COTABATO CITY – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) acting Gov. Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong Sunday welcomed both the conduct of a special audit and the safeguards recommended by senators on ARMM funds, even as he assured transparency in his administration’s financial operations.

“We ardently welcome such developments, which we regard as a complement to our desire for an image for the autonomous region,” Adiong told the Manila Bulletin over the phone.

Adiong was referring to the special audit on the ARMM fund releases ordered recently by the Commission on Audit (CoA) and the safeguards prescribed by Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Panfilo Lacson in the fiscal operations of the regional government.

During his formal installation to office on December 14 by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno as successor of suspended ARMM Gov. Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, Adiong said he assumed an “enormous task” of governing the region, which has remained impoverished since its inception 20 years ago.

Adiong has also assured to appoint “competent and honest” subordinates to help him bring ARMM to greater heights under the principles of transparency, accountability and consultative leadership.

Over the weekend, Pimentel and Lacson said a Public Works Act must be implemented in ARMM to make sure that the funds would go to infrastructure and development projects in all target areas and not just to the pockets of its officials.

Pimentel said the Senate did not slash P1 billion from the budget of ARMM, which was the reason why Lacson voted against the budget’s ratification, but half of it would not be released without the so-called Public Works Act.

He said half of the P1 billion lump sum out of the close to P10 billion budget of ARMM had been going mostly to Maguindanao while the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and Marawi City were getting meager shares.

“The share of ARMM in the budget is also released every three months. My suggestion is that before every release, there must be an accounting and auditing first. If there are differences and questions, the release must be withheld.
The accounting must be done here so they cannot influence it,” Pimentel said
Earlier, CoA Chairman Reynaldo Villar has ordered a special financial audit for ARMM amid growing suspicions that massive fraud in the handling of over P20 billion regional fund allocations had enriched members of a lone family in Maguindanao.

The special audit would review the financial status, fund disbursements and expenditures of ARMM in the past two years.