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Sunday, July 03, 2005
Autonomous region governors to discuss social, political concerns in Zambo
By Al Jacinto
FOUR of five governors of the provinces that constitute the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) will meet here today, July 3, in what could have been considered a giant-leap effort to help address social and political concerns facing the region.
Last Thursday, Governors Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. (Maguindanao), Wahab Akbar (Basilan) Benjamin Loong (Sulu) and Sadikul Sahali (Tawi-Tawi) met in Marawi City along with mayors of 60 Armm towns, drawing consensus on local governments' active participation in shaping up the future of the region.
Prominently leading the initiative were Akbar and Sahali, who, Ampatuan said, had pushed for changes in the regional leadership by fielding the latter's son, Shariff Aguak town Mayor Zaldy Uy Ampatuan and Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong as administration gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial candidates under the ruling Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats (Lakas CMD).
Mayor Ampatuan and Adiong, the youngest bets for the two highest regional posts in the August 8 Armm elections, said they wanted to prove the worth of the youth's administrative and political capabilities to govern and intitiute changes in the region through 'leadership by example."
Ampatuan, who has been regional lawmaker and town mayor, said he wanted development programs he had introduced and implemented in his municipality duplicated in other parts of the region, once elected governor.
Among these programs, Ampatuan said, were irrigation system for agricultural productivity, social and health care services, education, and public and social security programs.
He called on mid-ranking regional officials to extend coopperation to initiatives aimed at prompt resolution of the problem involving non-remittance of public school teachers' premium contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
Ampatuan asked: "How can we achieve even minor successes in educating our people, our children and the children of our children, if we cannot be of help to our teachers?"
Adiong, a neophyte regional lawmaker, reminded residents of Armm of the legacies of his grandfather, Domocao Alonto, who as pre-martial law senator, had sponsored the creations and charters of the Mindanao State University (MSU) and University of Southern Mindanao (USM), and that both state universities have produced the most number of professionals in subsidized school fees and facilities as well as the benefit of study grants. |
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