater Sulu-Sulawesi Corridor, a development priority under the BIMP-EAGA, covering the Sulu-Sulawesi marine eco-region which aims to conserve and protect the area’s marine biodiversity,” she said.

As the municipality of islands sees a steady increase of local and international tourist visits in the recent years, the local government also advocates for appropriate tourism facilities that will not only attract tourists but also encourage the locals to take part in protecting the resources.

Local tourism records show that there were 145 and 132 tourists that visited Baguan Island in 2011 and 2012, respectively, while the Tawi-Tawi’s Provincial Tourism Office reported an aggregate total

of 1,058 local and foreign tourists in 2010 to 2011. The province also hosted to 101 foreign and 1,038 local tourists in 2012.

“Tourists visit us to witness marine turtles lay their eggs or watch the hatchlings struggle out of their nests and make their way to the sea. We need the appropriate facilities that will not only accommodate our tourists, but also ensure the safety and protection of the turtles and their nesting sites,” said Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali.

He added that they are looking into developing ecotourism packages for tourists once the necessary facilities are in place. Some of the viable activities include scuba diving, island hopping, swimming, and local community visits.

“Through these tourist arrivals, we want to secure a sustainable means of livelihood for our people, and also ensure that our natural resources are well-preserved and protected,” said Sahali.

He added that the eco-tourism projects lined up for the islands are consistent with the Ecotourism Framework Plan of the Municipality, which ensures that none of the facilities and activities are destructive to the area’s ecology.

In 1996, an agreement was signed between the Philippines and Malaysia declaring the islands as the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area or TIHA, making it as the first transboundary protected area in the world.

As a major nesting ground of marine turtles, the islands are visited annually by more than 2,000 nesters primarily of the green sea turtle species, with a number of hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) also nesting in the area. It is home to 34 avian species, 27 coral species, 128 fish species, 62 species of marine flora and other wild animals such as fruit and field bats and several reptiles.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources established the Pawikan Conservation Project in 1979 as a response to conserve the country’s dwindling marine turtle population.

13-year-old ARMM student wins grand prize in global contest for inventing biodegradable plastic

By Dennis Arcon (InterAksyon.com)

COTABATO CITY – Ahmed Dialiv “Amin” Turabin Hataman, 13, won the grand prize in the 8th International Young Inventors Olympiad in Georgia, USA, besting more than 100 participants from 40 countries worldwide.

Hataman, eldest child of Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Congresswoman Djalia Turabin Hataman, won for his invention of biodegrable plastic made from coconut. Unlike regular plastic, his invention disintegrates after 20 days.

ARMM’s Department of Science and Technology honored the young Hataman in a simple ceremony Saturday night.

His parents could not hide their pride and joy in the honor that their son gave the country and his love for the environment.

DepEd Sec. Luistro to inspect schools in ARMM for opening of classes

By Aerol B. Patena [(PNA), CTB/ABP]

MANILA, June 1 (PNA) -- Department of Education (DepEd) secretary Armin Luistro is set to inspect schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the opening of classes on Monday.

The secretary as well as top officials of the department will be deployed in provinces to check schools and monitor the resumption of classes.

In a statement, Luistro said that the initiative aims to highlight the condition of schools in far-flung areas of the country.

“I feel that we always look at urban areas but what about islands and mountain schools? Or schools that cater to children with special needs, indigenous peoples or Muslim leaders? They’re as much part of the educational as any public school in the city. But not too much attention gets focused on them,” he added.

The education chief explained that he chose to visit the ARMM this year as a show of solidarity with the Muslim Filipinos.

Luistro who seldom visits the region was invited by the DepEd-ARMM regional office. He was in Palawan last year to visit island schools in that province.

“Since before I was in DepEd, people have been used to hearing about chairs and classrooms and late enrollees surging through gates. But there are other things that need our attention,” Luistro explains. Last year I was in Culion in Palawan and their challenge was how to get to the high school, which was on another small island.”

Other DepEd officials have assigned areas to monitor which include Region 8, Northern Luzon and critical areas in Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, Sec. Luistro reiterated that he wants to ensure that students will be able to have the most learning they can get out of the time that they spend in school.

He urged teachers to start teaching already when learners return to school for the first day of classes.

DepEd has a 200-day school calendar with a 20-day “buffer” for school activities and class suspensions.

Busing system

DepEd is set to introduce the busing system to help lessen congestion of some schools in Metro Manila.

In Valenzuela City, around 140 students from the Malinta Elementary School –Pinalagad Annex will be transported daily to Caruhatan West Elementary School in vans that will be provided by DepEd. The local school board will shoulder the fuel expenses for the entire school year. Other DepEd divisions are considering similar arrangements.

On the other hand, the proposed three-day school week will not be implemented pending further study on the matter.

Balik Eskwela Action Center

DepEd’s Oplan Balik Eskwela Action Center will continue to operate until the end of the week to answer queries and receive complaints through (02) 636-1663, (02) 633,1942, or action@deped.gov.ph.

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