ARMM pushes for better ports

Cotabato City - The regional ports management of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) vies to improve ports services and revenue generation in the region as it pursues full devolution and further compliance to international maritime standards this year.

The management and technical staff of the 7 major seaports in the ARMM convened in a two-day conference, Feb. 15-16, to lay down viable plans to take on the considerably dismal condition of ports in the region.

Pagras Biruar, General Manager of the Regional Ports Management Authority (RPMA), said the conference is designed to have a thorough evaluation of present ports management and operation in the region and identify means for improvement.

Most of the problems faced by ARMM’s ports management stem from its not being entirely devolved to the autonomous government.

All 7 seaports have to rely on locally generated revenues to support their operation and respective workforce. The same problem has also led to intricacies that keep these ports from providing decent services and better revenue collection.

Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, ARMM executive secretary, said the incumbent regional leadership will place emphasis on the improvement of ports, to include airports, as “the ports mirror the region – the regional government and its people.”

He said people from outside ARMM get their first taste of the region via its ports upon their arrival and their impression of the ports somehow affects their perception of the region as a whole.

Sinarimbo said that it is “imperative to push for greater devolution.” The regional ports management authority is already devolved to the region. He said the regional government will work to have the corresponding plantilla positions devolved to the region as well.

Sinarimbo also said that they have talked to some funding agencies to seek support in the training of personnel on port management and would include port improvement among his talking points in his scheduled visit to Malaysia. (bpiarmm)