14 Jolo Development and Rebuilding Projects Start with American Support Mukakil T. Sarabi, Panamao ACC executive officer (second from left), cuts the ribbon on the Panamao ACC during its dedication ceremony August 30. Assisting her are Governor Benjamin Loong, Governor of Sulu; Hadja Nur-Ana I. Sahidulla, Vice Governor of Sulu; Diane Moore, Executive Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development; and U.S. Army Lt. Col. James McCallister, deputy commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).(PHOTO RELEASE)

Thanks to assistance from the American people, 14 development projects valued at more than 52 million pesos are beginning in September and October in western Sulu Island. Ranging from digging wells for clean drinking water to building schools, these U.S.-funded projects will immediately benefit Sulu residents.

Additionally, the U.S. Government was pleased to officially open an area coordination center (ACC) in Panamao in late August, with a second ACC in Maimbung opening this month. These centers offer area residents a place for livelihood training, community gatherings, and communication hubs. Upon completion, services and staffing for the ACCs are provided from the local municipality. These ACCs are the first of four to be built by the American people: Two new ACCs are being built in Indanan and Buanza.

“Development is a crucial step in ensuring peace in the Sulu Archipelago,” says U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney. “The American people have many programs to help develop poor barangays and provinces to give their citizens an alternative to violence. I believe that all Filipinos want peace and prosperity for their families, and with access to education, job training, healthcare, and economic growth, citizens will be able to say no to terrorists who seek sanctuary in their peaceful barangays.”

The 15 development projects that will break ground in September and October will benefit thousands of Sulu citizens. The projects include new roadways, wells, schools, medical center improvements, and the renovation of the Jolo Cooperative Marketplace. This market has been closed to the community since a Jemaah Islamiyah bomb exploded in March 2006, killing five people, injuring 22 others, and destroying the public market.

The projects are funded by U.S. Pacific Command Humanitarian Assistance Program. Each project is competitively bid to qualified construction firms throughout the Philippines but the majority of contracts awarded so far have been to Jolo-based construction companies.

“Now that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has assured the security in western Sulu, we can commence these critically needed quality-of-life improvements for the people of Sulu,” said U.S. Army Col. James L. Linder, JSOTF-P Commander.

“The deserving people of Sulu have chosen peace and prosperity for their future and a better life for themselves and their children. The people see how prosperity can thrive in an environment when it is safe from the threat of transnational terrorists.”

The projects scheduled to begin in September and October are:
o Indanan Area Coordination Center
o Buanza to Longpass Road
o Indanan Medical Clinic
o Silankan Elementary School Remodel
o Tiptipon Road
o Jolo High School Computer Center
o Buanza Area Coordination Center
o Silankan Well
o Buanza Medical Clinic
o Kilometer 4 Well
o Bato Bato Elementary School Remodel
o Buanza Elementary School Remodel
o Sinlankan Medical Clinic Remodel Jolo Cooperative Marketplace Rebuild. (PRESS RELEASE)