MANILA, Philippines - Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) OIC Gov. Mujiv Hataman launched on Tuesday the first-ever open governance system in the country to highlight his accomplishments in reforming the graft-ridden regional government during his first 100 days in office.
Hataman, together with presidential adviser on political affairs Ronald Llamas, Sen. TG Guingona and Mindanao Council head Lu Antonino, inaugurated the open governance portal in Cotabato City.
The portal contains the budgets, projects and expenditures of all government agencies and can be accessed by the public.
The ARMM kiosk is the first of its kind being used by any government entity in the country and blazes the trail for open governance and public accountability.
The ARMM website (www.armm.gov.ph) informs the people on where public funds are spent and the status of ongoing projects and ensures public participation in governance.
Hataman said the ARMM has gone ahead of the rest of the country in promoting transparency and accountability.
“This is a far cry from the old ARMM where corruption thrived down to the lowest levels of government,” he said.
Hataman said he hoped that “this innovative experiment in open governance would seep down to the local levels and be replicated in other regions of the country as well as part of the Aquino administration’s thrust toward daang matuwid (straight path).”
During his Ulat sa Bayan, Hataman cited three outstanding ARMM mayors who recently received the Seal of Excellence Award from the Civil Service Commission.
He said Mayors Roderick Furigay of Lamitan City, Ramon Piang of North Upi and Lester Sinsuat of Datu Odin Sinsuat should be emulated by other local officials in the region.
Hataman, who was appointed by President Aquino as ARMM officer-in-charge (OIC) governor until 2013, urged provincial governors and mayors to dismantle their private armies and end the practice of holding office in expensive houses outside the region.
He added the habitual absenteeism of mayors has condoned poverty and underdevelopment in most areas in the ARMM.