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Arnold Garbanzos

ILIGAN City — “If only Iligan can be separated from this Republic, we would gladly do so.”

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These were the exact words which I spoke to a Duterte cabinet secretary out of exasperation for not listening to the pleas of Iligan. Our topic then was about the re-opening of Global Steel and all solutions I have presented seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. The most government will say is “we cannot intervene because this is the problem of the private sector” sounds good but if we in Iligan listen to it we become stupid.

We, in Iligan, know it is not the problem of the private sector. It is the problem of the government since the two protagonists in this case are government entities — the city government of Iligan and the SEC-appointed liquidator representing the creditor banks. This argument was the same argument given by the then Finance Secretary Purisima to the then congressman Belmonte and is now the same argument given by DTI to Congressman Siao. And to both Purisima and DTI, I say that’s pure baloney!

Of course, the words I uttered were spoken with boldness because I know the potentials and capability of Iligan. We can truly separate from this Republic and still survive on our own. We are not the “Battery of Mindanao” and the “Fresh Water Capital of our Nation” for nothing. We are Iligan — and we can be a city state just like the Vatican, Singapore and Monaco. We can survive and stand on our own with no need for the IRA, DAP or PDAF of this nation.

But enough said on the matter. My statement above was also made since I am equally exasperated with the way we handle peace in Mindanao. All our government policies from Marcos down to the present administration are all reactive, and not proactive. Meaning, our peace approaches are not transformative and they do not build solid relationships. In short, “pang-showbiz lang,” and this is what many of our rebel forces have seen. They do not see a silver lining; they see a dark lining of “managing the problem,” not solving the problem. And that is why they continue to fight.

Many times, I have shared with this Cabinet secretary that Lanao, being the “Crown Jewel of Mindanao,” holds the key to the peace of the entire Bangsamoro and even Mindanao. Where Lanao goes, the entire Bangsamoro goes. The peace of Mindanao will not be determined by the oil deposits of Sulu or the natural gas deposits at the Liguasan in Maguindanao. The peace of Mindanao will be determined by the abundant fresh waters and hydro resources of Lanao. If we cannot do justice to these waters for the benefit of the Maranaos, then there will be no peace in Mindanao. Lanao holds the key.

I have been sharing this with this Cabinet secretary since 2016 but this official never listens. And so we find ourselves in this mess today.

“Reactive,” on one hand, means you only act positively after an event has already happened. It is not before the event has happened. And in most cases these events are negative like the “war” in Marawi.

“Proactive,” on the other hand, means that you act positively with the aim to transform and develop lasting relationships. This, sadly, is what our government lacks as an ability or even as a talent.

Allow me to outline to you some proactive approaches to the peace process which I strongly believe will end the Mindanao conflict especially among our Moro brothers. Of course, I can only speak on behalf of Lanao and our Maranao brothers since I am a resident of Iligan and Marawi. But I do believe that the principles can be applied all throughout the Muslim tribes of Mindanao:

  • Development of the water industry of Iligan and the creation of the Hajj Fund through these waters

If Singapore which has no water source can build a billion-dollar industry out of recycled water, more so for Iligan and Lanao which is blest with millions of gallons of fresh water everyday. And when we set aside a percentage of the revenues of this industry for a Hajj Fund for our Muslim brothers, wouldn’t the impact be far reaching and continuous for our nation and our peace-building efforts?

  • Creation of the Indigenous People’s University of the Philippines (Ipup) and the development of our Hinterlands for a “New City of Iligan.”

The mountains of Iligan which comprises 85 percent of our territory as a city holds the key to the peace of Iligan. The creation of the Ipup in order to preserve the Lumad culture and at the same time generate economic opportunities and jobs for our Lumad brothers can transform Iligan into an economic powerhouse of immense proportions. The Ipup will be the nucleus to create a new city in our mountains and thus decongest our current city spaces. This is a time honored urban planning strategy spearheaded by the Catholic and Protestant churches of our nation.

  • Making Maranao products go international

All Maranao products are unique. You will never find anything unique like Maranao products all over the world. It is now time to develop their full potential for the export market-starting with our lowly palapa.

  • Gagao Kalimo-building a community of guilds and not only houses.

Building houses in Lanao should have a unique approach. Because of the very close family ties and communal nature of the Maranao tribe we should build a community of guilds or house builds based on Maranao industries. These house builds must be done to end rido and to inculcate positive Muslim values based on the Quran and the Hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh)

  1. Establishment of the Iligan-Marawi Friendship games among our young people

Our youth hold the key to our success as a city and as a people. Sports is one good way of building relationships between our children. (to be continued)

 

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