Mayor Suraida Muksin personally received from MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo the check and buidling documents for the construction of the new municipal hall of Mapun in Tawi-Tawi. (Photo courtesy of Minister Sinarimbo)
BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi – In its continuous support to local government units in achieving self-reliance in service delivery, the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) allocated P30-million budget for the construction of a municipal building in the far-flung town of Mapun in Tawi-Tawi.
MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Nov. 29, that Mapun Mayor Suraida Muksin personally travelled to Cotabato City to receive the check representing half of the total fund to kickstart the project.
“The Mayor told me that this is a dream come true as she only sees the groundbreaking and turnover of municipal halls across the Bangsamoro in social media,” Sinarimbo stated in his post.
“She has been praying that this blessings for many of the municipalities in the BARMM would come to her town. And so, she was overjoyed to receive the call last week that her dream will finally be fulfilled,” he added.
According to Sinarimbo, Mapun is possibly the most isolated island municipality in the Bangsamoro region as it is situated in the middle of the Sulu Sea, very close to Palawan and Sabah, Malaysia.
Formerly known as Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, Mapun is home to more than 30,000 Bangsamoro according to 2020 census. Its existing municipal hall located at Barangay Liyubud is very small and old, accommodating only half of the LGU’s workforce.
Recognizing the importance of government centers as venues for constituents to engage with their local officials and access services, the regional government is committed to reaching every Bangsamoro through construction of such municipal halls.
“In reality, it has also been a dream for me to finally deliver a very concrete project for this far away municipality to ensure that we reach every corner of the Bangsamoro and that everyone would feel the services of our government,” Sinarimbo also said in his post. (Laila Aripin/BIO)
