Monday, July 23, 2007 Armm urges Malaysia for financial aid
COTABATO CITY -- Officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao expressed confidence that Malaysia will extend financial aid to the area following the visit Monday of a Malaysian economic team to assess the implementation of foreign-funded projects in the area.
In a statement, Armm Executive Secretary Oscar Sampulna said the assessment was in line with Malaysia's plan to extend socio-economic projects to the impoverished Muslim region.
"We are optimistic the Malaysian government will be extending assistance to the people of Armm through socio-economic projects soon," he added.
The Malaysian team belongs to the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Office.
It was headed by EPU Macro-Economic Section Deputy Director Allaudin Bin Haji Anuar with representatives from the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the International Monitoring Committee (IMT).
Armm officials also briefed the Malaysian delegation with its business climate as well as the programs set by the regional government headed by Governor Zaldy Ampatuan.
Among the popular projects in the autonomous Muslim region funded with foreign assistance is the Armm Social Fund.
The Armm Social Fund is a US$33.6 government loan from the World Bank.
It was created by virtue of Executive Order 124 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on September 12, 2002.
Its main purpose is to support the peace and development efforts of the government in the region.
The impoverished autonomous Muslim region straddles the provinces of Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and the Islamic City of Marawi.
The Armm Social Fund's beneficiaries are the Moro National Liberation Front, which forged a peace deal with the government in 1996.
The program will end this year.
Mary Judd, task team leader of the Armm Social Fund, said the first two years of implementation of the program was slow.
However, she added in a visit more than a year ago that they have lately observed "it has been going smoothly primarily with the zest shown by the social welfare department of the autonomous Muslim region."
Judd has conceded that the five-year Armm Social Fund may not be able to spend all the money when the project ends by December 2007.
"We are projecting that we can only utilize about 80% of the Social Fund by 2007. But the constituents should not worry, we could extend the implementation for about two more years or until all the money will be spent," she said.
Sampulna urged Malaysia to extend financial assistance for the development of the autonomous Muslim region to complement other foreign-funded projects in the area.
The Malaysian government, through the International Monitoring Team, is supporting the peace process in Mindanao between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
However, amity talks are stalled by the contentious ancestral domain agenda.
