U.S. Hands Over Development Projects In Cotabato

COTABATO CITY (Abdullah Cusain / 21 Sept) The Unites States handed over to Filipino officials in Cotabato City several development projects worth more than P19 million as part of Washington's assistance to help uplift the living standards of Muslims in the southern region of Mindanao, officials said on Wednesday.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Phase 2 Program, also signed an agreement with Muslimen Sema, the mayor of Cotabato City, for a new water system.

The U.S. agency also handed over to the local government seven new passenger jeep stops are turned-over September 20 by the aid agency to the local government.

Sema signed the memorandum of agreement with Ronaldo Ypil, regional manager of the USAID-GEM 2 regional manager, and Delfin Hilario, general manager of the Metro Cotabato Water District (MCWD), for the construction of a 4-kilometer transmission pipeline and 23 communal faucets for the villages of Tamontaka 2 and 3, which have a population of more than 4,000.

"The villagers get their water from wells," the mayor told the Mindanao Examiner.

The transmission pipelines and communal faucets, which make up 70% of total project cost, will be provided by USAID-GEM 2 and the rest by the MCWD. The city government, on the other hand, will pay for the acquisition of the road's right-of-way, security and other non-cash expenditures.

During the signing rites Tuesday, Sema also announced that the villages of Kalanganan 1 and Poblacion 9 will also have their own potable water system soon in the same partnership with GEM-2 and MCWD.

Sema and Noel Ruiz, deputy project manager of the GEM-2, led other officials in the handover ceremonies for 3 jeep stops located at ND Village Elementary School, the New City Hall and in the so-called Espino area.

These jeep stops were part of the P19-million small infrastructure projects sourced out by Sema from the USAID-GEM-2 with 25% counterpart fund from the city’s coffers. Other projects include community centers, boat landing, drainage canal improvement, water supply expansion and box culvert construction in selected villages.