COTABATO CITY – A high-ranking official of the regional office of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Assistant Commissioner Elmer Bartolata, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has described ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan as a champion of public service in the autonomous region.

ARMM, created in 1989 during the late President Cory Aquino’s regime, is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and the city of Marawi.

ARMM held a month-long celebration in September as a tribute to the 109th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary.

In a statement from ARMM's Bureau of Information (BPI), Bartolata lauded Ampatuan “as an advocate and supporter of good governance and public service.”

The CSC-ARMM has been a consistent No. 1 among the CSC’s top performing regional offices for the second consecutive year, which the regional governor attributed earlier to the “exceptional leadership and management expertise of Bartolata and the commitment and professionalism of all his staff at the regional office.”

Ampatuan made the statement at the awarding rites for the 2009 Outstanding Public Officials and Employees in the ARMM on September 29. He said CSC-ARMM’s two-year at the No. 1 position among the CSC’s regional offices would not have been possible without Bartola.

On the other hand, Director Diamadel Dumagay of the Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO) said good governance in one of the five-point agenda of the regional governor’s administration, adding another focus is the attainment of peace and order and security.