Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
defended their proposed regional budget for 2017 in the House of
Representatives on Tuesday.
They presented the budget in a pre-plenary hearing led by
Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, vice chairperson for the committee on
appropriations.
Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman wasted no time as he
addressed the observations and recommendations of the national Commission on
Audit (COA) regarding the ARMM budget pegged at Php 40.573 billion, the biggest
budget proposal in the history of the region.
“We acknowledge the COA report and we have a response for
every comment on our budget,” said Hataman, also noting that the regional
government has already complied with the audit observation of the COA.
Coordination and accountability
Hataman noted the region’s policy recommendations regarding
the disparity between the regional agencies and their national counterparts
when it comes to keeping track of the realities on ground.
He cited the disparity between the national Department of
Education (DepEd)’s Learner Information System (LIS) and the regional DepEd’s
actual headcount (AHC) as an example.
This disparity, Hataman said, translates to a mismatch
between the needs of the region national DepEd’s allocation for teachers and
school buildings.
“If the budget allocation for teachers and buildings in the
ARMM depends on the national LIS and the ARMM has no recommendatory power, this
leads to a problem for which the ARMM is held liable and yet has no
jurisdiction over,” Hataman noted.
“We need a policy to correct this disparity, and it is
within the power of the policy makers here present,” he added.
Transparency through innovation
The existing road network and infrastructure system of the
ARMM is a source of pride for the regional government.
“The DPWH we inherited from past administrations had no
clear data on road networks,” Hataman said.
“This is why we decided to hire consultants and, with the
help of the regional Department on Public Works and Highways (DPWH-ARMM),
studied our existing road networks and made sure to update our database every
time we begin and finish a new project,” he added.
The e-ARMM database of DPWH-ARMM consolidates all existing
information and is updated regularly using geotags, drone technology, and real
time updates from the ground.
“We use the technology available to us not only so we can
keep track of our progress, but so that the public can access the information
and work with the government in making sure that our infrastructure is sound.
That’s how transparent the ARMM is now,” said Don Mustapha Loong, DPWH-ARMM
secretary.
Poverty Alleviation
Akbayan representative Tomasito Villarin was first to
interpellate the ARMM officials on the proposed budget and questioned the
persistence of poverty in the region despite the annual increase in budget for
the ARMM in recent years.
“The context is very different in the ARMM and the
prevalence of conflict bears heavily on our development agenda,” said Hataman.
He then explained that the regional government has
consistently allocated the recent increases in the regional budget to capital
outlay, including programs such as the Apat na Dapat program which are designed
specifically to uplift the poorest of the poor in the ARMM.
“We have three main strategies in addressing poverty in the
ARMM which includes strengthening our rural economy, developing our
infrastructure, and supporting the peace process while helping to address the
roots of conflict in the region,” Hataman said.
The governor also emphasized the role of the local
government units in addressing poverty.
Local governance
“The local government units are key actors because they are
the ones at the frontlines,” he added.
Hataman pointed out that local government units under the
ARMM have a combined internal revenue allocation of at least Php 15 billion
annually.
“Some LGUs are not using their IRA to provide basic social services
to their constituents which include repair and maintenance of school buildings
such as the ones in Sulu,” Hataman said.
“This is stipulated in the Local Government Code, along with
the provision that the 20% development fund of their IRA can be utilized
specifically for anti-poverty measures,” he added.
Hataman made an appeal to the LGUs to take action. “We in
the ARMM cannot do this alone; they cannot just rely on the regional
government. The LGUs themselves need to utilize their IRA if we want to help
the poorest of the poor among our constituents,” he said.
Hataman also reiterated the role of congress as policy
makers in finding solutions for these issues.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=927028
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