Gov’t to pour billions of pesos into ARMM development

The government will be pouring billions of pesos in development funds into the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), according to Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo.

Robredo, who addressed a conference in Davao City on Friday, said the government is ready to implement a P8.5 billion “roadmap and investment plan” for the five ARMM provinces, pending the resolution of a motion appealing the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the legality of a law allowing President Aquino to appoint caretaker officials to govern the region before the 2013 elections.

Robredo said the P8.5-billion “disbursement acceleration fund” was on top of the P11.8 billion budget of the ARMM for 2011 and would be implemented by at least 10 national government agencies under a transition team to be headed by the DILG.

He said the transition team intended to speed up the Aquino government’s “mission and vision” for ARMM.

“The main reason why we are here today is to let the public know of the Aquino government’s sincerity in its promise of allocating multibillion-peso funds for ARMM for its social economic development, governance reforms and for improving peace and security in the region,” Robredo said.

“We have already prepared the roadmap and investment plan for the ARMM. This means the plan and the funds are ready for the new ARMM projects even before the Supreme Court has ruled with finality on the constitutionality of Republic Act 10153,” he said.

According to Robredo, the Department of Budget and Management has initially approved P5.8 billion out of the P8.5 billion disbursement allocation fund, which is already on the pipeline, ready for use by the transition team for various development projects in the ARMM.

Congress had approved a law resetting the ARMM polls originally scheduled in August to May 2013 coinciding with the mid-term polls.

Various groups have filed a motion for reconsideration against the Oct. 18 high court decision that upheld the constitutionality of Republic Act 10153 postponing the ARMM elections and authorizing the President to appoint officers-in-charge (OICs) for the region

As an autonomous unit, the region composed of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Maguindanao and Lanao Del Sur provinces has its own Cabinet, as well as a governor and vice governor.