12 towns in ARMM to get monthly financial aid

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government has set aside a total of P6 million in financial aid every month starting January to at least 12 towns that did not have Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).

Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said the towns of Saidona Mustapha, Datu Hofer, Datu Salibo, Anggal Midtimbang, Blah Sinsuat, Mangudadatu, Pandag, and Northern Kabuntalan, all in Maguindanao; and Akbar, Al-Barka, Hadji Muhtamad, and Mohammad Ajul, all of Basilan had been disqualified from receiving IRA for reported failure to satisfy the requirements set by The Local Government Code.

The said towns were created one after another by the ARMM’s Regional Legislative Assembly starting in 2006.

“These towns failed to meet the criteria set for creating municipalities under RA 7160, otherwise known as `The Local Government Code of 1991. The discrepancy has disqualified these regionally-established towns from receiving IRA,” Alamia said.

It was not immediately known what the regional government intended to do with these towns, considering that their existence is now considered void, but Alamia said for the whole year, a total of P72 million has been programmed for them.

Each town would be receiving at least P500,000 each month but the money was not for salaries but was “intended to help local government units improve governance and hasten implementation of government programs and projects in their respective municipalities.”

“But they (LGUs) have to work for this by religiously reporting to the office. It is not for salaries but for priority projects that have to be approved and closely monitored for proper implementation,” she added.

Maguindanao Assemblyman Khadafi Mangudadatu said the 12 towns have been receiving subsidies since their creation.

“It stopped when the finding they did not satisfy requirements set for creation of towns came out,” he said.

Mangudadatu said what the regional government was trying to address now is the failure of governance in these towns as a review of the qualification of each of them to become municipalities was still being undertaken.