This is a re-posted opinion piece.
I have been in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, since Sunday, having conversations with ARMM provincial officers, local government officials, religious leaders, and citizens’ organizations.
Together with Prof. Ramon Fernan of the University of the Philippines School of Public Administration, Prof. Rufa Guiam, and Prof. Acram Latiph of the Mindanao State University, we have engaged in long focus group discussions on the state of local democracy in the ARMM and Tawi-Tawi, part of a year-long research project.
How do citizens in ARMM view democratic institutions, autonomy, and governance? Since the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the citizens have complained that the establishment of the ARMM has not improved their lives. Rather, it has complicated matters. ARMM is still the least served region with the most problems. Citizens, who feel powerless, have to be content with whatever crumbs are thrown their way — if crumbs are thrown at all.
Tawi-Tawi is a beautiful and peaceful province. The serenity of the province comes as much from the balmy island environment as well as from the nature of the native Sama, who detest conflict. The Sama are the majority in Tawi-Tawi. However, each day brings Tausug natives from Sulu, escaping from the lawlessness of that province. The Sama fear that the Tausug migrants bring their armed conflicts with them, particularly “rido” or clan conflicts.
We stayed at the Dan Mar Beach Resort, the newest resort in Bongao. Although still unfinished, the bedrooms are fully functional (and the beds are new!) Owned by the provincial treasurer, it is beautifully located with Bongao Peak, a few minutes away, providing a wonderful backdrop each time we ate our meals al fresco. And what meals we had! Catered by Sand Bar Restaurant, we feasted on roasted fish, grilled squid, crabs, and clams — all newly caught from the sea. Our snacks were freshly brewed native coffee and delicious native cakes. The healthy meals gave us much energy for our FGDs.
While we were discussing the complexities of governmental relationships amongst the local, regional, and national government units, we received information that the Supreme Court has decided that Republic Act 10153, synchronizing the elections of the ARMM with the 2013 midterm polls, is indeed legal. Supporters of postponement have argued that the ARMM regional government must be reformed now, while there is an opportunity to do so. RA 10153 was to provide a 21-month window of opportunity for reform. The oppositors who petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of RA 10153 claimed that it violated the grant of autonomy to the ARMM.
Why is the ARMM regional government in such dire need of reform? Poverty, persistent conflict, clan-dominated politics, and political violence in the region have contributed to a huge democracy deficit in the ARMM. Citizens feel marginalized, disempowered. Further, the quality of life has been so bad in ARMM that thousands have been escaping to live in Christian communities and cities in order to obtain basic services that ordinary citizens of Manila take for granted: education, water, health facilities, sanitation, and peace and order.
The national government has presented a reform agenda for the ARMM, to strengthen governance and democratic institutions. In a previous column, I had wondered: where do the citizens come in? Were they ever consulted? Do we really know what they want? We assume that government knows what ARMM citizens believe or want since demands are constantly articulated by their leaders — elective, appointive or self-appointed. Or so we think.
Our conversations in Tawi-Tawi this week were the first of many that we will organize to understand what ARMM citizens believe and want.
Our conversations with barangay, municipal, and provincial stakeholders gave us much food for thought. They do believe in democracy: a government by the people, for the people of the people. In spite of the dismal situation in ARMM, they still believe. But as for autonomy, they are skeptical.
At first blush, they believe autonomy is a failure. Many have expressed the belief that their lives will be better if ARMM is abolished. However, once we got into the discussions of the concept of autonomy vis-a-vis the reality of the regional government, the FGD participants observed that the concept of autonomy — self-rule, self determination — is what the region needs. However, the regional government is a failure. It is not autonomous but a corrupted servant of national politicians. It has failed to implement the powers given by Congress to make the region truly autonomous.
Some of the participants brought up three specific problems: “Pantawid” (or the Conditional Cash Transfer Program or CCT), GSIS remittances, and salaries.
The CCT, they said, has benefitted many who are salaried — teachers, local government employees, and police. Tawi-Tawians who are working in Sabah have even been registered. How did this happen? Collusion between those tasked to do the census and the fraudulent beneficiaries. They also said beneficiaries all have to go to Bongao, the provincial capital, to get their allowances. However, many come from island communities far from Bongao. Those who come from Tandubas, for instance, have to pay over P300 round trip just to go to Bongao. Many who decided to come after two months, in order to save on the transport cost, have found out that their names had been stricken off the roster. When they complained, they were told to take it up with the DSWD in Cotabato City, where the ARMM Regional Government is.
(DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman told me last month that they had discovered frauds and had taken appropriate steps.)
As for GSIS, one of the participants had a depressing story to tell. She had retired and found out that her pension was reduced by the amount of the remittances that GSIS Manila had not received for her account. When she complained to the Bongao office, she was told to take it up with Manila. When she presented her case to Manila, she was told to take it up with the regional office in Cotabato. This lady is a retired school teacher. By the time GSIS gets around to addressing her problem, she would have used up all her pension for transportation. What happens to her and all the government employees whose remittances have been automatically deducted from their salaries? How can they be penalized for the failures (or frauds committed) by the ARMM regional office?
The most heartbreaking is the case of unpaid salaries. First, although regular employees have always suffered delays in receiving their salaries, it became drastically worse after ARMM was created. Teachers go without a salary for months and are forced to go to loan sharks. These loan sharks are so influential that they actually get paid first by the government finance officers. I thought this practice had been outlawed by DepEd during the time of the late Raul Roco.
The case of the volunteers or contractual workers is worse. Appointed to work on health, education (substitute teachers, madaris or Islamic school teachers), and other services, they get paid anywhere from P1,000 to P3,000 a month. However, they receive their pay after three months, if lucky. One person I talked to had not received his pay since January.
Without a doubt, democracy is failing in ARMM, a glaring reflection of the failure of democracy at the national level. But in Tawi-Tawi, the citizens are hopeful and patient. But for how long?
The Sama are truly a patient and peaceful group. But even their patience has limits.
This is the time for the hajj, an obligation of all Muslims of sound mind and body. Last week, I saw the Grand Mufti of Tawi-Tawi, Mufti Inju, at the Bongao airport with his delegation of pilgrims for the hajj. It was a joyous occasion at the airport. The parking lot was filled with well-wishers, sending off the pilgrims as they took the first step in the pilgrimage to Makkah, the heartland of Islam. The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Then I received a desperate call from Mufti Inju two days ago.
It seems that he and 207 Tawi-Tawi pilgrims, supposed to have flown to Saudi Arabia on October 16, were stranded in Manila. Why were they stranded? It seems they had paid for the airfare, but, alas, they had no visas. Impossible, you say. Airlines and travel agencies do not issue plane tickets for foreign travel without visas. Well, it seems that they did.
The Saudi Ministry for the Hajj gave the Philippines a quota of less than 4,000 visas. However, the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos approved over 5,000 applicants. Five thousand applicants paid for their hajj fees, hotel, and airfare. Most of the applicants saved a long time to go on haj. Many are retirees, who are using their pension to go on hajj and fulfil one of the five pillars of Islam. There are 1,182 pilgrims stuck in Manila, paying for hotels they cannot afford and meals they have not budgeted. How could this happen?
Mufti Inju sent me a dejected text saying he and his group would most likely go back home in two days. He wondered who would take care of all the expenses they had to bear? I wonder, too.
Negligent acts (I am being kind) such as this turns patience into frustration. The Sama may be patient and long-suffering, but their endurance has an end. And they are not stupid. They can do the math. Four thousand visas. Five thousand approved applications. You do the math, too.
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By: Amina Rasul – Surveil
Source: Business World, October 20, 2011
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