National government virtually takes over ARMM fund use

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The national government has virtually taken control over the financial resources of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

This as Malacañang has not named officers-in-charge for the region, after the Supreme Court ordered ARMM incumbents to stay in their posts in a hold-over capacity pending final resolution on the constitutionality of a law that postponed the ARMM elections to 2013.

The fate of the ARMM now hinges on a final ruling by the high tribunal, but Interior and Local Government Secretary Jessie Robredo said governmental operations should not be stalled for long, even with a pending motion for reconsideration, filed by petitioners opposed to the law, which also reset the region’s election to May 2013 from last September.

But constituents say the absenteeism by many heads of offices have led to a virtual Malacañang takeover. Only a handful of high officials, including the executive secretary, are seen reporting to office.

As early as October, the national government has been giving instructions directly to local government units (LGUs) concerning the funds, through the national line agencies, according to local officials.

Explaining the frequent absences of agency heads, ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo said regional secretaries have been busy coordinating with national agencies on their programs of expenditures for an P8.5-billion stimulus fund, intended mostly for infrastructure programs, including national roads, school buildings and health centers.

Both Sinarimbo and Ali Macabalang, the region’s information director, confirmed that partial releases of the stimulus funds by the Department of Budget and Management was being decided on collectively by a Cabinet Cluster, headed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Macabalang said a national decision to release ARMM funds, either directly to provincial LGUs, or through the regional agencies, enjoying the confidence of their Manila counterparts, effectively reinstated a national government control of ARMM’s new financial resources.

Among other functions, the regional subsidiary offices here are supposed to serve as receivers and sub-allocators of national funds for payable obligations, including workers’ salaries and benefits, and mainly government programs implemented by ARMM regional agencies and LGUs.

Macabalang said absenteeism by most ARMM cabinet members even fanned speculations that some of them would not be making a proper accounting of government resources in their care.  But Sinarimbo promptly assured the ARMM residents of a “complete accountability turnover report to the last centavo by the Adiong administration,” referring to the 606 days of tenure of Ansarudding Adiong as acting governor of ARMM, from being vice-governor.

Sinarimbo explained that an apparent rush by the national government to release the huge fund was crucial in its commitment to and compliance with World Bank’s conditionality on the country’s stimulus loan package, intended to improve rural infrastructure facilities and strengthen poverty reduction programs to instill economic investments.

But of nine regional secretaries whose agencies are involved in the implementation of the multi-billion-peso program, only ARMM Health Secretary Kadil Sinolinding Jr. has publicly declared receiving P800 million of P1.3 billion earmarked by the national Department of Health to acquire additional medical equipment and health facilities for the region’s five integrated provincial health offices, and rural health centers.

Sinolinding said his office has been expecting the remaining balance of P500 million, from the office of Health Secretary Enrique Ona, upon the completion by the region’s health department of programs and projects corresponding to the first release, in 2012.

A bulk of the funds will be released directly to LGUs or local government units, depending on the recommendation of the DILG for urgency of local infrastructure programs.

Aside from the Department of Health, Governors Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao and Sadicul Sahali of Tawi-Tawi, said the national government had also committed to their provinces their shares of releases of the stimulus funds for roads and schools.

Mangudadatu said the Maguindanao LGU has programmed the use of P1.2 billion for roads and classrooms.

He said the provincial government has started retraining teachers for the yearly board examinations, so that only eligible mentors could run 1,000 more classrooms planned by the LGU to be funded with Maguindanao’s share of the stimulus package.