ARMM economic growth picks up on ‘reforms’

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman attributes the growth to the region’s service and agriculture sectors

SEALING PEACE. The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front sign the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which paved the way for the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Malacañang Photo Bureau

MANILA, Philippines – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) registered higher economic growth in 2013, driven by the strong performance of the region’s service and agriculture sectors.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said they are confident the region would continue to post growth as it transitions to a new political entity following the signing of a peace deal with the government.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the total value of goods and services produced in the ARMM grew 3.6% in 2013, higher than the 1.1% growth recorded in 2012, and a reversal of the 0.3% contraction in 2010.

Agriculture, which included hunting, fishing and forestry, accounted for 61.3% of the region’s economy, followed by services with 33.6%, and the industry sector with 5.1 %.

“The growth is attributed to the ongoing reform initiatives, the renewed confidence of investors to the region. Also we believe that the sectors have seen with their own eyes the resources that are being poured into their areas. When they realized this was for real, they continued their efforts with renewed energy and trust that the gains to be had will be theirs,” Hataman said.

Growth drivers

In 2013, the region’s agriculture rebounded from a decline of 1.1% to a growth of 2.5%, thanks to mainly to increased production of major crops like palay, coconut and cassava.

The ARMM’s service sector growth accelerated to 6.6% in 2013 from 5.9% in 2012. Faster growths were also observed in mining and quarrying (2.6% from 2.3%), manufacturing (3.9% from 3%).

Meanwhile, construction rebounded from a negative growth of 3.1% in 2012 to 1.2% in 2013.

Hataman said they expect better economic performance this year given record-breaking investments in the region. Investments in the ARMM soared 72% in the first half, with the renewable energy sector posting the largest gains.

“We target to hit the P5-billion mark in investments by yearend,” he said.

The regional government has also invested heavily in infrastructure projects that included the construction of concrete roads, ports and other public facilities.

Investments in infra, data management

The ARMM government is working double time to ensure smooth transition to a new political entity as the peace panels of the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front continue to resolve issues in the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law. (READ: Aquino vows passage of Bangsamoro law by Jan 2015)

Hataman said they are now planning and crafting the programs for their remaining months in office. “These are the finishing touches for the transitional preparations.”

He said they would be focusing on upgrading infrastructure and social services.

The Department of Public Work and Highways has been implementing projects on time and with large savings, he noted.

“DPWH has a target that the entire road network will be paved by 2016 if the allocation would continue. And we are giving you the assurance that there are no ghost projects and no gravelling because these are all paved roads.”

The governor added that one of the breakthroughs in the history of Mindanao particularly in the ARMM is the geo-tagging of all infrastructure projects to ensure transparency and accountability. “This is the first time history that our projects are geo-tagged and anyone can check it on the web.”

He said one challenge they are trying to solve right now is obtaining and managing accurate data of the constituency and government programs in the region.

“To be honest our ultimate goal right now most especially for the transition is data management. ARMM will celebrate its 25th year on November but to be candid there are no clear information and data even on agriculture, health and education,” Hataman said. – with a report from Karlos Manlupig/Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!