COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The trailblazing operations of the current administration of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has earned another citation, this time from the Commission on Audit (CoA), which earlier reported shadowy financial expenditures in the region under past administrators.

In a report, the CoA cited the ARMM governance for increasing its collection of local taxes, fees, and other revenues to over P764 million in 2010 – indicating a 14 percent rise over its total collections in 2009.

The government audit agency said the feat, which has been unprecedented in the ARMM’s 22-year history, was achieved despite low economic activities in the ARMM, lower Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collections, and the implementation of the law exempting minimum-wage earners from paying taxes.

The CoA attributed the improved revenue collection to the Office of the Regional Treasurer, headed by Kanggo Umal, who it said deserved plaudits for the feat.

The ARMM’s total collection from regional taxes, fees, and charges, and its share from the national internal revenue taxes and other regional revenues amounted to P764.74 million in 2010 or 14 percent higher than the P669.89 million collected the previous year.

Meanwhile, incumbent ARMM officials proudly welcomed the CoA report, describing it as one of “glad tidings” vindicating them from some political quarters undermining the performance of the current regional leadership.

“It (CoA report) is another pat on the back of people managing now the ARMM governance, complementing a series of favorable ratings from reputable institutions,” ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo said.

Earlier, agencies of the United Nations’ (UN), European Union (EU), the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Bank (WB), and other foreign institutions had conveyed “satisfactory” ratings on the ARMM operations since the reign of the Adiong administration in late 2009.

The favorable ratings credited the ARMM’s posting of breast-feeding among over 70 percent of resident-mothers, its successes in rendering outreach services to the farthest Turtle Islands, and in piloting the ban on junk foods in public schools’ canteens, its feats in mass implementation of infrastructure projects under transparent scheme, and in other unprecedented achievements.