Promises reforms in 17 months
A determined newly appointed officer-in-charge (OIC) regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Mujiv Hataman has been installed and promised during his tenure to put an end to wrongdoing and bad practices within the autonomous region in 21 months.
During last Thursday’s turnover ceremony inside a conference room at ARMM Regional Governor Complex in Cotabato City in front of more than 100 local officials including governors, assemblymen and mayors, Hataman used his speech to send a strong message to people who tried to unseat him.
"I know that while many are glad of my appointment, others are raged. I see one reason of this anger because they know this is the end of their happy days, their wrong practices in the past," he stressed.
The new chief executive of ARMM thanked those who rejoiced his appointment, saying that he will sincerely struggle. He vowed not to fail them.
To others, Hataman said “if indeed our objective is to serve the people for the sake of the majority and prosperity of the region, then we are not enemies we are allies and we should work together.”
He warned those who will create trouble and enrich themselves through plunder “I will make sure they have placement because this is the mandate of our president."
As the audience applauded, Hataman said he accepted the mandate, the challenge and dictate of President Aquino, stressing that he does not consider the position of ARMM OIC regional as license to be king as it is a position to serve the local people.
Hataman continued "we will create a new culture in the ARMM, a good governance based on transparency and accountability, a culture of management that the foundation is anchored on democracy, citizens' participation and broad empowering our people and pragmatic but principled leadership."
He further said that ARMM had passed in the darkness "when you say ARMM, immediately the adjacent term is corruption, chaos, and continued poverty of the people. It seems very impossible to erase this impression for a long time now, almost never the sunsets of prosperity and peace in the ARMM.”
The new ARMM governor proclaimed "this time the challenge for us all is how to address the reform of the ARMM in a short time. How to give sense to the two decades existence of ARMM in just seventeen months? Is this simple? I strongly believe that if we are all together, united and act on real change and we trust our own strength and abilities, a new and progressive ARMM is possible."
Admitting the critics comment that it is very impossible to achieve reform in ARMM in a short span of period, he said it is true that "not we all desired reforms in the ARMM will be completely or achieved in a moment. We are not magician that in just a moment we instantly change something. We are not also politicians who always flatter people and even promise us the moon and the stars."
Using a classic story of an old man, who walked very far away amid the warm and heat of the day to seek shelter in the a shade of a tree because he thought the planting of trees in the wide field, ridiculed by people because how he could take shelter in the shade of the trees he planted when he is already dead by that time.
"But the old man did no matter it because what matters to him even he is already not there it would be the shelter of another next to him or new generation. This is the basis that we wil do. This is our desire if we will not totally achieve the reform, our goal, at least within seventeen months we will ensure reform, lay down the foundation of good governance, pure culture for serving our countrymen. We do this for the masses we are serving that put us in power and truly public service."
"Today this signal the opening of a new page in the history of ARMM. Today starts the first step to pursue our course for significant reform and change in ARMM. We will not not let allow this only a turnover ceremony we will give this meaning and life right now because we owe this to the people who offered their life and the generations yet to come."
"We will begin the reform by clearing first the bureaucracy and its management. In our administration, influence peddling is prohibited, the applicants must be all qualified, and we will reduce the violence to have an encouraging state of peace and stability."
That's is why, Hataman, said they agreed with DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo the convening of the regional peace and order council with the respective governors of five provinces in the ARMM next year of January.
"And above all, delivering to the people and carrying out the basic services and programs for their development," he said. "We also know that there is P8.5 million stimulus fund which was given by the government and we will ensure that this fund will reach on our people."
In this framework, we build a strong pillar of our office with sensible management, good governance, peace security, socio-economic development, all these are guided by principles to strengthen the foundations of democracy, and empowerment of citizens.
"We will restore the trust of the people to the ARMM, we will show to the whole world that the Muslim 'ummah', the Bangsamoro, has the ability to lead and run the government and set its future," Hataman vowed.
"Now do we have the capability to change ARMM within seventeen months?" he asked. "This is my my answer. If you want, then there is a way; if you don't there is always reason. Let's do the rigth thing because we can do this and because we believe in our only strength to build a new, progressive and peaceful ARMM," he concluded. – Hader Glang
