‘Manna’ for ARMM came from DAP, says Deles

Teresita Deles, presidential assistant on the peace process. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The P8.5-billion “stimulus fund” for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which many had regarded as manna from heaven in 2011, came from the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) of Malacañang.

Teresita Deles, presidential assistant on the peace process, earlier explained that the stimulus fund was drawn from the President’s purse, on top of the P11.8-billion regular annual budget of the ARMM.

The autonomous government, however, has no direct control over the stimulus fund which is ostensibly meant to help ramp up development in the impoverished ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Although the funds were intended for the ARMM, “the autonomous government’s role is just to monitor how development-related projects and programs are being implemented,” Rasol Mitmug Jr., the ARMM asistant executive secretary and a former regional legislative assembly speaker, said on Wednesday.

And while the ARMM governor’s office is tasked with monitoring project implementation, “it’s the role of the Commission on Audit to report the nitty-gritty of the expenditures,” said ARMM Vice Gov. Haroun al-Rashid Lucman Jr., who is also the regional social welfare secretary.

Electric co-op got P200M

Recipient agencies of the ARMM stimulus fund include the regional offices of public works and highways, health, agriculture, science and technology, interior and local government, transportation and communications, energy, among others.

“Even the electric cooperative in Tawi-Tawi has been allotted P200 million out of the P1 billion share of the province,” said Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali.

Deles said the Payapa and Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program of her office, in close collaboration with the DSWD, had been allotted P1.9 billion for security, rehabilitation and livelihood in strife-torn ARMM communities.

Emil Sadain, the ARMM public works secretary, said the reconstruction of the 64-kilometer portion of the Ramos national highway from Parang, Maguindanao, to Malabang, Lanao del Sur, costing P2.8 billion was undertaken by the DPWH regional offices of western, northern and central Mindanao.

“We just monitor the project implementation,” Sadain said.

He said major repairs of some dilapidated bridges and provincial roads in the five provinces of the ARMM were also being funded by the stimulus fund.