Lamitan gets awards for development projects

COTABATO CITY, Philippines --- Lamitan City bagged seven awards during the March 25-27 regional convention of stakeholders to foreign-assisted devlopment projects in five southern provinces.

The three-day Regional Stakeholders Convention of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Social Fund Project (ASFP) was attended by 390 representatives of local government units from across ARMM.

The ASFP is the conduit of World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their development projects in the autonomous region.

Experts from World Bank had rated “satisfactory” eight times in recent years the ASFP’s implementation of its projects in the autonomous region.

The Lamitan City, which  became a city  three years ago, was voted as the best and most supportive local government unit in implementing ASFP projects.

The Lamitan LGU also won the best supporting team award for its the support of its employees to ASFP projects; the best barangay award; the best community infrastructure award; the best block grant infrastructure award; and the best municipal block grant award.

The awards were based on how the Lamitan LGU carried out the implementation and management of the ASFP’s JICA and World Bank projects in the city, now the provincial capital of Basilan.

JICA and World Bank had bankrolled dozens of community projects in the ARMM’s territory --- Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, which are both in Central Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the past two decades.

The World Bank still has a number of ongoing projects in selected ARMM barangays, such as solar dryers, warehouses and multi-purpose centers, to help peasant communities.

The awards for Lamitan City were personally received by Mayor Rose Furigay during the culmination of the two-day convention, held at the Pinnacle Hotel in Davao City.

The Lamitan convention participants had also won the best in costume and display booth awards.