ARMM distributes PHP11.3-M educational, livelihood aid to students, coops

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 8): ARMM distributes PHP11.3-M educational, livelihood aid to students, (MNLF) coops

To improve educational system and empower students, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has distributed PHP11.3 million worth of educational and livelihood assistance to students and cooperatives in the region, officials on Tuesday said.

The aid extended is under the government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program of the region.

Dong Anayatin, PAMANA-ARMM program manager, said about 759 students received educational assistance amounting to PHP10,000 each for college students and PHP5,000 each for high school students. The beneficiaries are children, or immediate relatives, of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members in Maguindanao and Sulu.

According to Anayatin, the educational assistance was from the region's 2014 budget. He said it was a one-time grant and the beneficiaries were extensively chosen and recommendations of MNLF cooperative chairpersons were considered.

Under the program, Anayatin said ARMM is aiming to help 3,200 college students and 2,073 high school students across the region. Other beneficiaries will get their educational assistance before the year ens.

One of the beneficiary, Najma Dimaporo, 17, a resident of Matanog, Maguindanao, said that she will use the educational assistance she received for her school fees.

"I will use the assistance for my enrollment. Because of this, we can save money and I can help my family,” she told reporters.

"I hope the ARMM government continue this initiative to help more people,” said Dimaporo who is a first year student of the Cotabato City State Polytechnic College taking Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English.

Anayatin said the livelihood assistance was composed of 11 units of six-wheeler hauler trucks. These were given to three cooperatives in Maguindanao and eight cooperatives in Sulu.

Anayatin identified the cooperative-beneficiaries as MNLF Agribusiness Cooperative, Ganasi Kandalamdinga Marketing Cooperative, and Malangit MNLF Farmers Marketing Cooperative in Maguindanao; and Buhanginan Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative, Sahabat Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative, Kausawan Agricultural Producers Cooperative, Shareif Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative, Buansa Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative, Suba-Suba Producers Cooperative, Bandang Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative, and Darayan Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative in Sulu.

Datu Halun Amilussin, 64, representative of Buansa Agri-Marine Producers Cooperative in Indanan, Sulu, said the hauler-truck his group received will help uplift the lives of the people in his barangay.

"We will use the truck to help small businesses in our barangay. Most of us are jobless and this will help not only our cooperative but also our barangay,” said Datu Halun.

Datu Halun is a father of eight and has been an MNLF member for decades. He thanked ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman for this initiative. "We would like to thank Governor Hataman for this project. We have waited long and this is the first time that we receive such project since the creation of our cooperative in 2011,” he said.

The livelihood assistance was implemented by the region’s Agriculture and Fisheries Department (DAF-ARMM). He said that it is a continuing activity of partner agencies in the region.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman with Anayatin, and Atty. Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary and concurrent officer-in-charge of DAF-ARMM, led the distribution of educational and livelihood assistance on December 3 at this city’s ARMM compound.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=835480