JOLO, Sulu, 25 September 2007 — US and British officials yesterday unveiled a huge package of development projects in Sulu province in an effort to help Manila bring peace and progress in the southern region.
Ambassadors Kristie Kenney, of the United States, and Peter Beckingham, of Britain, arrived with Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon in Jolo town where Gov. Sakur Tan led local officials in welcoming the delegation.
Tan said the US and British projects will help a lot of people in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Among the projects are the rehabilitation of the Jolo airport by the US worth $3 million and $700,000 potable water system funded by the British government under the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) program.
“The $3 million will be used to rebuilt and renovate the Jolo airport so people here can get their fabulous products out to market in Manila and the rest of the world,” Kenney told reporters.
It was in addition to the $190 million development and economic growth agreement the US recently signed to help fund other projects in Mindanao. “The $190 million will be spreading it evenly throughout various parts of Mindanao. The airport in Jolo and the water system, which costs $700,000, are separate projects,” she said.
The potable water system, on the other hand, will benefit hundreds of people in four villages — Siolakan, Bakud, Latung, and SibakLatud — in Sulu’s Siasi town, where AMORE also set up the communities’ first access to electricity using solar power technology in 2004.
The project consist of an intake structure, four impounding reservoirs confined with 7,335 meters pipeline and with 21 tap stands, said Tetchie Capellan, AMORE’s chief of party.
“I am confident that the completion of the potable water system project, the health, sanitation, and economic living conditions of the 200 marginalized households spread across the four villages will be addressed,” Capellan said.
The AMORE is an alliance of the United States Agency for International Development, the Philippines’ Department of Energy, Mirant Philippines Foundation Inc., the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Winrock International.
Bekingham described the province as vibrant. “Everybody is very friendly and I am delighted to be here and see the projects that we are doing here,” he said.
He said Britain is committed to increasing expenditure on water related projects, ensuring universal access to safe water and sanitation. The British government, he said, has already supported projects in developing countries, like in the Philippines, a community-based program integrating water, sanitation and hygiene education.
Kenney and Beckingham also handed over ten computers to the Sulu National High School. The British government provided reference materials while the USAID helped to install the new computers and train teachers on their use for classroom instruction.
They also visited the Jolo Market Road which had been upgraded recently from an dirt road to a concrete-paved boulevard by USAID.
