COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – The head of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) lauded the “remarkable” performance of the present administration of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), citing such feat as a major reason in the agency’s grant of a P3.5 -billion fund for a six-year package of assistance for education development in the region.

“The ARMM government (officials) now with their short stay (in office) made a remarkable job in managing the education affairs in the region,” AusAID Minister Counselor to the Philippines Titon Mitra said at a recent ground-breaking ceremony here for a P9.5-million building funded by his agency.

The AusAID-ARMM partnership has been on for a decade now and it found more enthusiasm in working with incumbents led by ARMM acting Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong, Mitra said.

Mitra together with ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo and Regional Education Secretary Baratucal Caudang laid down the time capsule of the two-storey building, which is set for completion in January next year to house the payroll service unit of the ARMM’s Education Department and the office of the AusAID-Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM).

On the eve of the ground-breaking rites, Adiong, who was represented by Sinarimbo and Caudang, tendered a testimonial dinner here in tribute to Mitra’s “monumental” contribution to gray areas in the education system of the autonomous region, which lack ample subsidies from the national government.

“We have no enough words to describe our profound gratitude to you and your agency. You’ve been a dependable source of assistance we profusely need to emancipate our region from the quagmire of high illiteracy rate,” Sinarimbo told Mitra at the testimonial dinner.

Due to the current “remarkable” efforts to bring about quality education in the region, AusAID Filipina education specialist Tess Felipe said Mitra “fought hard” for his country to provide the P3.5-billion grant for exclusive use in a six-year education program kicking off next year.

Felipe said they have noticed “some gaps” in the relationship between the ARMM education department and the national government in terms of funding requirements, a reason she cited as big factor in the intervention of the AusAID.

As this developed, Caudang pledged to live up to the expectation of the donor agency, saying, “We’ve proven our worth and we shall struggle hard to sustain your trust in us.”