DAVAO CITY—President Arroyo approved the initial funding for the flood control and rehabilitation program of Cotabato’s Rio Grande de Mindanao to reduce losses due to the frequent flooding being experienced in the area recently.

The Palace has released P31 million for the project and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), a recipient and implementer of the project, said the fund was an initial amount, according to the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information (BPI).

ARMM announced it could immediately work on the project, starting with the dredging of Rio Grande de Mindanao from the mouth to the new Delta Bridge and the construction of the Simuay Flood Control Project.

The dredging project would get P20 million and the flood control would have P11 million, said the BPI.

President Arroyo also issued Executive Order 743 mandating the project’s task force “to integrate flood control efforts for Region 12 [Central Mindanao] and the ARMM.” The area has been flooded, destroying crops and stopping trade and commerce in Mindanao’s major trading center of Cotabato City.

The floods were caused by the tailend effect of Typhoons Frank and Cosme in June, although the heavy downpour every now and then would help swell Mindanao’s largest river system.

The task force was headed by Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato City and ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan.

The members included Police Supt. Felizardo Serapio of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council—Region 12 (RDCC-12), regional secretary Rasul Abpi of the Department of Public Works and Highways in ARMM (DPWH-ARMM) and regional director Usop Ali of DPWH-12.

The secretariat work would be provided by the Regional Planning and Development Office of ARMM (RPDO-ARMM) and the National Economic and Development Authority of Region 12 (Neda-12), which form the task force’s Technical Working Group.

The task force has already identified nine flood control and rehabilitation activities under the delayed Mindanao River Basin Project:  (1) dredging of Mindanao River-Phase 1; (2) dredging of Mindanao River-Phase 2; (3) dredging of Tamontaka River; (4) Simuay flood control project; (5) construction of access roads from Quirino Bridge to Delta Bridge; (6) repair and rehabilitation of Ala River flood control project, channelization and bank protection; (7) retrofitting of the old Quirino Bridge; (8) Lower Cotabato River Basin flood control project; and (9) Mindanao River Basin master plan.

Meanwhile, the ARMM signed a contract on Friday with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to help finance five initial projects under the 33 Strategic Regional Infrastructure subprojects to be due on 2010.

The agreement would have the JBIC committing P59 million to fund the five projects, part of the first batch comprising of seven SRI subprojects.

The projects were the construction of ARMM Integrated Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory Building (P5.6 million), upgrading of Polloc Base Port (P22.8 million), rehabilitation of Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital in Tawi-Tawi (P10.3 million), upgrading of Tamparan District Hospital Training Center in Malabang, Lanao del Sur (P5.7 million) and improvement and extension of Dr. Serapio Montañer Al Haj. Memorial Hospital, also in Lanao del Sur (P14.4 million).

The initial funding was part of the 2.47-billion yen commitment of the Japanese government, through its JBIC, “as support to peace and development program,” said the BPI.

The ASFP is a project of the Philippine government to help reduce poverty and build peace in the ARMM communities through loans from World Bank and JBIC.

The remaining two approved sub-projects would still await procurement of contractors. The projects were the establishment of training center and annex building for Department of Agriculture and Fisheries-ARMMIARC in Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan and the construction of Mother and Child Pavilion Phase 1 Ground Floor in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

The BPI said that “through the ARMM Social Fund Project (ASFP), these sub-projects were able to reach ARMM communities on the objective of improving the living conditions of the people in the autonomous region.”

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DAVAO CITY—President Arroyo approved the initial funding for the flood control and rehabilitation program of Cotabato’s Rio Grande de Mindanao to reduce losses due to the frequent flooding being experienced in the area recently.