ARMM gov Hataman: I delivered reform, good governance

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY, Philippines–In his last state of the region address as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Mujiv Hataman declared on Monday afternoon that his leadership met objectives in the areas of reform, good governance and better security in preparation for the creation of the Bangsamoro government.

“I did not fail you,” Hataman said in his speech.

To show that the ARMM government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been working together in building peace in the region, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal and presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles attended the gathering at the Office of the Regional Government compound here.

Hataman said that in his three-year stint both as an officer-in-charge and elected governor, the objective, as set by President Benigno Aquino III, was to fix and reform the bureaucracy and stop wholesale election fraud.

“We were able to bring the national government’s trust back,” he added.

Hataman said they achieved a lot in instituting good governance, socioeconomic development and peace and security due to the active involvement of empowered constituents and communities.

Hataman said mechanisms for transparency in all government agencies, including the bidding of projects and the hiring of employees, have been introduced.

“All the government projects go through an open and competitive bidding according to the rules of the Commission on Audit,” he said.

Last June, at least 454 government employees were either hired or promoted while 1,323 new teachers were hired and deployed in various public schools in the region.

“We will add 2,000 more teachers,” he said, adding that the practice of patronage politics in previous administrations had resulted in the mismatch between the skills and assignments of the teachers.

In line with the campaign for transparency, Hataman said the ARMM has required all its departments and agencies to publish vital data related to projects, funds and activities in their respective web sites.

The work flow has been made efficient and every agency with frontline services has a Citizens’ Charter, according to Hataman.

Meanwhile, the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the conceptualization of the Regional Economic and Development Planning Board with the local government units has also been institutionalized.

Hataman said that for the first time, ARMM obligated 97 percent of its budget through the bottom-up budgeting wherein CSOs and local governments worked together to identify and prepare development projects.

In the early part of his administration, Hataman focused on cleaning up the records of the ARMM of 75,242 ghost students and 21,374 ghost enrolees between 2012 and 2013.

After more than two decades, teachers have started receiving benefits from their GSIS contributions again, after the government settled at least P891.4 million worth of unpaid premiums.

At least 700 additional Arabic language and Islamic values education teachers passed qualification tests and were deployed to various public schools since January this year to help further strengthen the foundation of faith in the region.

Hataman also reported that from being tagged as having the “best practice in corruption” in 2010 based on a report of the Commission on Audit, the ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways has come to be known as one of the most efficient and meticulous agencies in spending and auditing, with at least P250 million in savings this year in 2014.

Hataman said at least 158.9 kilometers of roads were also paved while more than five bridges, 13 water systems, 10 seaports and eight flood control and drainage facilities were constructed.

With the efforts of the government to achieve peace in the region, at least P2 billion was allocated for 205.24 kilometers of “roads of peace” while about P430 million worth of projects were delivered to different cooperatives and communities of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front.

These projects coupled with peace efforts have increased the confidence of businessmen and boosted investments in the region, which reached at least P1.46 billion in 2013, he said.

Hataman said that in the health sector, ARMM was recognized as the most improved region in implementing commitments to reduce maternal and infant mortality under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

From 835,153 PhilHealth card holders in 2012, at least 1,535,661 members received their cards last October.

Hataman said the achievements attained by this “so-called failed experiment is proof that more will be actualized in the creation of the Bangsamoro government.”

Recognizing the efforts of the MILF through the presence of Iqbal, Hataman said that the people should seize the opportunity and maximize the momentum of reforms in the region to benefit the entire Bangsamoro.

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