5 more former execs return to ARMM Cabinet

UNENDING WORK --- ARMM's reappointed education secretary, John Magno (right), presides a meeting of school superintendents after his return to the same post last week. (Contributed by media partner)

COTABATO CITY --- Five more former regional secretaries in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are back to help Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman govern ARMM’s five provinces.

Hataman also named last week a scion of the Maguindanaon nobility, Atty. Kirby Abdullah, as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government-ARMM.      

Copies of the appointments of ophthalmologist Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., Myra Borja Mangkabung, psychologist John Magno,  and Engr. Don Loong as health, science and technology, education, and public works secretaries, respectively, were obtained by this paper’s media partner last Thursday from the Office of the Regional Governor, touted as the “Little Malacañang” of the ARMM.

They were all asked by Hataman to file their courtesy resignations last month for him to have a free hand in organizing a regional Cabinet needed to help him manage the ARMM government, operating under a constitutionally-mandated charter, Republic Act 9054.

Hataman also designated last week his deputy, Regional Vice Governor Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman, as regional social welfare secretary.

Lucman will manage the Department of Social Welfare and Development-ARMM on concurrent capacity.

Hataman and Lucman, as the region’s highest and second highest officials, respectively, can both act as regional secretaries of chosen departments while performing their duties as elected executives.

The multi-awarded Sinolinding, an Indian-trained eye surgeon, started his medical career as a government “doctor to the barrio” in the municipality of Pagalungan in the second district of Maguindanao.

Sinolinding, Magno, Mangkabung, and Loong had all served as members of the ARMM regional Cabinet during the first term of Hataman, which lasted from June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2016.

Abdullah, a great grandson of the late Datu Udtog Matalam, post-World War II governor of what was then geographically large Empire Province of Cotabato, helped Hataman oversee the operations of the Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team during the period.

He passed the Philippine Bar Examination in 2008 and became a full-fledged practicing lawyer on April 29, 2009.

Lucman was ARMM’s social welfare secretary during his first term as regional vice governor. He and Hataman were both elected to a second term during the May 9, 2016 regional polls.

Hataman also reinstated Cris Gaerlan, a political analyst and an expert on Maranaw culture and traditions, as deputy director of ARMM's Bureau of Public Information, under reappointed executive director Amir Mawallil, a print journalist.

Magno, an industrial psychologist by profession, is popular for having helped Hataman improve the Department of Education-ARMM, touted as the most corrupt agency in the region during the time of past regional governors.

DepEd-ARMM was then plagued by ghost teachers and non-existent schools anomalously used as conduits for releases of operating funds from the department’s coffer.

The agency now boasts of having about 3,000 duly-licensed teachers in its ranks, assigned in far-flung areas in the region’s five provinces, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both in mainland Mindanao, and the islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.

DepEd-ARMM also has jurisdiction over schools in the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, the provincial capitals of Lanao del Sur and Basilan, respectively.

Loong, a civil engineer, is credited for his hands-on involvement in Hataman’s infrastructure projects in the autonomous region during the first term of the governor.

Records from state auditors and cooperating non-government civil society blocs indicate that Loong and Hataman have had infrastructure feats never accomplished by past administrations.

The Department of Public Works and Highways-ARMM had constructed new and repaired a total of 1,509 kilometers of roads criss-crossing the towns in the ARMM provinces from 2013 to 2015.

Besides having built 46 water supply facilities in different towns in the past three years, the DPWH-ARMM had also constructed more than a dozen seaports in Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi during the period. (Contributed by media partner – Mindanao Expose’)

DSA mayor concentrates on projects than rumors

PEACE THOUGHTS --- Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom and Vice Mayor Anida A. Dimaukom implant peace to municipal government officials and personnel as well as constituents by offering a “boddle fight” following the celebration of 2016 Eid’l Fitr. (Photo by Anne B. Acosta)

“There is nothing I can do as it is already posted on the facebook,”  quipped Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom of Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao, referring to rumors that he is alluded as one of the drug lords in the province, “which I’m not, neither a cigarette smoker nor an illegal drug sniffer, not even a pusher or manufacturer of such stuff.”

“The only thing that I can do is let it go and we already know the facts… my lawyer has already filed a case of cyber-crime,” he told the Mindanao Expose’.

The controversy does not deter or frustrate the mayor in pursuing and implementing projects that will help develop the town he serves following his re-election.

One of his administration’s project is the establishment of a housing site to relocate families residing along the highway. The resettlement is already half-way of implementation stage with surplus units to accommodate some hundred families.

The resettlement site is located back of the Pink Masjid (mosque). The Sangguniang Bayan has given the go signal to demolish the old settlement site for the transfer of the residents at the new site. Part of the plan is putting up a Children’s Park.

Another project is the proposed 60-kilometer Datu Saudi Ampatuan to Timanan, South Upi highway in an effort to link up more towns for trade exchanges and productivity expansion other than travel. (Anne B. Acosta)

SHINING BRIGHT

City Vice Mayor Atty. Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi proudly holding the plaque that Cotabato City has received being the FIRST PLACE IN GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY out of all the COMPONENT CITIES in the Philippines, as awarded by the National Competitive Council during the 14th Annual Regional Competitiveness Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center.

This is truly a proud and an honorable moment that we are sharing to all our fellow Cotabateños. Being the top performer when it comes to Government Efficiency only means that your City Government is doing a good job in upholding the rights of every Cotabateño and in making sure that everyone is given the best of services.

With this recognition, your city government is further challenged to do more not just for future awards but more importantly, for achieving our vision of a more peaceful and progressive Cotabato City.

Congratulations and Sigay ka, Cotabato City! (Courtesy City Government of Cotabato – Mindanao Expose’)

The Most Competitive Cities and Municipalities

The City of Cotabato once again makes waves in the field of business and governance as it is one of the TOP 3 Component Cities in the whole country in the annual search for the Most Competitive Cities and Municipalities.

Attending the 4th Regional Competitiveness Summit is Cotabato City Vice Mayor Atty. Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, together with some of the city's councilors and city government employees who played a key role during the data gathering for the said search.

As of now, July 14, the city's representatives are waiting for the result of the search as it is a surprise and will be announced in a short while.

Last year, Cotabato City landed on the TOP 4 spot for the same search and has also topped in Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency and Infrastructure.

The Most Competitive City Award, together with the other awards that the city has received in the recent years, is only a BONUS to the bigger achievement that the Guiani administration has brought to Cotabato City.

Billions worth of investments have been pouring in since the year 2011. Crime rates have also dramatically decreased and the confidence of investors, both local and foreign, had skyrocketed, resulting to more establishments and more job opportunities for all the Cotabateños.

Cotabato City still has a long way to go, with all the untapped potential that it has when it comes to different types of investments. But with the strong will and determination of our leaders, coupled with the cooperation of every Cotabateño, Cotabato City can truly make it and be at par with the highly urbanized cities in the Philippines. (Halima K. Satol-Ibrahim/Mindanao Expose’)

2016 SGLG Review and Calibration

The ARMM's Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) conducted, July 13, 2016, a review and calibration of the qualifications of the 83 target local government units (LGUs) being considered for the 2016 Regional Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).

The activity was held in Cotabato City and aimed to ensure the quality of the data gathered from the initial assessment results of the LGUs that passed the 2015 post-compliance assessment and which qualified for the 2016 SGLG.

It was participated in by DILG-ARMM provincial directors, SGLG provincial focal persons and the SGLG regional team.

(Bureau of Public Information-Mindanao Expose’)

OCD-ARMM GATHERS EMERGENCY RESPONSE CLUSTER ON MULTI-HAZARD SIMULATION DRILL

Datu Odin Sinsuat, MAGUINDANAO- The Office of Civil Defense-ARMM gathered once more today, 14 July 2016 members of “Emergency Response Cluster” of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-ARMM and other partners for a tabletop exercise in pursuit to the upcoming conduct of “Multi-Hazard Simulation Drill” slated to take place sometime in the first week of August 2016.

Ron Aray, DOH-ARMM HEMS Focal, said that before anything else, the cluster should identify first the capacity of each and every responder.

“This is a pre-requisite since we are going to utilize the Incident Command System (ICS) approach," said Aray.

Engr. Amier Ashan Aplal, OCD-ARMM Operations Section Chief, has detailed in the meeting the two (2) phases of the drill, the earthquake and the scenario.

“Earthquake includes alarm and response, evacuation, assembly and headcount. For the Pre-Scenario Preparation (Set up the EOC and ICS), these include the establishment of a command, the Incident Command Post (ICP), staging area, triage area and other emergency post, and the communication post. We will activate the Response Cluster together with the Rapid Emergency Telecommunications Team (RETT) Composition” said Aplal.

Meanwhile, Aplal discussed the upcoming scenarios which include Mass Casualty, Fire Incident, and Civil Disturbance.

“In the Mass Casualty Scenario, at least 622, 257 individuals will be affected after seven (7) coastal municipalities including Cotabato city will suffer a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. Covering the wounded, we are going to list down how many victims should we have in identified locatiions and take note who will take the lead as first responders and how many are they.,” said Aplal.

As for the “Dead and Missing”, DILG-ARMM DRRM Focal Mauricio Civiles said the cluster shall identify how many victims should there be in selected identified areas.

“The protocol for the Management of Dead and Missing (MDM) shall be arranged. We will also prepare body bags,” said Civiles.

In the event of a Fire Incident, Aplal said they will identify multiple fire scenario locations and check on equipment and personnel’s availability.

“We are going to extract victims from burning buildings. We will also be hands-on in the application of fire extinguisher and other fire suppressing equipment for the Office of the Regional Governor employees,” said Aplal.

As for the Civil Disturbance scenario, Aplal said they possibly will simulate a riot and identify what needs to be done.

Myrna J. Angot, OIC of the Office of Civil Defense-ARMM, said the drill is significant for there is a growing necessity of preventing hazards from having such a devastating impact and that enhancing the resilience of the community in disasters like earthquake and tsunami is a responsibility of all authorities and stakeholders involved.

“When we are prepared, not only lives and property can be saved, but a more effective emergency management will also be enabled,” Angot said.

Further, the drill also conforms with the national government’s four-point plan on disaster preparedness specifically on public information, education, communication and disaster response. It was simultaneously done in government and non-government offices, and selected schools and establishments around the country.

It is aimed at increasing and ensuring the safety of the people during and after the earthquake; evacuation of the affected constituents, with focus on women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities and in providing medical assistance and relief; train participants on the proper action and response during an earthquake; and assess various elements of the response plan designed by the government’s disaster management committee.

The activity is still in accordance to the National Disaster Consciousness Month 2016 that carries the theme “"Kahandaan at Pagtugon sa Sakuna, Tungkulin ng Bawat Isa". (Gilmhar A. Lao-Mindanao Expose’)