Security tight at ARMM capitol for Hataman's 'last' regional address

COTABATO City, Philippines - Policemen and soldiers cordoned the surroundings of the 32-hectare compound of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional capitol here as part of the security preparations for the state of the region address (SORA) of Governor Mujiv Hataman this afternoon.

Some 3,000 people including barangay officials, mayors, the region’s five provincial governors, and representatives of various civil society organizations, national and foreign dignitaries are expected to witness the SORA at 3:00 p.m. at the ARMM’s newly-refurbished Sharif Kabunsuan Cultural Complex.

The autonomous region covers Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, which are both in Central Mindanao, the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Marawi and Lamitan.

Hataman’s SORA is one of the many highlights of the on-going month-long celebration of the ARMM’s 25th founding anniversary that began on November 17.

The SORA shall be capped with a “food festival” that will be held in five mock tribal villages representing Maguindanao, Maranaw, Yakan, Tausog and Samah located within the ARMM government compound.

The tribal villages were constructed as part of the activities in connection with the ARMM’s anniversary feast, meant to showcase the ethnicity of the region’s culturally-pluralistic folks and their customs and traditions.

Hataman is expected to urge the region’s Muslim, Christian and Lumad communities to support Malacañang’s peace overture with the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) in his SORA, which could be his last.

Regional officials are expecting the enactment in early 2015 of the draft Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL), the enabling measure for the replacement of ARMM with a new MILF-led Bangsamoro political entity based on the rebel group’s final peace accord with government.

Employees of the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information said Hataman’s SORA will also delve on his administration’s accomplishments in introducing reforms in the regional bureaucracy and in implementing costly infrastructure projects from 2012 to November this year.