Mutilan acting governor of ARMM

Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Parouk Hussin assigned Mahid Mutilan, the ARMM Vice Government and Education Secretary, as the acting ARMM governor, as he headed for the 29th Session of the Conference of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organisation of Islamic Confe-rence (OIC) in Khartoum, Sudan.

Hussin is leading a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) delegation to the OIC meeting. He is MNLF's Foreign Secretary.

Mutilan, meanwhile, convened a cabinet meeting of the ARMM officials to announce the investors‚ meeting in the region.

"Governor Hussin and Vice Governor Mutilan have a good working relationship," explained Nabil Tan, the ARMM Executive Secretary when asked why the latter was not chosen as the acting ARMM governor.

ARMM is getting $40 million development pledges from Japan, Canada, and other international funding agencies, ARMM officials said.

The officials also said the ARMM has not as yet announced the much awaited development funds from the Middle East and other Muslim countries.

Tan said: "Representatives from Japan's various agencies, from the World Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Japan Bank for International Coope-ration have scheduled a tour of the ARMM, to appraise the region's potentials in connection with the $40 million ARMM social fund that is about to be set up."

Mutilan recently met with a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), led by Director Tsukasa Uemura from the MFA's Second Southeast Asian Division (SSAD), for the launching of the ARMM social fund.

Apart from the other SSAD Japanese officials, Mutilan also met with Naoyuki Ochiai, Takashi Hoshiyama, Deputy Director of the Japan International Coopera-tion Agency (JICA) and Kensuke Matsumoto, Economic Affairs Counselor and Economic Attache of the embassy of Japan.

The visit of the said delegations underscored the international community's "continuing and intensifying interest in developing the ARMM region", said Tan, adding the delegations are coming to see where they can come in specifically and hasten implementation of much needed projects in the ARMM.

ARMM includes the provinces of Sulu, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Tawi-tawi, Basilan, and the city of Marawi.

The ARMM leaders have suggested development projects for health, education and basic social infrastructures in the impoverished region.

Muslimin Sema, Cotabato City Mayor said any visit from foreign delegation is also a vote of confidence for the Muslims, Christians, and highlanders, who comprise the residents of the ARMM.