Churches in Milne Bay province will receive a guaranteed funding of at least K1 million every year starting in 2017.
This follows the passage of Milne Bay Church Government Partnership Program (CGPP) Bill 2016 by the Provincial Assembly in Alotau last Tuesday (Dec 13).
The Bill, which was passed by a unanimous vote, was presented by the chairman for Community Development and president for Huhu, Lelena Metoa.
“The Bill is our own initiative and is the first-of-its-kind in the country. It’s a significant piece of legislation that will enable us to strengthen and cement our development partnership with the churches, to enhance the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the people of Milne Bay,” Metoa told the Assembly.
“The law will make history for Milne Bay and Papua New Guinea. It will change the political landscape of our province, add a new dimension to our development and enable the churches to forge a lasting partnership with the government from now and into the future.”
Metoa thanked Governor Titus Philemon for initiating the Church Government Partnership Program in 2013 and funding it annually.
He said the new law will guarantee funding of at least K1 million a year.
“The program is set to become an important development pillar for Milne Bay and a legacy of this Provincial Government,” Metoa said.
Governor Philemon said: “It’s important that we continue to fund the churches and we, as a government, are committed to doing that.
“That’s why we have decided to legislate to make sure that annual funding for the churches is guaranteed by law and have allocated K1 million for the CGPP in 2017.”
The annual program is implemented by a governing council made up of the bishops of the three mainline churches: United, Anglican and Catholic – and Kwato Church, while the Pentecostals are represented by Alotau Ministers Fraternal.
Governor Philemon set up the CGPP and the council in 2014 and has allocated K1 million annually from his PSIP funds in the last three years for a total of K3 million.
The MPs for the four districts of Alotau, Kiriwina Goodenough, Esa’ala and Samarai-Murua have their own CGPP funded by their DSIPs.
However, calls have been made for the Open MPs to incorporate their DSIP budgets in the provincial budgets for purposes of transparency and accountability.
If the four MPs agree to fund the provincial CGPP on a kina-to-kina basis, churches in Milne Bay will have guaranteed funding of K5 million every year.
(Chairman for Community Development and president for Huhu RLLG, Lelena Metoa, presenting the Church Government Partnership Program Bill on the floor of the Provincial Assembly)