Tawi Tawi, Philippines

Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi (30 May) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo launched here yesterday mariculture development project to promote the culture and production of high-value fish species which are quite in demand in neighboring countries in Asia.

The President led the unveiling of the marker of the Tawi-Tawi Modified Mariculture Development Project, an anti-poverty project that would directly benefit more than 52,000 coastal dwellers and fisherfolks in the adjacent island towns of Sibutu and Sitangkai.

Assisting the President during the capsule-laying ceremonies at the municipal grounds here were Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Secretary Jesus Dureza,Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali, and Lone District Representative Nur Jaafar.

Welcoming the President were more than 1,000 residents led by Sibutu Mayor Kuyoh Pajiji, Sitangkai Mayor Tiblan Ahaja, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcolm Sarmiento.

Among those who arrived with the President were Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Secretary Jesus Dureza and Armed Forces Chief Of Staff Alexander Yano.

The President also awarded a P2-million check for the scholarship program of the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and distributed various fishing paraphernalia including 100 6.5-horsepower engines, 10 units of fish finders, and 10 units of global positioning system (GPS) for the 10 fishermen’s associations in the province.

The mariculture project here involves the production and culture of high-value fish species such as groupers (lapu-lapu) including the backyard culture of abalone, sea urchin, and pearls.

In her speech, the President said the project is in line with her super regions concept to equally distribute the fruits of economic reforms to the countryside particularly in the less developed areas.

The President said the mariculture project would increase the income of the more than 50,000 fisherfolks here to an estimated P100 million for every fishing harvest period.

The President later conducted an aerial inspection of the fish cages in the 75-hectare mariculture project situated in the shallow inland waters of Sibutu and Sitangkai.

The government is pushing the establishment of mariculture parks (MPs) throughout the country which now number 31 to create more jobs and livelihood opportunities particularly in areas such as Tawi-Tawi, the poorest province in the country.

A “mariculture highway” starting in Tawi-Tawi would be established as soon as mariculture parks all over the country can already produce enough volume of high-value aquaculture products such as fish, crab, shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone and seaweed.

BFAR Director Sarmiento said this highly-marketable and huge volume of cultured marine species would then attract buyers who will collect them in mariculture parks using the Strong Republic Nautical Highway en route to local and export markets.

The BFAR is envisioning a network of mariculture parks in both the western and eastern corridors of the country as trading post for cultured high-value fish and other marine species for both local and international markets.

“The mariculture highway (western seaboard) that would be established later would start from this place (Tawi-Tawi) going north. It would pass Zamboanga where we already have a mariculture park going to Palawan, Mindoro, La Union and thence to foreign markets such as Hong Kong and China,” Sarmiento said.

For the eastern seaboard, Sarmiento said the mariculture highway going to Luzon would start in Samal Island in Davao and Surigao passing through Leyte and Samar, which also host mariculture parks that have already been operational over the past several years.

The peaceful province of Tawi-Tawi is an ideal site for year-round mariculture production due to its pristine waters, rich and diverse fishery resources, and conducive climate.

Rep. Jaafar said Tawi-Tawi is currently the top producer of seaweeds in the country with an annual production of 361,000 metric tons.

Jaafar said that among the teeming high-value fish species in the province are several types of groupers (lapu-lapu) including the prized Napoleon wrasse, locally called “mameng.”

Although the catch and sale of mameng is currently banned under Philippine laws, middlemen sometimes buy “mameng” from local fisherfolks here at P1,000 per kilo which, Jaafar said, is then sold in urban areas at P2,000 to P2,500 a kilo and even fetches P5,000 a kilo in neighboring countries such as Hong Kong.

Only last week, Jaafar said the House of Representatives conducted a committee hearing on the regulated fishing of mameng in the country only during its breeding season in keeping with the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) that considers the Napoleon wrasse only as threatened and not an endangered one. (PIA)

Bongao, Tawi-Tawi (30 May) — In a bid to lift Tawi-Tawi from the list of the 20 poorest provinces of the country, the national government and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) forged today an agreement called 4 P’s or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stood as a witness during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the implementation of the 4P’s between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the ARMM represented by Tawi-Tawi Governor Hadji Sadikul Sahali.

Upon her arrival here from Sibutu town where she launched the Tawi-Tawi modified mariculture development project, the President, in preparation for the opening of classes in this province next month, motored to the Department of Education (DepEd) compound to observe the sprucing up of one classroom at the Datu Halun Laboratory Elementary School (DHLES). The President also inspected the 50 pieces of DepEd arm-chair for the use of students of DHLES.

Welcoming the President here were DepEd Undersecretary for Muslim Affairs Manaros Borasing, OIC School Division Superintendent Dr. Nihma Unda, District Supervisor Hadji Ayilla Abdulla, and DHLES principal Rachel Usman.

The DHLES is one of the public schools in Tawi-Tawi that teaches Islamic values that are normally taught in a Mardrasah School. The Madrasah education system is now being adopted as standard curriculum for both public elementary schools and private Madaris (Madrasah School) after the DepEd approved and prescribed DepEd Order No. 52 series of 2004.

The signatories of the MOA for 4 P’s were Bongao Mayor Albert Que, Tawi-Tawi Governor Hadji Sadikul Sahali, and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral.

The MOA will be used as guidelines in the implementation of 4P’s in Tawi-Tawi, a poverty reduction strategy by providing cash assistance to extreme poor household in order to break the intergenerational poverty cycle through investing in human capital.

“In the meantime, to our 3,000 families in Bongao who will be receiving their allowances starting this month, congratulations to all of you and please send your children to school,” the President said in her brief remarks.

The President explained that 4P’s is a pro-poor program of her administration where initially some 3,000 families in Bongao will receive a monthly cash allowance from the national government on condition that their children will go to school.

“If your children stop going to school then we will stop giving your allowance also,” the President told the residents, and teachers who attended the MOA signing.

She assured that the implementation of the 4P’s will also cover the 12 municipalities of Tawi-Tawi immediately after the DSWD and the provincial government completed their survey to identify the poorest families in the province.

Under the MOA, the national government thru the DSWD will help ARMM, an autonomous region, particularly Bongao in Tawi-Tawi, to provide monthly cash assistance of P1, 400 for each qualified poorest of the poor family for their health, nutrition and education expenses.

“Whereas, the province of Tawi-Tawi needs augmentation support from the national government to carry out its task in implementing social welfare and development programs profoundly needed by their constituents,” the MOA stated noting that being one of the top 20 poorest provinces in the country, Tawi-Tawi especially Bongao town, are included in the target area for the implementation of the 4P’s.

On Feb. 25, 2008, the President led the grand launching of 4P’s in Bagong Silang in Caloocan City.

Secretary Cabral said the 4P’s is one of the priority programs of the administration that aimed at empowering the poor, promote their rights to quality education, health and nutrition services.

In addition to this, the President thanked the ambassadors from Muslim countries for witnessing the MOA signing and for their continued support to the ongoing peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Southern Philippines.

“We are happy that they are here so they can see a peaceful province and they can see the fruits of their work that they have been doing together with all of the people of Tawi-Tawi and the ARMM.

Among the diplomats present were Malaysian Ambassador Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi, Brunei Ambassador Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo, Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali, Egyptian Ambassador Salwa Moufid Kamil Magarious, Libyan Charge d’ Affairs Mohammed Elmadir and Libyan Technical Counselor Khamal Abubesha.

After the MOA signing, the President motored at the warehouse of the National Food Authority (NFA) in nearby Barangay Lamion and she joined with the agency’s workers in the repacking and weighing of NFA rice before they distributed to the different barangays in Bongao. (PIA)

Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi (30 May) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tapped yesterday the assistance of presidential daughter Luli in the government’s efforts to lift Tawi-Tawi from the list of the country’s poorest provinces.

She said Luli, the policy officer of the Coral Triangle of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), will help the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in drawing up and implementing the economic, environmental and educational programs for Tawi-Tawi, the country’s poorest province.

In her speech after unveiling the marker of the Tawi-Tawi Modified Mariculture Development Project Thursday morning at the municipal grounds here, the President said the three Es (economy, environment and education) form the core of her administration’s strategy to uplift the lives of the people of Tawi-Tawi.

“I like to call our key areas of focus the three “E’s” of Economy, Environment and Education. These are central to lifting our Tawi Tawi up. Ngayon ang simula ng pagbangon ng Tawi-tawi,” the President said.

She pointed out that her administration continues to invest heavily in people and infrastructure here to bring down the current 7.89 percent poverty incidence rate of Tawi-Tawi.

Aside from these ongoing investments and the development assistance coming from donor countries, the President said Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the Philippines Mohammed Ameen Wali told her just this morning that Saudi Arabia is willing to provide another $80 million loan for government priority projects in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

This amount is in addition to the $20-million loan that the Saudi government extended earlier to the ARMM.

The President directed Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Education Commissioner Nina Ricafort, and Luli to prepare and submit proposals for the projects to be funded by the Saudi loan.

“I have instructed Secretary Arthur Yap to put the projects in the pipeline and submit it for Saudi funding, including the four phases of the mariculture project of Tawi-Tawi,” she said.

The President said she wants a two-fold increase in the number of ARMM students enrolled in agriculture and fishery courses. “I asked Commissioner Ricafort to prepare a feasibility study and proposal to the Saudi, for funding for doubling the enrolment of scholars in agriculture and fisheries,” she added.

The President said she will also seek the help of Luli in protecting the Coral Triangle. Tawi-Tawi is situated right in the middle of the Coral Triangle.

“I will ask her (Luli) to help you to also prepare the proposal for the sustainable fisheries in the ARMM that we can submit for funding under the Saudi fund,” the President said.

She recalled that in 1948, her father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal, who was then Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, was instrumental in getting back the Turtle Islands from the jurisdiction of Malaysia.

The Turtle Islands also belong to the Coral Triangle. (PIA)

Bongao, Tawi-Tawi (30 May) — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo kick off today the implementation of the P342-million Sanga-Sanga, Lapid-Lapid Tawi-Tawi Bridge - Road Partnership Project, one of the important infrastructure projects of the administration in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Immediately after her engagement at the Department of Education office here where she witnessed the signing of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s) between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Autonomous Region in Mindanao and gave financial assistance initially to some 3,000 poor family beneficiaries, she motored to Barangay Sanga-Sanga to ground break the Tawi-Tawi Bridge-Road Partnership Project and lower the time capsule to signal the start of the implementation of the bridge and road project.

Assisting the President in the lowering of the time capsule were Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and incoming Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali, Tawi-Tawi lone district Rep. Nur Jaafar, and Bongao Mayor Albert Que.

Also present were Malaysian Ambassador Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi, Brunei Ambassador Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo, Saudi Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali, Egyptian Ambassador Salwa Moufid Kamil Magarious, Libyan Charge d’ Affairs Mohammed Elmadir and Libyan Technical Counselor Khamal Abubesha.

In his briefing, Ebdane informed the President that the DPWH will start its construction for the Tawi-Tawi Bridge-Road Project this coming August.

He told the President that materials intended for the construction are all intact and that they are just waiting for the construction to start.

According to Ebdane, the project would connect five mainland municipalities of the province, namely: Panglima Sugala, Sapa-Sapa, Tandubas, Lunguyan and Bongao, as the President envisioned it in her 2007 State of the Nation (SONA) for the people of Tawi-Tawi.

He said the ambitious project within the island province will start August this year and expected to be completed before the end of her term in 2010.

When finished, Ebdane assured the President that the project will definitely provide infrastructure support for the fast and efficient delivery of basic services within the province, especially for the social and economic development and the peace process in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) areas.

The road and bridge project is a joint-partnership effort among United States Agency for International Development-Growth with Equity in Mindanao (USAID/GEM), DPWH and ARMM regional government.

Ebdane added that the project had five components: the upgrading of the 7.6 kilometer Sanga-Sanga road, the upgrading of the 8.45 kilometer Lapid-Lapid road, the construction of Sanga-Sanga bridge, the construction of Lapid-Lapid bridge, and the construction of Bakhaw Dakula Link Road. (PIA)