Enrile bats for 'fiscal autonomy' for the ARMM

GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said yesterday he would support the call for complete autonomy of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) if that is the clamor of an overwhelming majority of the local populace.

Enrile, however, said he would move to stop all subsidies from the national government to the ARMM to allow the regional government to raise its own revenues so its autonomy would be complete.

"Political autonomy is meaningless without fiscal autonomy. That is just like a son asking for independence from his parents but continues to dine and live in his parents' house," said Enrile, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means.

Sen. Juan Flavier supported Enrile's stand on fiscal autonomy for the ARMM if there is, indeed, a clamor for complete autonomy.

He also noted that Congress, upon the urging of ARMM Gov. Nur Misuari, had revived the P4-billion seed money of the regional government, which had already been depleted.

Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore John Osmeña, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, observed that the ARMM appeared to have no visible projects to justify its expenditure of hundreds of millions of pesos from the national government.

Enrile's call for fiscal independence of a completely autonomous ARMM drew varied reactions from ARMM officials who are observing the conduct of public consultations on an expanded ARMM by the Senate committee on local government headed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Randolph Parcasio, ARMM executive secretary, said Enrile's "threat" to cut all financial assistance from the national government to the ARMM, showed the lack of sincerity of Enrile.

The fifth leg of the Senate consultations wound up yesterday with a swing in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. - With Allen Estabillo