DAR-ARMM strengthens project implementation partnerships to benefit ARBs

• Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1661441092245/dar-armm-strengthens-project-implementation-partnerships-to-benefit-arbs-
• Tuesday, September 1, 2015

(IEroy/PBChangco-PIA Cotabato City)

COTABATO CITY, Sept. 1 (PIA) –A number of municipal agrarian reform officers (MAROs) in the province of Maguindanao and partner line agencies attended the 3rd Regular Meeting of the Provincial CARP Implementation Team (PCIT), Thursday, August 27 in this city.

Out of the five component provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), only Maguindanao has its own PCIT.

The PCIT aims to sustain and strengthen the strong partnership between agrarian reform officers and other agencies to help address the land problems and challenges facing agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the said province.

According to ARMM’s agrarian reform sec. Amihilda Sangcopan, the agency is undertaking social preparations in the areas covered by humanitarian development action plan (HDAP) for 2015.

“We requested Php 120 million for the implementation of the said project in Maguindanao. It would benefit the 11 municipalities and 10 ARCs and it is funded under PAMANA funds,” Sangcopan said.

“I believed that HDAP project is the holistic package that we could deliver to them,” Sangcopan added.

The HDAP project covers the provision of common service facilities such as scholarship for children of ARBs that would take courses of BS Agriculture, BS Agro-Economics/Agro-Business, Agro-Forestry and Agricultural Engineering; and provision of social infrastructure, she said.

Sangcopan emphasized, every province in the autonomous region is promising in terms of agrarian reforms and Maguindanao really has a promising land for all the residents urging each and every personnel to continue working hand in hand for the betterment of the province and the ARMM as a whole.

The official issued a directive to all other provincial agrarian reform officers (PAROs) to create their own PCIT to assist the beneficiaries in their respective provinces to help achieve government’s goal of improving quality of life among farmers through the agrarian reform program.

Meanwhile, Maguindanao’s PARO Hadja Bai Cabayan Bacar said they will turn-over on September 11 the completed 6-km concrete road in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao for the easy transport of the agricultural products of agrarian reform beneficiaries to trading centers.

“The World Bank also signified their interest to be our partner for the balot and salted egg project in Kabuntalan – this will give extra income to our beneficiaries,” she added.

The DAR-ARMM is set to conduct the 1st Regional ARB Congress here on September 9, 2015.