SENATORS
challenged ghost-busting Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to seek the people’s mandate in an election to keep
track of his efforts to reform the graft-laden region.
At
the Senate budget hearing for the ARMM Monday (yesterday), Senators Loren
Legarda and Franklin Drilon also said they wanted government agencies to fully
devolve their development programs to the autonomous region.
“One-and-year-and-eight-month
(period) is too short to continue with your reform (agenda), napakaganda ng
ginawa mo (you’ve done excellent job) you better run next year,” Legarda said,
referring to the May 2013 ARMM elections which have been synchronized, under
Republic Act 10153, with the mid-term congressional, and local elections.
Hataman
was almost speechless, saying there was a “legal impediment,” but Drilon cut
him short with assurance that “there is no legal impediment” under RA 10153
which reset the ARMM elections, from August 8, last year to May 2013.
“We
are not here to rock the budget of the ARMM under a credible leadership,”
Drilon said, drawing applause from the audience.
Drilon
also hailed President Aquino for appointing Hataman as ARMM officer-in-charge
governor in December last year, saying the Chief Executive’s decision showed that
“elections do not necessarily select a good leader.”
Hataman
told senators that his administration has done away with political influence in
determining the region’s community projects, and instead allowed the
participation of civil society organizations in programs review in order to
generate precise bases for ARMM agencies in utilizing government resources.
He
said the regional government has generated P 59 million in savings out of
protecting public funds from political influence over allocation of
infrastructure projects.
Hataman
has been tagged “ghost-buster” by President Benigno Aquino III during his Third
State of the Nation Address last month, after the former successfully
dismantled mills of fake payrolls in the region’s Department of Education,
which Chief Executive said carried “names of spurious teachers, teaching
non-existing students, walking along ghost roads that led to ghost schools.”
The
lawmakers, including appropriations committee chairman, Senator Teofisto
Guingona III, went at length taking up the issue of the so-called
ghost-teachers with one more addition from Hataman: “ghost evacuees,” which
drew laughter from the audience and the quizzing senators.
He
said over P 30 million more has been saved from busting ghost teachers serving
non-existing schools, and by implementing a moratorium on creation of community
public schools, until all of the region’s schools have been accounted
for.
The
governor said to further achieve reforms in the ARMM, the regional government
has introduced and is implementing HELPS, which stands for Health; Education
and Environment, Livelihood, Political Reforms and Synergy. HELPS binds related
programs and projects carried by regional government agencies with those of
local and international civil society organizations (CSOs).
Hataman
has taken political grip off project funds to end an age-old tradition of
political influence on utilization of public funds for community infrastructure
programs in the region.
ARMM
Public Works Secretary Emil Sadain said the new approach required a “crucial
amendment” to the region’s Public Works Act, removing the powers of specific
projects’ fund allocation from regional lawmakers and provincial governors, and
even from Hataman’s office.
The
region has proposed a total of P 15.588 billion budget for next year, but which
the Department of Budget has reduced by P 1.589 billion to P 13.998 billion.
The budget approved at DBM level is up
by 12.27 percent of the ARMM’s 2012 budget of P 12.468 billion.
NBM/BPI-ARMM
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