Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News September 2018

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

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

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

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

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

ARMM completes 1,599 kilometers of roads

(Desk Man, Bureau of Public Information)

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said it has completed some 1,599 kilometers of roads in five provinces under it from 2012 to 2018.

Data from the Department of Public Works and Highways in ARMM showed 508.685 kms., or 22.075% of the target, are still ongoing as of September 14 this year and that some 183.382 kms., or 7.958%, are yet to be started.

The province of Lanao del Sur received the most number of road projects in the region as it registered a total of 335, followed by Maguindanao with 306, Sulu with 277, and Basilan and Tawi-Tawi with 247 and 173 respectively.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv S. Hataman said these initiatives will make the communities, especially in areas with security problems, feel the presence of the government. The ARMM’s infrastructure program, the governor said, directly promotes peace and development.

He said ARMM constituents will now have easy access to government’s services on transportation, health, trade and industry, agriculture and fishery, tourism, all considered vital in boosting the region’s economy.

The ARMM government has allocated over P35 billion for the implementation of these road projects during the last six years. Many of the road projects are located in conflict-affected and far-flung communities.

Comelec-ARMM exec urges candidates to file COCs early for 2019 polls

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- The Commission on Elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Comelec-ARMM) has called on individuals seeking elective posts in the region to file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) early for the 2019 midterm polls.

Lawyer Ray Sumalipao, Comelec-ARMM director, said it would be ideal for candidates to submit their COCs promptly so that any problem that might arise may be addressed on time.

The poll body has set Oct. 11-17, 2018, excluding weekends, as the dates for the filing of COCs in connection with the 2019 national and local elections.

“I presume there will be no extension dates for filing of COCs since the printing of ballots will start immediately as scheduled,” Sumalipao said in a radio interview here Monday.

Sumalipao said the poll body is on track regarding its programs and schedules for the polls set on May 13, 2019.

“(The Comelec) will be printing more than 60 million ballots so there should be no room for errors,” he said.

Candidates for next year’s polls -- senatorial, congressional, governor, vice governor, members of the provincial board, city and town mayors, vice mayors and council member seats -- will only have six days to submit their COCs.

Sumalipao also reminded ARMM residents that the ongoing registration will no longer be extended.

“The continuing registration for plebiscite and midterm polls have only until September 29 to register,” he said.

On January 21, 2019, the poll body will administer the referendum for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to determine its new political composition that would comprise the current ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Lanao del Sur, the cities of Lamitan and Marawi; six proposed towns in Lanao del Norte; 39 villages in North Cotabato, and also the anticipated inclusion of Cotabato City and Isabela City in Basilan.

The BOL is the enabling law for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro forged between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

ARMM's 32-million approved 2019 budget for peace projects

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The transition bloc to oversee the switch from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the Bangsamoro entity will have P32 billion worth of operating funds to start with in 2019.

Lawyer Laisa Masuhud-Alamia, executive secretary of ARMM, said Saturday the House of Representatives approved last Thursday without interpellation the region’s proposed P32 billion 2019 budget.

“That was a clear tap on our shoulders, an acknowledgment of our dedication to build peace and development in the autonomous region,” she said.

The amount is earmarked for the operation and salaries of personnel of line agencies and support offices under the ARMM regional government.

A big chunk of it shall also be spent for infrastructure projects and programs meant to boost the socio-economic growth of ARMM’s local Muslim, Christian and Lumad communities.

Alamia and ARMM’s chief executive, Gov. Mujiv Hataman, led the panel that defended in plenary deliberation the region’s proposed P32 billion 2019 budget.

Hataman said they are expecting the transition from ARMM to the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, to begin in early 2019.

The Commission on Elections shall administer on Jan. 21, 2019 the plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

The BOL is the enabling measure for the ARMM’s replacement with a Bangsamoro government, to be managed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The creation of BARMM through the BOL is based on two compacts between Malacañang and the MILF, the 2012 Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro, and, subsequently, the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.

The two agreements are products of 19 years of tedious peace talks focused on putting a diplomatic closure to the Moro secessionist issue hounding southern Philippines since the early 1970s.

The BOL has a provision obliging the national government to allocate no less than P50 billion worth of yearly block grant for the peace and development initiatives of the MILF-led Bangsamoro government.

“We are thankful to the house of Representatives for approving the 2019 budget of ARMM without interpellation. The MILF leadership will have something to start with once it gets to the helm of BARMM,” Hataman, now in his second term as regional governor, told reporters on Saturday.

State auditors said Saturday besides ARMM’s fiscal and manpower complements, the Hataman administration shall also turn over to the incoming BARMM about P20 billion worth of infrastructure projects it accomplished in the past six years.

The projects include more than a thousand kilometers of farm-to-market roads, seaports, school buildings, agricultural post-harvest facilities and core shelters for impoverished families.

A matrix obtained from government auditors indicated that Hataman and his public works secretary, engineer Don Loong, also provided the eight District Engineering Offices in the region with no less than P1 billion worth of road building equipment in the past six years as capacity-building program empowering DEOs, in the forefront of implementing infrastructure projects in the five provinces of the autonomous region.

The figurehead of MILF, Hadji Murad Ebrahim, will lead as designated chief minister the Bangsamoro entity during its pioneering stage, pending the election of its regular set of officials.

Murad and senior MILF leaders had themselves listed as voters last week by the Comelec in preparation for the January 21 BOL referendum, to be held in ARMM’s Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces and in certain towns and barangays in Region 10 and in Region 12.

“We will not only turn over whatever state funds there are in the coffers of ARMM agencies. We shall campaign for a `yes’ vote during the plebiscite as well,” Hataman said.

AFP declares Marawi special village polls generally successful

By Wilnard L. Bacelonia (PIA ICCC)

MARAWI CITY (PIA ICCC) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) considered Marawi City special barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections a success after how many years of threats and violence in the city.

The voting started at 7 am and ended at 3 pm with no "failure of elections" recorded completing the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) target on the nationwide scale.

Major Palawan Miondas, Civil Military Operations officer of Philippine Army's 103rd Brigade explained that this special village polls in Marawi City is way too peaceful compared to the previous elections.

"There are small commotions, but we immediately contained the situation and the voting process continued smoothly," said Miondas.

The COMELEC, Department of Education (DepEd) and the security forces also made sure that every Marawi IDP can freely practice their "right to suffrage" by placing voting precincts on Sagonsongan transitional site, Roro Gagos Elementary School and Bito Elementary School for the 24 barangays that are included on the most affected area (MAA) of the Marawi siege.

"We are under the Martial law and the full force of Philippine National Police is here with us. We'll always be here until the election process ends," Miondas assured.

Meanwhile, Marawi City Schools Division Superintendent Anna Zenaida Unte admitted there are some teachers who refused to serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs).

"We have to replace them because they have family ties with candidates but we did not come to a point that we have to replace them with PNP personnel," Unte added.

Barangay officials' role on Kambisita II

The Joint Task Force Ranao (JTFR) is also looking forward on the declaration of the newly elected barangay and SK officials from MAA who are expected to play an important role on the ongoing and future plans of the government for the 24 barangays in MAA.

"After this election, we will gather the newly elected village leaders from MAA to help us implement Kambisita II," Col. Romeo Brawner, JTFR deputy commander said.

JTFR also deployed army personnel on every polling precinct and tasked mobile troops to monitor other voting centers.

Bangsamoro youth leaders commit to peace-building

(OPAPP PR)

COTABATO CITY -- Youth leaders and peace advocates committed to build a culture of peace in the Bangsamoro region during the three-day "MasterPEACE: Bangsamoro Youth Model Parliament” that concluded here Saturday.

"We want to contribute (to) the Bangsamoro once it is established so that the legislators can see that the youth have a place in all this," said 22-year-old Bryan Gonzales, a member of the National Society of Parliamentarians (NPS).

Gonzales joined 80 other Bangsamoro youth leaders in manifesting their commitment to peace-building efforts.

“Ang maganda dito (summit), sa kabubuuan ng Bangsamoro region, represented ang lahat ng kabataan at naririnig ang kanilang boses (The good thing about this summit is that the youth sector of the entire Bangsamoro region is well-represented and their voices are heard)," he said.

The summit included a simulation program, in which the participants acted as district representatives, party representatives, and sectoral representatives under the prospective Bangsamoro Parliament.

The Bangsamoro youth discussed critical issues in peace-building as they crafted and deliberated on proposed bills at the committee level and plenary sessions.

"'Yung setup ng Bangsamoro Parliament is hard to facilitate because it is very different from Congress (The setup of the Bangsamoro Parliament is dificult to facilitate because it is very different from Congress),” Gonzales said. “At least dito nakikita namin kung ano 'yung mga pagkukulang, mga procedural issues na pwede ma-resolve, and mag-introduce ng reforms (At least in this simulation program, we can see which areas need improvement, what procedural issues need to be resolved, and what reforms we can introduce).”

One of the proposals made during the plenary session was the integration of conflict transformation and peace-building awareness through peace education in the Bangsamoro.

The proposed bills will be turned over to the Regional Legislative Assembly through Assemblywoman Irene P. Tillah.

During her remarks, Youth Peace Ambassador Farrah Ghodsinia encouraged her fellow youth leaders to be proactive in promulgating peace in their respective regions.

"They have to hear our voice and we have to make our voice known because this future community that we have, this future region, it is we who are going to live in it.

That is why we need to be active in achieving what we want to see," she said.

The "MasterPEACE: Bangsamoro Youth Model Parliament" is the third installment of the MasterPEACE series and is in line with the celebration of National Peace Consciousness Month every September.

It was spearheaded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, co-organized by the Democratic Leadership and Active Civil Society Empowerment (DELACSE) Bangsamoro, a European Union-funded project implemented by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Philippines, and the Institute for Autonomy and Governance. It was done in partnership with the NPS.

Marawi's Darangen Dolls start anew

By Anna Gabrielle Cerezo (ABS-CBN News)

The conflict in Marawi City barely left its residents with anything apart from collapsed structures, bullet-ridden walls, and a pile of debris.

When the siege broke, hundreds of thousands were forced to abandon their homes empty-handed. Months after, the residents remain displaced as they come back only to see their house in ruins.

Among those displaced residents are Sainuddin Malawani Moti and his group of Maranao doll makers.

"Before the Marawi siege, we used to have a thriving business called Darangen Doll Shop," Moti recalled.

The famous Darangen Doll store was one of the many structures in Marawi that suffered extensive damage during the conflict.

"Everything was gone. My shop and collections included," the craftsman said.

Moti first created the unique dolls clad in traditional Maranao garments in 2011. At their peak, there were six pairs of hands working on the craft.

Today, only his sister remains.

The siege forced the group of Maranao dollmakers to seek refuge at the homes of their respective relatives. "They are in Lanao del Sur while we are currently staying at Iligan City in Lanao Norte," Moti explained.

"Although they no longer work for the shop, they still sometimes come by to visit and try to help," he added.

INSPIRED BY UKAY-UKAY

The Darangen Dolls' fame and success is attributed to their colorful garments, which have become the most widely known representation of customary Maranao attire.

According to Moti, each doll is crafted to inspire young Maranaos to embrance their rich and unique heritage.

"I created the dolls in our traditional attire to preserve our very own cultural royal regalia and to encourage our youth to be proud of our very elegant [attire]," he said.

In contrast to the class that Marawi's famous doll exudes, the idea was birthed from Moti's frequent trips to ukay-ukay shops.

"I always noticed files of flashy, glittering clothes from Malaysia and Brunei in volumes at ukay-ukays, so I thought of doing something to recycle it," Moti said.

"After several days of brainstorming, I came up to the idea of making dolls of our own traditional wear. Then it happened."

The Darangen Dolls are dressed in a colorful malong, known as landap, a distinctive Maranao clothing. The blouse is a long-sleeved pull-over bejeweled with glittering buttons.

The doll also sports a pinalot hairstyle, adorned by a headpiece called combong, giving the doll an elegant and regal look from head to toe.

Each Darangen Doll is patiently stitched and glued by hand. Moti believes his creations pay homage to the Maranao's rich culture, something the creator wishes to share with everyone, including those outside the Muslim community.

STARTING OVER

Moti has brought his dolls to many exhibits locally and abroad. In 2011, the Darangen Dolls won the Children's Choice Award, besting 75 other countries at the Prague Quadrennial Biennial Stage and Theatre Space Design Competition in Czech Republic.

However, the wrath of the conflict the Maute brought to Marawi paid no care to the Darangen Dolls' initiative and reduced the Maranao craftsmen's hard work to rubble.

"It was the unimaginable experience of a lifetime," Moti recalled, saying their escape from Marawi City in May last year felt like an apocalyptic movie scene.

"I felt fear. Fear of the Maute-ISIS presence in the street declaring war, fear of our male family members to be taken as new recruits, fear of the silence in the street of what used to be a busy avenue, and fear of the start of air strikes," he added.

Despite his worries, Moti made an effort to remain composed, saying he knew he had to take charge. He and his family hurriedly fled from their residence empty-handed, and came back home months later without a single thing to salvage.

This, however, did not stop Moti from continuing his mission to share Maranao's rich culture.

Thankfully, the business is picking up. While the shop is gone, the rare dolls can be purchased online.

"For a new start, it's survival. I trust the Almighty Allah for all the blessings," Moti declared.

DAF-Armm spikers rule

By ADAM B. MORRELL

THE Davao Optima-bannered Department of Agriculture and Fisheries-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-Armm) ruled the recently-concluded 5th Abreeza Kadayawan Open Volleyball Tournament held at the Abreeza Ayala Mall parking lot.

Veteran-laden DAF-Armm men's team unleashed vicious attacks against youthful Davao City National High School (DCNHS), 25-22, 25-12, in their finals clash to annex the men's division title.

DCNHS took the the silver while the University of Mindanao (UM) Davao settled for bronze after posting a 25-22, 25-12 win over Panabo City.

In the distaff side, 2015-2016 champion Davao Optima, now DAF-Armm, reclaimed the women's crown after surviving a 25-23, 29-27, 25-16 thriller against UM Davao.

UM Tagum, meanwhile, rolled past Philippine National Police Lady Patrollers, 25-15, 17-25, 25-19, to place third in the event organized by Abreeza Ayala Mall in partnership with the Balibolista de Dabaw.

Marawi Bond issuance possible by October, November

(PNA)

MANILA -- Issuance of the planned Marawi Bond may happen either in October or November this year once funding requirements have been finalized, National Treasurer Rosalia De Leon said.

In an interview at the sidelines of the budget hearing in the House of Representatives Monday, De Leon said date of issuance of the planned securities depends on when Bangon Marawi will submit its rehabilitation proposals and the necessary funding.

The government has allocated PHP10 billion under the 2018 national budget for the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City.

Aside from this budget, the rehabilitation effort has also received funding commitments from other sources.

Earlier, it was reported that the rehabilitation would need around PHP60-80 billion, with the latter including the amount for compensation for those who lost their real properties.

“We’re just waiting for the amount that are needed for the projects to be set by Bangon Marawi,” De Leon said in Filipino, referring to the group established to spearhead the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City.

She said the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) has readied its system for the debt paper issuance, which would be in the form of Retail Treasury Bond (RTB).

“We are ready. We have the online system already in place,” she added.

ARMM, NTC launch radio communications' summit on disasters

By Noel Punzalan (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- Pinning their hopes on the use of communication equipment in times of disasters, some 500 members of civic action groups and amateur radio clubs from across the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) gathered here Friday to participate in the first-ever region-wide radio show summit.

ARMM's Regional Telecommunications Commission and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) launched the Sept. 14-15 summit at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, the provisional seat of the ARMM in this city, amid inclement weather.

“We need to update ourselves on the use of communication equipment for coordination or systematic manner to better extend help to affected communities during disasters,” said ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia, who is also concurrent head of the region’s social welfare department.

Representatives of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association lectured on the rules and regulations of using ham radio during emergency operations.

An exhibit of radio units, equipment, antennas, and other industry-related products was also showcased.

Alamia, a lawyer by profession, described the summit as “timely” amid the entry of Typhoon Ompong in the northern Philippines.

An update from the weather bureau said the typhoon had hit land in Baggao, Cagayan province in Luzon before dawn Saturday and is headed for Ilocos Norte.

“We have been monitoring this (typhoon) for two days now and what we have done at ARMM-HEART (Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team) is to coordinate with these radio clubs and civil action groups,” Alamia said.

“(We want you) ham users in communities to communicate with us anytime for us (through ARMM-HEART) to quickly respond to emergencies and humanitarian crisis,” Alamia said.

NTC directors Hamid Bayao of ARMM, Froilan Jamias of Region 12 (Soccsksargen), and Nelson Cañete of Region 11 (Davao Region) were all present to help facilitate the activity.

Capping the activity on Saturday is an NTC examination for amateur radio operators, where passers will be given the Radio Amateur Operator Certificate.

Para sure ang supply! Tawi-Tawi gov’t lauds proposal for establishment of rice trading center

By Noel Punzalan

The local government said that the recommendation of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol was a good news.

“Indeed, a long-term solution. A good news! Thank you Sec. Piñol!” the provincial government said.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) chief has proposed to President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the establishment of a rice trading center in Tawi-Tawi to be supervised by the National Food Authority (NFA).

He made the proposal after Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi experienced high prices of rice recently.

According to Piñol, the strategy is expected to curb rice smuggling in southern Philippines as rice supply would be brought in legally by going through quarantine inspections, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements and payment of tariffs.

He has said that the volume of rice to be imported should not exceed the total consumption requirements in the area which is about 200,000 metric tons every year.

ARMM’s pivotal role in Asean barter trade

By Nash B. Maulana

Cotabato City―The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao would be a significant economic factor to reviving the old barter trading with neighboring members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, officials said.

On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte said his meeting with the administration’s economic managers would also delve on revival of barter trading, and enhance trade link with Sabah where rice price is comparatively low.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said inter-regional maritime trading in the south is an old tradition traced back from ancient barter trading, but which is viewed in modern times as a form of smuggling. Nash B. Maulana

Duterte said he would revive the old barter trading through which the country could import cheaper rice from Sabah. Exchanges of goods via inter-regional maritime trading have traditionally determined for the island provinces and neighboring territories their priorities in agricultural and fishery production since the pre-colonial era.

Statistics show that rice production is traditionally low in the country’s southern island provinces: It is pegged in Sulu at 1,914.25 metric tons (MT); in Tawi-Tawi at 582.40 (MT); and Basilan with 2,675.40 MT and these have hardly gained increase since 2015.

ARMM Regional Agriculture Secretary Alexander Alonto Jr. noted that the region’s 2017 rice production increased to 544,486 metric tons by 11.53 percent, and its aggregate area of production also marked a 9.56 percent increase to 212,927 hectares from the 2015 figures.

Sittie Anida Tomawis Limbona, administrative director of ARMM’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, said provincial databank should store the most updated agricultural statistics in aid of research and development (R and D) for the welfare of the incoming Bangsamoro in the ARMM government.

Hataman said 2016 statistics saw the region’s economic performance improving by 0.3 percent when it contributed 0.6 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

It was when the ARMM’s agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector shared 56.3 percent in the region’s output, indicating a 3.0 percent contraction, according to the CountryStat, a project of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Reports of alleged rice smuggling have prompted the Malaysian and Philippine authorities to check on shipment loads to and from coasts closely linked by sea transports along territorial waters of the Philippines and Malaysia.

Ferdinand Marcos in 1975 legalized minor maritime import-export economic activities with Labuan, Sandakan in Malaysia, and Singapore through the barter trading center in Zamboanga City.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said the island provinces should be required to develop a “rice production project with an initial 1,000 hectares as pilot area.”

Alonto on Wednesday said Tawi-Tawi had acquiesced to Secretary Piñol’s proposal, adding that reports from provincial agriculture offices also indicated that the other island provinces –Sulu and Basilan―had each committed 1,000 hectares in support of Secretary Piñol’s formula.

P20-M facility for Marawi health, rescue workers up for construction

By Noel Punzalan (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – Health and rescue workers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will soon have a PHP20-million, three-story operations center in Marawi City.

Once completed, the building will house hundreds of health workers in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur province, as well as host the satellite office of the ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team (ARMM-HEART) in the area.

On Wednesday, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman inked a memorandum of agreement for the construction of the building, and along with other officials, led its groundbreaking ceremony in Marawi.

“Creating a safe and high-quality health care environment will boost the passion of the health and rescue workers to provide sustainable and essential services to the regional government’s constituents,” the governor said.

Norkhalila Mambuay-Campong, head of ARMM’s Office of the Regional Governor, said the allotment for the project is taken from the special purpose fund of the region’s chief executive.

“Through the many years of existence of the Integrated Provincial Health Office of Lanao del Sur, this is the first time that health workers in the area would have its own building to better serve the people,” said Dr. Alinader Minalang, Lanao del Sur provincial health officer.

Currently, health workers in Lanao del Sur are occupying a small space inside the Marawi City Hall.

Hataman said the ARMM-HEART Marawi satellite office, which will be accommodated in the same building, could provide quicker response during emergencies to Marawi City and municipalities in Lanao del Sur.

Lanao Sur town gets new P20-M public market

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – The economy of Saguiaran is expected to get a shot in the arm with the completion of a PHP20-million public market built by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional government.

“Saguiaran must rise up and move on,” ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said during the ceremonial turn over of the public market on Wednesday.

Saguiaran town is next to Marawi City and was equally affected when terrorists laid siege on the Islamic City in May last year.

The 1,200-sq. meter market, which has both wet and dry areas, caters to the displaced families who are rebuilding their lives. Saguiaran currently hosts almost a thousand families from neighboring Marawi City.

Saguiaran Mayor Macmod Muti said the establishment of a public market in his town will not just provide livelihood for internally displaced persons (IDPs) but will also resolve the vehicular traffic problem in the municipality.

“We really need this public market,” Muti said, adding that aside from providing a decent place for market vendors, it will also resolve traffic woes because there is now one marketplace that people would frequent, unlike before when stalls are scattered everywhere.

“We hosted thousands of IDPs from Marawi City who are still here. We respond to their needs by providing them with a marketplace so our economy is alive again,” he added.

In response, Hataman said the public market is just one of the projects of the regional government for Saguiaran as another one is coming.

“I told Mayor Muti to find a sizable lot area that can be developed for housing projects, commerce is very much alive here,” Hataman said.

During the event, the governor thanked two barangay chairmen for donating parts of their adjoining villages for the ARMM housing projects.

“Their gestures are acts of true Muslims, sharing for the less fortunate,” he said.

Hataman said the housing projects would prioritize families who remained in tents and in the town's gymnasium, who are trying to cope with deteriorating health conditions.

Gov’t extends aid to Maguindanao displaced families

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – The local government of Datu Abdullah Sangki in Maguindanao, backed by the Army’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, has extended emergency aid to some 150 families displaced by armed hostilities in the past four days.

Datu Abdullah Sangki Mayor Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu said Wednesday the families from the interior barangay of Tukanalugong have fled to safer grounds due to harassment by armed men against a multi-national banana plantation operating in the area.

The displaced families, consisting of about 900 individuals, were given food packs and rice, courtesy of the local government.

Most of the displaced families were workers of Delinanas banana plantation who fled to safety upon sightings of the heavily armed men.

“Later, the gunmen engaged in a firefight,” the mayor said, adding that intermittent clashes between the two groups have been ongoing since Monday.

Members of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion accompanied the local disaster office in distributing assistance to the internally-displaced persons.

Mangudadatu earlier presided over the meeting of the municipal peace and order council, during which, local village officials were directed to immediately alert the local police and military authorities about the presence of armed men in their communities.

She assured the affected residents that the government is on top of the situation and that the police and military authorities are regularly assessing the situation.

Initial reports said the warring groups, whose leaders are yet to be identified, are fighting over parcels of land near the banana plantation.

PCSO opens office in Maguindanao

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

BULUAN, Maguindanao -- The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) highlighted its opening of an office in Barangay Poblacion in this town Tuesday by extending medical assistance to indigent patients here and those coming from other parts of the province.

This capital town, situated in the southern tip of the province, is the hometown of Maguindanao Governor Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu.

While here, charity workers led by PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan, also turned over a check worth PHP1 million as an endowment fund for the Buluan District Hospital, which intends to improve its health facilities, including the setting up of an intensive care unit.

“This is our way of helping indigent people of Maguindanao, (and) at the same time contribute to the government’s desire to address poverty and rebellion here,” Balutan said.

A former Marine general assigned in Maguindanao, Balutan said he personally saw the difficulty of poor families from remote areas of the province in availing of government health services, particularly those from the so-called SPMS box.

The SPMS box is a military term used on a particular set of areas where the terror group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters operate.

It comprises the adjoining towns of Shariff Aguak, Pagatin (Datu Saudi Ampatuan town), Mamasapano and Shariff Saydona, all in Maguindanao’s second district.

Health officials in Maguindanao have lauded the PCSO’s decision to put up an office here to facilitate medical assistance to indigent patients.

Campaign period for Marawi village polls starts Sept. 12

By Ferdinand Patinio (PNA)

MANILA -- The campaign period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in Marawi City will start on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

In a statement Tuesday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said those who are participating in the village and youth polls have eight days from Sept. 12 until Sept. 20 to persuade voters to vote for them in the upcoming polls.

One barangay chairman and seven barangay kagawads will be elected on September 22.

Also, one SK chairman and seven SK kagawads will be elected during the scheduled polls.

A total of 79,289 total ballots will be used in the Marawi BSKE, 53,009 of which will be for village voters and 26,280 ballots for youth voters.

The election period began Aug. 17 and ends September 29.

Last May 14, the barangay and SK polls were held nationwide, except in Marawi City, which was torn by the five-month conflict between government troops and the Maute terrorist group.

Maguindanao guv conferred doctorate degrees

By Edwin Fernandez

COTABATO CITY -- The Royal Institution Singapore (RIS) on Friday conferred two honorary doctorate degrees on Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu for outstanding leadership in the field of governance.

The Maguindanao provincial information office said Mangudadatu received from the RIS the Doctor of Public Administration and Doctor of Humanities degrees during the organization’s 20th International Conference and Conferment Ceremony held at the KJC Hall, Jose Maria College in Davao City.

The RIS also accepted Mangudadatu as a Royal Institute Fellow in the same ceremony.

Anchored on the theme, “Toward Quality and Excellent Educators of the World”, conference organizers recognized Mangudadatu's "excellent leadership in Maguindanao, not only as a local executive but as an official giving primacy to education as a vehicle to social development."

In his speech, Mangudadatu said he has worked hard as a public servant to prove that a Moro leader like him can be a role model for his constituents.

"I strongly believe that education is a key to peace and development in Maguindanao,” said the governor, whose administration has sent more than 5,000 poor constituents to college through the provincial government’s flagship scholarship program. (PNA)

Tawi-Tawi gets P940-M nickel mining project

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL (TMT)

COTABATO CITY: The Regional Board of Investments of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) on Thursday approved the registration of Mina Vida De Mindanao Corporation’s P940.5 million nickel mining investment in Languyan, Tawi-Tawi, an ARMM official said on Friday.

Ishak Mastura, chairman and managing head of RBOI-ARMM, said that with this registration, the ARMM has achieved more than 100 percent of its investment target of P2.1 billion for 2018.

The project was endorsed by the ARMM Department of Environment and Natural Resources for registration.

Mina Vida’s non-pioneer registration did not give the project any fiscal incentives; instead, it will only entitle the firm to avail of reduced duties for importation of capital equipment in case they apply within a limited period of time per the guidelines from the national BOI.

The project will employ at least 500 people mostly from the locality of Tawi-Tawi.

On top of national taxes the ARMM levies a five percent regional wealth tax for mining in the region.

Mastura said that for this year, RBOI has registered total investments of P2.2 billion with the bulk of investments in agriculture.

It consists of the banana plantation investment of Ekasalam Agriventures amounting to P290 million and ChocoInvest Corporation’s integrated cacao project worth P1.016 billion, both located in Maguindanao province, and lastly, Mina Vida’s investment of P940.5 million in Tawi-Tawi.

“We have had a good run of investments these past few years despite the challenges. Slowly but surely the return to normalcy in the region is encouraging investors to take a second look at our investment prospects,” said Mastura.

Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman lauded the consistent achievement of ARMM’s annual investment targets from the beginning of his term in 2013.

“Hitting our investment target every year for the past five years is proof of the conducive business environment currently prevailing in the ARMM even as we transition to the BOL (Bangsamoro Organic Law),” said Hataman.

The outgoing ARMM governor added that he is hopeful that the incoming Bangsamoro government will continue to carry the ball with BOL just the same in the years to come.


2.7M sacks of rice to be delivered to Zambo, ARMM provinces

By Antonio Colina IV

DAVAO CITY — The government will set aside a total of 2.7 million sacks of rice to Zamboanga Peninsula and the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) amid the reported rice shortages and price increases in basic commodities.

A joint statement of the government’s economic development cluster emailed on September 5 said that at least 4.6 million sacks of rice stored in the warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) will be immediately released while another 2 million sacks previously contracted will be delivered by the end of this month.

The NFA Council has also authorized the importation of 10 million sacks of rice. An initial 5 million sacks will arrive in the country over the next one-and-a-half months while the other half early next year.

Some 12.6 million metric tons of rice equivalent to 252 million sacks are expected to boost the rice supply as the harvest season in many parts of the country has started, the statement read.

The economic cluster consisting of the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Justice (DOJ), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), and some members of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council convened on September 5 to counter increasing food prices.

In addition, economic managers would recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the “issuance of a directive to further simplify and streamline the licensing procedures for rice imports of the NFA” and urged the Senate to immediately pass the rice tariffication bill within the month.

The economic cluster has also recommended the creation of a monitoring team consisting of National Bureau of Investigation, police, DTI, NFA, and farmer groups for surveillance of rice from ports to NFA warehouses and retail outlets.

The country’s inflation rate soared to 6.4% in August 2018, surpassing the 5.7% recorded in July, driven by increases in electricity, gas, fuels, fish, rice, personal transport, vegetables, and meat.

In Mindanao, the inflation rate in the ARMM was at 8.1%; Zamboanga Peninsula, 6.4%; Northern Mindanao, 6.1%; Davao Region, 7.1%; Soccsksargen, 7.9%; and Caraga, 4.8%.

To counter the increasing food prices, the economic cluster has pushed to pursue agricultural reforms to resolve supply issues. It maintained that “a committed effort from government in the agriculture sector to boost supply of key products and introduce policy reforms will bring down prices for all Filipino families.”

“This is supported by the lowest regional inflation rate recorded in the food-abundant and agriculturally-productive Region III (Central Luzon) at 3.6 percent,” it added.

Also, the DA committed to replicate the issuance of certificates of necessity to allow imports to be distributed in the wet markets in the country and work with DTI to convene poultry producers and set up public markets where producers can directly sell to consumers to reduce the gap between the farm gate and retail prices.

The economic cluster also took up the opening of importation of sugar to direct users by the Sugar Regulatory Administration and prioritization of the release of essential fooditems in the ports by the Bureau of Customs.

The economic team also blamed on seasonal weather conditions for the price increases of vegetables and that they expect a relief after the typhoon season.

Sept. 11 holiday in ARMM, other Mindanao parts for Islamic New Year

(Politiko Mindanao)

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has declared September 11 a holiday for the celebration of Amun Jadid or the Islamic New Year in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other parts of Mindanao.

In a Memorandum issued on September 4, NCMF said the specific places covered by the Muslim holiday are the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Cotabato, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian and Zamboanga.

The holiday declaration is pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1083 or the Code of Muslim Personnel Laws of the Philippines, which recognizes Amun Jadid as a Muslim holiday.

All Muslim government officials and employees in places not covered by the law will be excused from reporting to office in order that they may be able to observe Muslim holiday.

The law also provides that the President of the Philippines may, by proclamation, require private offices, agencies or establishments to excuse their Muslim employees from reporting for working during a Muslim holiday without reduction in their usual compensation.

ARMM opens child minding center in Cotabato

By Noel Punzalan (PNA)

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao opened here Thursday a Child Minding Center (CMC) inside the Sharif Kabunsuan Complex, the provisional seat of the region situated in this city.

Lawyer Rasol Mitmug Jr., ARMM education secretary, and Norkhalila Mae Mambuay-Campong, chief of staff of the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG), led the opening of the CMC at the regional library section of the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center building.

The children’s center, an initiative of ORG-ARMM through its gender and development focal point system, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5: p.m. every Monday to Friday.

“I see working ARMM parents bringing their young children to the office because they do not have a place to leave them as they also do not have confidence in the nanny system. Now, we have this child center,” Campong said.

Kamilah Unda, head of the regional library, said the ORG will hire social workers and nurses who will look after the children during their stay in the center, adding that a story-telling activity would also be conducted every Wednesday.

“We could now focus more on our jobs knowing that our children are safe,” Campong said.

Landbank, JICA launch agribusiness loan for Mindanao

(PR)

MANILA -- Landbank President and CEO Alex Buenaventura, Office Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Cotabato Director Wendell Orbeso, Embassy of Japan First Secretary Tetsuharu Mori, and JICA Philippines Senior Representative Yo Ebisawa led the launching of the program called HARVEST.

It is a welcome news at the heels of the recent passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

HARVEST stands for Harnessing Agribusiness opportunities through Robust and Vibrant Entrepreneurship Supportive of peaceful Transformation.

It is a ‎4.928 billion-yen (PHP2.12 billion) official development assistance from JICA that seeks to provide concessional loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), corporatives (plantation farm management services), large agribusiness enterprises, cooperatives, and participating financial institutions in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other conflict-affected neighboring areas.

The five-year relending facility will give private enterprises access to a credit line with Landbank for their capital investments, operations, expansion initiatives, and agriculture-related projects that support agri-related economic activities in the region.

“By improving access to finance and stimulating economic activities, the cooperation aims to help create jobs, improve living standards, and contribute to peace building,” Ebisawa said.

In the Philippines, farmers remain one of the country’s poorest sectors, with poverty incidence as high as 34.3 percent, based on a 2015 report released by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Situations are worse in conflict-affected areas.

"Giving them access to finance will help sustain job creation and raise their productivity through equipment and trainings, while also boosting the region’s agro-industry sector,” Ebisawa added.

Under the program, JICA will provide human resource training and technical assistance to Landbank, agriculture cooperatives, and other participating institutions.

“Through this investment opportunities in agribusiness, we hope to help fuel growth in a region beleaguered by decades-old conflict, and ultimately uplift the quality of lives of our fellow Filipinos in these communities,” Buenaventura said.

Aside from finance support, availers of loans under the HARVEST Project will also be provided with technical assistance in the form of capacity-building trainings, seminars, and market linkage initiatives.

Landbank and JICA signed the loan agreement for the HARVEST Project on Jan. 12, 2017, with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte leading the bilateral signing ceremony held at the Malacañang Palace.

Youth power in Bangsamoro

By Antonio Colina IV

DAVAO CITY – A young Moro leader from Basilan province hopes the newly signed Bangsamoro law would end the decades-long armed conflict, and bring a new era of “peace and progress” in Mindanao.

Moro leader Hatima A. Sahal, 24, brims with optimism while sharing how she wants to engage her fellow Moro youth in changing the “image” of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), most especially in her home province and Marawi City, Lanao del Sur that was destroyed by a five-month armed conflict between the military and Islamic State-inspired Maute Group.

Sahal is a member of a group called Action Bridges Aspiration (ABA), which conducts trainings for students, out-of-school youth, and young professionals in Zamboanga, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi.

“As a Bangsamoro, what I want is for us to have a peace progress and not just peace process always. After the peace talks, there would be implementation and then they would go back to peace talks again even if they have not yet completed what should have been implemented. We feel it becomes a cycle that keeps repeating,” she said.

She is hopeful that the Moro people can move into a real “peace progress” as the development cannot be attained if the Bangsamoro Law remains just like a “concept paper.”

Sahal encouraged her fellow youth to keep their hope amid the growing “disappointment and frustration” stemming from the failed promises, emphasizing the need to continue their participation in the peace-building activities in their communities.

“I hope they would participate and be aware of what’s happening as this is their right as a youth. They are useful even the OSY (out-of-youth), and the old and young.

All of us have the right. If they do not take part, if something happens, they will not understand because they are not informed,” she said.

She said enlisting the youth for peace-building would keep them away from the influence of the terrorist groups.

Work for peace together

She hopes the people will work together to achieve a peaceful Bangsamoro.

She asked: “When do we have the peace progress? When does this end? When do all of us in the ARMM start working for peace?”

“The government is just there but sometimes we cannot also blame the youth if they no longer want to participate because they might feel it wouldn’t be sustained and it would be gone again,” she said.

Sahal urged the youth to “continue doing what is right and continue what our predecessors have started because we cannot start if we do not know our roots and our identity.” She said it’s important that they know their origin to achieve understanding among people in a multi-cultural society.

A member of the Basilan Young Leaders Program in 2015, she knew the work for peace would not be easy because there would always be “misunderstanding.”

“In peace-building, there will be misunderstanding, for example, when you go to the community to give projects and, of course, projects are targeted for specific beneficiaries. But people will tend to ask why only Basilan? Why only Sulu? Why only Tawi-Tawi,” she said.

But she emphasized that it’s important to keep on despite the difficulty and do not promise the youth something that cannot be done or sustained.

“Some people are afraid of us. ‘They are Muslims.’ We cannot avoid that because it’s what they see on social media. We wish that one day nobody would be afraid of us because everyone is welcome in our home. They can visit us in our place,” she said.

She shared that her province of Basilan has quite a number of beautiful destinations and a melting pot of diverse Moro, Christians, and Lumad cultures.

“In ARMM, there are so many things that we lack. Like our heroes, we are not taught in schools who they are,” she said.

She cited the importance of incorporating in “peace education” the rich history of the Bangsamoro, narratives, and heroes in schools.

Growing up, she felt bad the youth knew nothing much about the heroes in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur,and Maguindanao.

“We consider ourselves leaders but who are our great leaders? Who are they? What are their stories?” she said.

Water tank project launched in Marawi

By John Unson (philstar.com)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Residents of two conflict-stricken barangays in Marawi City now have additional water supply facilities built with the help of private benefactors.

Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. said Saturday they launched early this week the 20,000-liter stainless water tank projects for internally-displaced families in Barangays Pagasa and Buadi Itowa in Marawi City.

The projects were joint humanitarian interventions of the Lanao del Sur provincial government, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation and the Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc.

“We ought to thank these two private entities for helping provide IDPs in Marawi City with clean water that they need every day,” Adiong said Saturday.

Adiong said the new water systems will help ensure good health of children, the most vulnerable to water-borne diseases.

No fewer than 300,000 villagers in Marawi City were displaced by the May 23 to Oct. 16, 2017 conflict there that combined Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists instigated.

The five-month hostilities resulted in the deaths of hundreds, among them dozens of soldiers and police personnel, and left old historic Maranaos dwelling enclaves in ruins.

The government is still to fully rebuild Marawi City from devastation.

Adiong said they are also to focus, along with the Task Force Bangon Marawi, a series of community water management and hygiene trainings under the Marawi City Water Sanitation and Hygiene Masterplan.

Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The ARMM government awarded last month to beneficiaries dozens of core shelters in Marawi City it constructed for Maranao IDPs.

The executive department of ARMM has also been helping communities affected by last year’s conflict in Marawi City through its Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment program.

The program is being implemented in all of ARMM’s five provinces --- Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur in mainland Mindanao and the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi --- by the office of Gov. Mujiv Hataman, the chief executive of the autonomous region.

The Lanao del Sur provincial government and the office of Hataman also recently embarked on a “people’s day” outreach mission in Marawi City, facilitated by the ARMM government’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team.

Adiong said he is grateful to all government and private entities that have continuously been helping thousands of IDPs in Marawi City and nearby Lanao del Sur towns.

Maguindanao health program to benefit 10K patients

By Edwin Fernandez (PNA)

COTABATO CITY -- Health officials in Maguindanao are expecting to serve more than 10,000 indigent patients during a four-day “Gamutang Pangkalahatan,” a medical-dental mission that started Tuesday.

Dr. Tahir Sulaik, Maguindanao health director, said people from 36 municipalities of Maguindanao are eligible to avail of health services, including major surgical operations, at the Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) and at the Maguindanao provincial hospital situated in Shariff Aguak town.

Sulaik said this is the third year of the “Gamutang Pangkalahatan,” where more than a dozen government and private physicians converge at the provincial hospital to offer free health services to indigent patients.

“We also conduct mobile health services but major surgical operations are to be done at the hospital in Shariff Aguak,” Sulaik told reporters Wednesday.

Sulaik said the program, his brainchild, aims to provide better health services to the province’s poorest of the poor - in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. The health services also cater to patients from nearby provinces of Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.

“We even have patients from South Cotabato and Lanao del Sur,” Sulaik said, adding that government health services recognize no boundaries.

The IPHO services include major and minor surgical operations, blood donation, dental services, free checkup and distribution of free medicine, pregnancy test, CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray services and many others.

The opening of the Aug. 28-31 outreach program was highlighted by the soft opening of the Hemodialysis Unit inside the Maguindanao provincial hospital.

12,000 households in the ARMM to receive core shelters

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

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)-- About 12,000 households in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will receive core shelters from the regional government’s anti-poverty program.

The move is to improve shelter and living conditions of poor families here, government sources said.

The 7,000 family-beneficiaries in 2018 and 5,000 in 2017 are recipients of ARMM’s Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment (ARMM-BRIDGE), or ‘Apat na Dapat’ program that combats poverty and uplifts the living condition of the poorest households through the provision of basic needs.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman led the groundbreaking ceremony of housing projects and distribution of food supplies in the towns of Matanog, Buldon, and Barira in Maguindanao on August 23.

He also led the ceremonial breaking of the ground for shelter projects in Barangays Pura and Matuber in Datu Blah Sinsuat on August 22. Gov. Hataman said through the BRIDGE program, beneficiaries will soon move into secure homes since among the basic needs of these families is decent housing.

For 2018, the regional government earmarked roughly Php2.9 billion for 7,000 family-beneficiaries.

About 5,000 households in the region benefited from Php1.9 billion allocated under the program in 2017.

Each beneficiary will receive a core shelter in a 120 square-meter lot, food supplies for six months, livelihood training, water and sanitation, and electricity.

Official data from the ARMM-BRIDGE showed that Php2.2 billion is intended for housing projects, Php94 million for water systems, Php180 million for the supply of electricity, Php320 million for food supplies, Php140 million for livelihood, and Php25 million for hygiene kit.

Saira Macauyag, a mother of seven and a beneficiary in Barangay Poblacion in Barira, said she is excited to live in their new home as they currently stay in an abandoned house.

“Matagal ko na pong pangarap na magkaroon ng sariling bahay kaya kapag natapos na po ito, isang katuparan po ito ng pangarap namin (I have been dreaming to have my own house so when this ends, this will be a realization of our dream),” Macauyag said.

For their daily living, Macauyag’s sons are helping her in harvesting corn. “Swerte na po kung may dalawang libo kaming kita mula sa pagha-harvest ng mais sa isang buwan, kaya malaking tulong po talaga ang food supplies ng ARMM-BRIDGE sa amin (It is already lucky to earn around Php2,000 from our corn harvest in a month. Thus, the food supplies from the ARMM-BRIDGE is really a big help to us),” she shared.

Under the livelihood component, her barangay will receive a mini-grocery store and a vegetable production project.

“Masaya kami kasi nakikita talaga namin ang malaking pagbabago sa aming lugar, may maayos na rin kaming kalsada dito, pabahay at marami pang iba (We are very happy because there is really a big change in our area, we now have a good road, housing project and more),” she added.

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