A P20-MILLION water supply system was inaugurated Saturday at the Polloc Freeport in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), an official said Tuesday.
Polloc Port Administrator Moharrim Mohammad said the water system project will enable Polloc Freeport to meet other requirements needed for its full operation.
The water system project is located in the village of Polloc, Parang, Maguindanao.
Mohammad said the freeport is the showcase of the six-month old administration of acting Armm Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong in the intensified campaign to bring the autonomous region to greater heights.
The inaugural ceremony was significant since it took place at the time when a Korean commercial vessel arrived at the regional port for business transaction, Mohammad said.
Armm Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo said the Adiong’s administration has rigorously sourced out P20-million for the construction of the project that started two months ago and its completion was a “breakthrough” in the setting up of facilities for infrastructure and economic investments in the region.
Sinarimbo called on concerned people and groups to support the freeport facility as a vital instrument to improve the economy of the 20-year-old region, which comprises five provinces and two cities.
The Armm comprises of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan and Marawi.
“Let us shift from our mindset that our community would perennially lag behind its counterparts in this country. Of course, we can make the difference if we only unite and put our acts together the way we restored the Polloc port in its operational stature and transformed it to a Freeport,” Sinarimbo said.
Lawyer Avecina Alonto, Armm chief of staff, has assured the port personnel of the “continued support” of the regional government, citing the significance of their role in building the regional economy.
The Philippine Port Authority (PPA) devolved the operations of the Polloc Port to the Armm government but brought back to the National Government the facility’s personnel, fiscal and structural resources a few years back. (Bong Garcia)