MILF: UNYPAD-Zamboanga City Chapter initiates community organizing

From the MILF Website (Apr 9): UNYPAD-Zamboanga City Chapter initiates community organizing

Zamboanga City -The United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) –Zamboanga City Chapter initiated sorts of meetings and organizing of new members geared to strengthen its organization and widen its services.

The organization actively engages on intervention, participation and advocacy in productive programs and viewed necessary in promoting peace and development in Mindanao particularly in the core provinces and areas in the ARMM activities in line with its primordial mandates and commitment to peace.

On April 4, 1013, the group undertook organizing of new members and chapter at a Mosque vicinity in Barangay Recodo, a village in the western coastal area of the city, in addition to its established set up in this town. The activity was attended by regular and newly-sworn members of UNYPAD

Mr. Tirso Tahir, a member of the Steering Committee of Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) graced the affair and imparted inspirational message. He pointed out the crucial roles of the youth, parents and elders in matters of decision-making through active involvement and participation in socio-economic and political activities in societies and communities.

Tahir stressed that the youth should share their valuable time and knowledge to help in disseminating the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) reaching every Moro and non-Moro communities particularly in the proposed Bangsamoro territory and explaining its substantial points and doable objectives.

“Youth is supposedly in the front line in every endeavor particularly in questing and upholding the peace and development in Mindanao specifically in the covered areas because you are imparted with current cyber-knowledge and energy compared to the old ones,” he stressed.

Among the problems faced by Muslim Youth in Zamboanga City is the difficulty to be admitted to work in local commercial malls and industrial factories unlike with their contemporary youth who came from Davao, Northern Mindanao and from Zamboanga Peninsula region.

Discrimination in matter of identity & religion are among the depriving factors in such employment opportunity and system of work admittance.

On the other hand, any successful Muslim businessmen, traders, professionals and politicians in Zamboanga City must be in full cooperation and attachment to local non-Muslim Politicians and even to the extent of compromising their stance and principles as Muslim and Moro in order to prolong their presence, temporal grandeur and status in Zamboanga City.

Mostly of the Moro youth who did not finish their study opted to work in Sabah, Malaysia despite of some reported maltreatment to undocumented Filipino workers and was recently aggravated by the Sultanate armed men’s intrusion in Sabah. Most Muslim professionals and skilled Moros are also working in Middle Eastern countries where they are preferred because of their being Muslims.

These are how the flow and images of living condition and living status of Muslim Moros in Zamboanga City, a City which was once upon a time belonged, inhabited and centre of Moro Trading in Mindanao after Jolo Sulu.

UNYPAD Zamboanga City Chapter was organized last 2009 by the national officers of UNYPAD based in Cotabato City. Thereafter, UNYPAD Zamboanga City chapter actively participates and collaborates with other civil society organization operating in the city. The said organization are calling the Moro youth to become more productive in their field of expertise especially in terms of political, social, and religious undertakings.

Julfhikar L. Samsaraji, UNYPAD Zamboanga City Chapter President said, “We encourage our fellow youth of this generation to become more participatory in decision –making and get involve in advancing their knowledge to shape brighter future of Mindanao.”

He added, “Therefore we say let us respect our differences towards common goal and unite on the same ground.”

The next community organizing will soon be conducted within the Zamboanga peninsula to promote harmonious relationship among Moro youth and serve as partners in nation building towards the creation of new Bangsamoro political entity.

Recodo is populated by Moro residents and almost all of the inhabitants are relying in fishing and selling of local fruits and other local products as their source of legitimate livelihood.

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