THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), through its Ministry of Finance and Budget and Management (MFBM), has released some P1.9 billion since the start of coronavirus diseases (Covid-19) pandemic.
Barmm Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun said the funds were utilized for socio-economic relief for residents affected by the crisis, and efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the region.
"This includes the procurement of relief goods, construction of isolation buildings, and assistance to hospitals, among others," said Pendatun, who is also the cabinet secretary of Barmm.
Pendatun noted that these funds are particularly itemized as part of the Barmm's Quick Response Fund (QRF), and as regular funds from offices, such as Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) and Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG), intended for Covid-19.
He said that part of the funds is the P155 million that was used as an augmentation fund for the local government units' QRF -- P1 million for each of the 116 municipalities, P2 million for each of the three cities, P5 million for each of the five provinces, and P8 million for the 63 villages in North Cotabato.
He said part of the fund allocation is being used for the ongoing massive and strategic relief operations in the different areas of Barmm.
"The funds we used for the massive and strategic relief operations, through the Office of the Chief Minister, particularly, the Project Tabang, Barmm READi and MSSD operations, were taken from the P1.9 billion," Pendatun said.
Pendatun added that the P14 million worth of memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC), as well as the ongoing construction of the 100-bed capacity isolation building in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao were also taken from the said funds.
"Part of the said fund was the MOA signing with CRMC amounting to P14 million for the upgrade of their laboratories, so they can be accredited and capable to use Polymerase Chain Reaction testing," Pendatun added. (SunStar Zamboanga)
