COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) distributed more than P46 million worth of school supplies, agricultural support, and fisheries support equipment to pre-identified beneficiaries on Saturday, October 29 here.
ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said the distribution is part of efforts of the regional government to uplift the living conditions of beneficiaries and sustain production of agricultural products.
Gov. Hataman also noted that poverty incidence in the ARMM could be addressed by responding to different the needs of various sectors and that providing assistance for education and agriculture are the top priority.
“The delivery of services to the Moro people who are living in impoverished communities will mark considerable effect in their lives,” the governor added.
The ARMM’s Department of Education (DepEd) distributed school supplies to pupils of 31 conflict-affected schools in nine districts under Maguindanao I division.
The school supplies distributed are worth P1.2 million consisting of notebooks, paper pads, pencils, crayons, ballpens, sharpeners, pencil cases, rulers, scissors, packs of color paper, color pencils, envelop, erasers, drawing books, and pouches of paste.
DepEd-ARMM Secretary John Magno said 5,288 pupils benefited from the distribution dubbed Support Services Education Recovery.
The regional Department of Agrarian Reform, meanwhile, distributed approximately P21.5 million worth of common service facilities to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs).
The common service facilities distributed include 11 units of Kubota 4-wheel drive tractor; eight units of tresher/husker; four units of corn sheller; one unit of stationary corn mill; eight units of rice mill; eight units of stationary mini rice mill-double pass; and 10 units of multi-purpose shredder.
During the regional celebration of the 27th Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in June 2015, a similar distribution event with P20 million worth of common service facilities under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) Program was also conducted.
Close to P34 million worth of common service facilities were given to ARBOs since 2013 under ARCCESS.
More farmers in the region also received agricultural support from the ARMM’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Sec. Alexander Alonto said the assistance “would help boost regional agricultural production.”
The beneficiaries are from 24 farmers’ cooperatives from Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Sulu. The equipment distributed are four units of corn mills worth P1.2 million; two units of hand tractor worth P694,000; five units of hauler trucks worth P1.75 million; 100 units of knapsack sprayer; 50 units of plow and harrow worth P492,500; and 32 rolls of hog wire worth P51,480.
Close to 600 fishing families in Maguindanao will enjoy better fishing ventures after the ARMM’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) distributed a total of P14.7 million fishing equipment to target beneficiaries.
The assistance comprises 377 units of motorized and non-motorized bancas amounting to P8.6 million; 1,610 units of coral cribs amounting to P1.5 million; 1,200 units of fish pots worth P600,000; 30 units of fish cages worth P3 million; and a community based hatchery worth P1 million.
Janice Musali, BFAR-ARMM director, said the beneficiary families were identified by the department from fishing communities in Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Piang.
The distribution of different forms of assistance was simultaneously held during the launching of the ‘Comprehensive Reform and Development Agenda for ARMM and Other Conflict Affected Areas in Regions IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), X (Northern Mindanao), and XII (Central Mindanao)’ led by President Rodrigo Duterte at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex inside the ARMM Compound.
The distributed items were sourced out from regular programs of the different ARMM line agencies and different special projects such as Humanitarian and Development Action Plan, Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Governance, and Synergy, and Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan.
ARMM is composed of mainland provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, and island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. (Bureau of Public Information)
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