Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman and Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) recently agreed to cooperate on reintegrating religious extremists into mainstream society.
Salliman and Ebrahim had also talked about the completion of on-going infrastructure projects in Basilan that were started by the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, whose funding is now channeled through the BARMM government.
“My dialogue with Chief Minister Ebrahim was cordial and I felt his sincerity in his commitment to our goal of building a durable peace in Basilan,” Salliman said on Friday.
The meeting of Salliman and Ebrahim was facilitated by lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM’s local government minister, Mayor Hanie Bud of Maluso town in Basilan and engineer Salonga Lasatan, a technical staff of the second-termer provincial governor.
Salliman said he told Ebrahim they could even name “BARMM Highway” the Basilan Transcentral Road, which the provincial government is presently constructing as a solution to the decades-old southern secessionist problem.
The Basilan Transcentral Road, a flagship project of former ARMM governor Mujiv Hataman, brother of Salliman and now deputy speaker in the House of Representatives.
The road, when completed, passes through forested mountain ranges in the center of the province where the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) once had enclaves where it held captives, many of them beheaded for non-payment of ransom.
Salliman said he also explained to Ebrahim that his administration also needs the support of the Bangsamoro government for an agricultural diversification program.
This could provide farmers alternate sources of income to cushion the effects of the “cocolisap” infestation, which destroyed many coconut plantations in the province. Cocolisap is short for the combined words “coconut” and “kulisap” (insect).
“It has affected so many coconut farm owners and farm workers in Basilan,” Salliman emphasized.
He said the BARMM chief minister also gave the assurance to help the provincial government put up more infrastructure projects in Basilan.
Salliman and Ebrahim also discussed the feats of the provincial government of Basilan in securing the surrender in recent years of more than 200 ASG members now being reintroduced to the local communities via the Program Against Violent Extremism, or PAVE.
The PAVE was pioneered by Hataman while he was governor of ARMM.
The creation of BARMM is a result of 22 years of peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose chairman is Ebrahim, himself.
Salliman and Ebrahim had also talked about the completion of on-going infrastructure projects in Basilan that were started by the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, whose funding is now channeled through the BARMM government.
“My dialogue with Chief Minister Ebrahim was cordial and I felt his sincerity in his commitment to our goal of building a durable peace in Basilan,” Salliman said on Friday.
The meeting of Salliman and Ebrahim was facilitated by lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM’s local government minister, Mayor Hanie Bud of Maluso town in Basilan and engineer Salonga Lasatan, a technical staff of the second-termer provincial governor.
Salliman said he told Ebrahim they could even name “BARMM Highway” the Basilan Transcentral Road, which the provincial government is presently constructing as a solution to the decades-old southern secessionist problem.
The Basilan Transcentral Road, a flagship project of former ARMM governor Mujiv Hataman, brother of Salliman and now deputy speaker in the House of Representatives.
The road, when completed, passes through forested mountain ranges in the center of the province where the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) once had enclaves where it held captives, many of them beheaded for non-payment of ransom.
Salliman said he also explained to Ebrahim that his administration also needs the support of the Bangsamoro government for an agricultural diversification program.
This could provide farmers alternate sources of income to cushion the effects of the “cocolisap” infestation, which destroyed many coconut plantations in the province. Cocolisap is short for the combined words “coconut” and “kulisap” (insect).
“It has affected so many coconut farm owners and farm workers in Basilan,” Salliman emphasized.
He said the BARMM chief minister also gave the assurance to help the provincial government put up more infrastructure projects in Basilan.
Salliman and Ebrahim also discussed the feats of the provincial government of Basilan in securing the surrender in recent years of more than 200 ASG members now being reintroduced to the local communities via the Program Against Violent Extremism, or PAVE.
The PAVE was pioneered by Hataman while he was governor of ARMM.
The creation of BARMM is a result of 22 years of peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose chairman is Ebrahim, himself.
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