CONGRESS is close to approving the proposed P9.8-million budget of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for 2010.

ARMM Regional Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, who led the ARMM regional officials in the House Plenary Hall to wait for the congressmen’s nod, said, “The budget of the ARMM for 2010 is way far from what the region needs to fully realize its needed peace and socio-economic development programs, especially because the region has been affected by both natural and man-made calamities.  I am very much gratified with all the support extended to us by our lawmakers for the immediate approval of our budget.”

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—A total of 2,000 shares in the Subic Bay Golf Course will be made available to the public soon, pending the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission for the facility’s operator to sell the stocks.

In a statement issued over the weekend by Hanafil Golf and Tour Inc., the Filipino-Korean joint venture said it plans to sell the shares for $20 million, or a whopping $10,000 per share.

DAVAO CITY—Australia awarded scholarship to another batch of 52 Filipino professionals, 33 of them for different postgraduate studies in various Australian universities.

Among the Mindanao scholars, some were endorsed by the Davao City Chamber of Commerce, Davao City government, the provincial governments of Agusan del Sur, Misamis Occidental and Surigao del Norte.