Japan provides solar power in Bangsamoro

MANILA --- The Japanese government is providing at least USD2.12 million for the provision of solar power generation systems in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The "Project for the Capacity Building of Bangsamoro Transition Authority for Strengthening Health Care Services in Remote Islands," an initiative focused on Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi, will be implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and is seen to help health facilities in the provinces reduce daytime electricity costs as well as running costs incurred in the use of diesel-fueled generators.

Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and IOM Chief of Mission Kristin Marie Dadey signed last February 24 the exchange of notes at the Japan Embassy in Manila.

Dadey thanked Tokyo for the assistance, saying the project would contribute to promoting peace and prosperity in the region as she cited the “hundreds of thousands of Moros” who have been migrating for decades to escape conflict and poverty.

Donor agencies pledge to continue carrying out initiatives for BARMM

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS --- MILF Implementing Panel chair Mohagher Iqbal (2nd from left front row) in a photo session with personalities of donor agencies that continue to support the Bangsamoro peace process. (PHOTO SUPPLIED, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

COTABATO CITY --- International donor agencies reaffirmed their strong support to the Bangsamoro peace process, as they pledged to continue carrying out initiatives that will help unleash the full economic potential of the region and bring long-lasting peace to its people said a report by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) last February 18. Cick above to read more.....

This was the upbeat atmosphere here last February 21 during the Bangsamoro Friends Forum co-organized by the Embassy of Japan (EoJ) and the United Nations (UN), with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said the report.

The gathering of donor agencies along with officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) aimed to update stakeholders on key developments in the Bangsamoro, as well as identify the major challenges confronting the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and propose ways to best address them.

FB page as info venue

COTABATO CITY --- A city official here has urged village chairpersons to make use of social media to inform the public about the services available for them and the programs the village government is implementing for its residents.

City Administrator Danda Juanday issued the appeal to all 37 village chairpersons during a meeting last February 25 where the memorandum of the Department of the Interior and Local Government on road clearing was discussed. 

“Use the social media in informing our people about what you are doing, almost everybody now is in the social media,” he said in an interview over local radio station following the meeting.

While most, if not all village chairpersons and other village officials have Facebook (FB) accounts, Juanday said it is also necessary for them to come up with an official FB page so all the announcements, bidding of projects, hiring of employees, emergency notices, and pronouncements from their respective village government can be posted.

However, the village officials were reminded to only use the official Barangay FB page as a venue for information and not for disinformation or attacking other personalities.

“Many government offices, aside from maintaining a website, have also FB accounts,” Juanday said.

A study showed that as of 2019, at least 76 million Filipinos have FB accounts. (EDWIN FERNANDEZ & NOEL PUNZALAN,  PNA - COTABATO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')