ARMM engineers hone skills in handling of infra funds

COTABATO CITY --- Finance personnel of district engineering offices in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao just underwent a refresher study” on state accounting modalities to ensure efficiency in handling of more projects in the next 34 months.
The ARMM government has earmarked more than P10 billion for infrastructure projects in its five component provinces for 2016 to 2017 alone.Engineer Don Loong, regional secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways-ARMM, on Wednesday said their workshop last week delved on utilization and accounting of infrastructure funds and monitoring of projects based on work programs.Records obtained from state auditors indicates that the DPWH-ARMM constructed a total of 1,500 kilometers of roads in the region’s five provinces from 2012 to early 2016.The agency also built more than a dozen seaports and 46 water supply facilities in the autonomous region during the period.The DPWH-ARMM, operating under the supervision of the region’s chief executive, Gov. Mujiv Hataman, had also rehabilitated from February to December last year the conflict-stricken villages in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao using more than P60 million worth of development fundsThe projects the ARMM government implemented in Mamasapano were meant to hasten the recovery of residents from the deadly January 25, 2014 encounters in the municipality between personnel of the police’s elite Special Action Force and local Moro guerillas.

The hostilities resulted to the deaths of 44 SAF men, 16 guerillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Loong said the accounting training, managed by accountants led by Pat Radjaie Tulawie, was also aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the handling of ARMM infrastructure projects by the eight district engineers in the autonomous region.Tulawie is the regional accountant of the DPWH-ARMM, one of the more than 30 agencies and support offices under the executive department of ARMM.Functions of the DPWH was devolved by Malacañang to the ARMM more than 20 years ago based on the region’s first constitutionally-mandated charter, the Republic 6734, which amended to become R.A. 9054 via a plebiscite in August 2001.So politically unique is ARMM that is has an Office of the Regional Governor, controlling over more than 30 line agencies and support outfits devolved by the national government, and a 24-member Regional Assembly, touted as Little Congress” of the region.

The workshop we had was related to the Hataman administration’s effort to ensure efficiency in implementing projects in the autonomous region,” Loong said.