Tawi-tawi gets chunk of ARMM projects

TAWI-TAWI – Some 40 poor families from the remote town of Simunul in the southern Philippine province of Tawi-tawi benefited from core houses under the Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment (BRIDGE) program of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and Tawi-tawi Governor Rashidin Matba led Monday’s turnover ceremony to the beneficiaries in Tubig-indangan. They were assisted by Public Works Secretary Don Mustapha Loong and Tawitawi District Engineer Toni Kamlani, Bongao Mayor Jimuel Que and Simunul Mayor Ahmad Abdurahman and other ARMM officials.

Among the recipients of the program is the couple Sindang Abdur, 57, and Saifudin Abdur, 60. They used to occupy a space at Sindang sister’s house in the coastal area of Tubigindangan. The Abdur family, which is engaged in fishing, now lives in a structurally sound house complete with potable water facility and solar power electricity.

“Magsukul sa ARMM, kasi ang mga tao ditong mahihirap, wala talagang bahay. Ngayon meron na, katulad namin,” Sindang said. The Abdurs will also be covered by the government’s cash-forwork program over a period of six months and would receive P10,000 in seed money to start their own enterprise. They will also be provided with their nutritional needs for six months as part of the program.

The ARMM-BRIDGE utilizes a modified community-driven development approach following the ‘Apat na Dapat’ program model, which is focused on poverty alleviation by targeting the four most basic needs of the poorest of the poor ? water and sanitation, food, shelter, and light.

Simunul, Sibutu and Tandubas are the initial target towns of ARMM-BRIDGE in Tawitawi province. Other towns on the BRIDGE list are Balindong, Taraka and Lumba-bayabao in Lanao del Sur province; Barira, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, and Matanog in Maguindanao province; Sumisip, Tipo-tipo and Tuburan in Basilan province; and Pandami, Parang and Talipao in Sulu province.

Governor Hataman said the program aims at alleviating the poverty incidence among residents by targeting 600 poor families across the region on its first swing of implementation. In order to implement these components, a budget of at least P204 million is required, he said. “The ARMM BRIDGE is a collaboration and complementation effort of the ARMM government and the local government beneficiaries to combat poverty, especially among the poorest of the poor,” he said.

Mayor Abdurahman said the local government donated the land in Tubigindangan where the core shelters were built. He said the identified the beneficiaries of the program while ARMM’S Social Welfare Department validated the list.

ARMM-BRIDGE program is a follow up to the ARMM Social Fund Project that ended last year. It complements the Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Governance and Synergy program of the regional government.

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