Saudi Arabia pledges P250-M socio-economic grant for ARMM

COTABATO CITY — The Saudi Arabian government has pledged a P250-million socio-economic grant for impoverished communities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to complement the Southern Mindanao peace process.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador Mohammad Ameen Wali personally relayed his government’s commitment to ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan during an Iftar, a banquet held after day-long fasting, at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Makati City the other night.

The Iftar, traditionally held at night during the Ramadhan season, was graced by diplomats from Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Egypt and Iran, which all belong to the Organization of Islamic Conference, an influential bloc of 54 Muslim nations, including the Arab petroleum-exporting states.

Ampatuan quoted Wali as saying that the only requisite for the release of the P250 million from the Saudi Development Fund (SDF) is a comprehensive program detailing how the ARMM government would spend it for socio-economic ventures.

"This pledge of socio-economic support is a big boost to our effort of strengthening peace and sustainable development in the ARMM through various projects that can alleviate the poverty of the region’s constituents," Ampatuan said.

Wali was videotaped as saying during the dinner that he would help the Ampatuan administration forge linkages with the Islamic Development Bank, the Muslim World League and the Saudi Development Bank, which bankrolls humanitarian projects in impoverished Muslim communities worldwide.

"Our doors are open for you and we shall do our best to help you and facilitate development efforts for (the) ARMM," Wali said in his speech during the Iftar, which the Saudi Arabian Embassy hosted in honor of the newly elected ARMM officials.

The ARMM covers Marawi City, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both in Central Mindanao, and the island-provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

During the gathering, Ambassadors Muhammad Abul Quashem of Bangladesh, Saber Abdel Kader Mansour of Egypt and Jalal Kalantari of Iran also took turns in recognizing Ampatuan as the new ARMM governor.

The diplomats’ presence in the Iftar belied insinuations by certain leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that the international Islamic community would not recognize Ampatuan for being a non-MNLF member.

Ampatuan’s predecessors, Nur Misuari and Parouk Hussin, both belong to the MNLF, which signed a peace pact with the government on Sept. 2, 1996.

Ampatuan said the socio-economic package pledged by Saudi Arabian would enhance President Arroyo’s peace overture with secessionist forces in the ARMM.

He said poverty and underdevelopment contribute to the region’s security problems.