President Aquino enumerates gains from Mindanao peace

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 10): President Aquino enumerates gains from Mindanao peace

President Benigno Aquino III spelled out the dividends of peace over the past six years in Mindanao as the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hammered a deal for lasting peace in the region.

During the launch of the book “Junctures, Selected Speeches and Statements” by OPPAP, the President said the government has worked to provide critical support to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as both sides iron out a peace deal.

For infrastructure, from 2011 to 2016, the national and regional governments invested a total of Php61.64 billion in roads, bridges, and flood control projects in the region, compared to just around Php11 billion from 2005 to 2010, he said.

Among these projects include the long-awaited Basilan Circumferential Road, which began construction in the year 2000, as well as the improvement of eight ports and two airports to promote regional connectivity.

The government has also intensified the implementation of 4Ps program whose coverage in the region has skyrocketed, from 37,564 households as of June 2010 to 442,924 under present administration.

The government also improved education and healthcare in the region. From 2011 to 2015, it has built 5,018 classrooms in ARMM. Through TESDA, the administration also provided skills training programs to around 25,000 beneficiaries in ARMM.

To address the shortage of medical professionals in the rural areas, it deployed 109 doctors, 3,855 nurses, 300 midwives, 22 dentists, and 78 public health associates from 2011 to 2015.

On top of this, the government also expanded access to electricity—electrifying 846 target sitios from July 2011 to March 2016.

“We’ve talked to the communities to ask about their most pressing needs, and -- from 2013 to 2015 -- have funded a total of 1,133 poverty reduction projects in ARMM, totaling Php2.60 billion. These projects include the provision of livelihood opportunities, potable water supply, medicine, and shelter assistance,” the President said.

A more transparent government also resulted to more investors coming to the region, he said.

With the use of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website in publishing all bid notices, BOI-ARMM approved investments in the region have increased from Php87.9 million in 2010, to Php6.58 billion in 2015 alone.

From 2010 to 2015, total investments amounted to Php14.3 billion, according to the President.

He told the attendees of the book launch that there will be more good news if the country continue along the road to a true and lasting peace.

“This is the right path. It is a path that has benefited those in the margins; and it is a path that heals the fractures within the country we share,” he said. “And the message that we now send to our countrymen is: We must continue along this path.”

Thursday’s book launch tells the journey that the government has taken in the past six years, fully aware that the journey is ongoing -- that there are more challenges that both sides must overcome.

The President said he is hopeful that the the book will remind Filipinos of the successes that the country has enjoyed by talking peace noting it may also stand as an enduring symbol of the country’s restored faith in one another.

“I truly believe that our combined efforts can bring about a Mindanao -- and a Philippines -- that is free from conflict, one that we can be proud to bequeath to future generations,” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=893870