ARMM IRAnians

A private joke among ARMM residents - their mayors and governors are IRAnians. That's because their only reason for running for office (spending at least 50 million pesos in the process) is for the Internal Revenue Allotment or IRA. These bast*rds (open link on new tabs for examples) view and spend the IRA municipal/city/province as if its their personal funds. The IRA go to the construction of mansions, luxury vehicles, and maintenance of bodyguards and huge payroll of relatives. Sad to admit but I have relatives who are IRAnians.

One of my relative was abducted after the election of 2004 by a Lanao del Sur mayor who lost in the election. The mayor was demanding that the Landbank of the Philippines branch in Marawi City release to him his municipalities IRA for 2005 as he must pay the local shylock soon. He apparently pawned their next year's IRA to finance his losing candidacy. What an @ss!!! He eventually released my relative upon demands of some of my more prominent relatives.

Most of the ARMM municipal officials do not live in their municipalities. They have huge houses in the their choice urban centers (CDO for Lanao officials and Cotabato City/Gensan/Davao for Maguindanao officials) and in Metro Manila. Some of these residences even have a small office that bear the "Office of the Mayor" sign at the door.