One of the these is the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CBCSO), which in a statement, said a social contract between the government and its constituents is an old idea that had to be in place for local government units like those of the ARMM to ensure speedy development.
Guiamel Ali, CBCSO chairperson, said development in ARMM had been slow as compared to other administrative region in the country.
Alim blamed slow-paced ARMM development in the last 22 years to non-participation of the people, especially the civil society organizations.
He said previous ARMM leadership did not consider CSO and NGOs as active and vital partners in pushing for development in the region.
On Feb. 28, local CSOs and the ARMM government, represented by Acting Governor Mujiv Hataman, will sign a social contract to define roles of each of the stakeholder parties in reforms and development efforts for the region.
The main objective of the social contract, according to Hataman is to narrow the gap between the government and the people in efforts to bring together participative roles in governance.
Some political thinkers have defined social contract as an “intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments.
In a statement, the ARMM Bureau of Public Information said political thinkers' arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept corresponding duties to protect themselves and one another from violence and other kinds of harm.” (John Locke – 1689).
The ARMM social contract covers such issues and concerns as defined roles of the parties in general development endeavors, including protection and preservation of the environment, stability in peace and security, good governance and socioeconomic uplift, as well as sufficiency in infrastructure facilities.
Hataman said the pact would also ensure a better informed local leadership and their constituents on government programs and resource utilization to accelerate development efforts in reformed governance with an expanded people’s participation in it.
Among the priorities in the social contract is environmental preservation in the fast-balding forests in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
ARMM's environment and natural resources department, Hataman said is currently engaged in a program called “Adopt a Mountain” for greening projects in all five component provinces of the region.
Aiming for a million trees planted in 17 months of the Hataman administration, ARMM Environment Secretary Kahal Kedtag said the program has been ongoing in Maguindanao, Lanao Sur and Tawi-Tawi and will soon start in Basilan and Sulu.
Parallel with the social contract signing, the local electoral watchdog Citizens-Care will host a Regional Electoral Summit on Voters' Registration as a major step in cleansing the region's voters' lists.
ARMM has been labelled as the country’s elections “cheating capital.”
Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu said he had recommended to the Commission on Elections the review his province’s voters’ list and to conduct a continuing registration to be able to compare old and new data.
Director Commando Pilipinas of the ARMM National Statistics Office said it is difficult to update or even determine validity of voters’ registration because locals have rarely registered deaths, among them.
However, he believes that something can be done and it must be done now. (PNA/PIA9-ZBST)
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