ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 23 Jun) The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is poise to receive a massive economic support from the influential Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a senior government official said Friday.
Muslimin Jann Jakilan, ARMM's Labor Secretary, said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC's Secretary General, has issued a resolution Monday calling all state members to pool their funds to help support economic improvement in the five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
"The massive support is the result of the OIC's assessment of the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) last month," Jakilan, a former rebel leader-turned-politician, said.
Jakilan said senior MNLF leaders would announce OIC's commitment on the opening of the the 5th ARMM Business Congress next Monday in Lamitan town in Basilan island.
"The OIC members who visited several provinces of ARMM region last month assessed that we are lagging behind in terms of economy. The OIC delegation saw that the ARMM needs substantial assistance to fully utilize and exploit the region's rich natural resources for good use," said Jakilan, who is also the president of the Autonomous Basilan Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He noted the support would hasten infrastructure and other development projects in the ARMM, such as upgrading and rehabilitating transportation facilities, like airports, wharf, roads and bridges, and communications facilities.
In addition, he said, the project will also benefit and improve the region's power supplies."The projects would help the ARMM government and private sectors in an effort to lure local and foreign investors in the autonomous region," he said.
The OIC is composed of 57 Muslim countries around the world. The creation of ARMM is also an offshoot of the intervention of the OIC during the peace talks between Manila and the MNLF in 1996.
Presently, the ARMM is the country's main supplier of seaweeds and one of the biggest exporters of marine products. Regional officials are also working for ARMM to become the country's Halal poultry production and one of the world importer of meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the Shari’ a.
The OIC is composed of 57 Muslim countries around the world. The creation of ARMM is also an offshoot of the intervention of the OIC during the peace talks between Manila and the MNLF in 1996.
Presently, the ARMM is the country's main supplier of seaweeds and one of the biggest exporters of marine products. Regional officials are also working for ARMM to become the country's Halal poultry production and one of the world importer of meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the Shari’ a.
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