by Rene V. Carbayas
ISABELA CITY, Basilan – The City Government of Isabela and the Provincial Government of Basilan, respectively held flag-raising ceremony to mark the 116th Philippine Independence Day celebration.
Isabela City Mayor Cherrylyn Santos-Akbar led the flag-raising ceremony at city hall complex together with Police Chief PSUPT Albert T. Larubis and 104th Brigadier General Carlito G. Galvez Jr., various government agencies, the academe, and civic groups.
Recalling what the Philippine heroes had done for the country that fought for the freedom that the whole nation enjoys today, the mayor urged Isabelaños to use this freedom wisely.
She said that 116 years ago heroes had given their lives and fought against foreign invasion, thinking of the future or the next generation to enjoy life without fear.
“However, today we experience Filipinos fighting fellow Filipinos for power, money, and other personal reasons. And the saddest part is that people in authority want to control everyone else. Because of fear for self and family, most people opt to remain silent rather than getting themselves involved in solving the problems,” she lamented.
She also lashed at those who continue to abuse their power and authority, curtailing the freedom and rights of other people.
“All of us will soon have another challenge, especially on our freedom of choice wherein we have to decide whether we want to be under the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB), the replacement of Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),” she said as she expressed the uncertainties and doubts brought about by the CAB to the people of Isabela, which will be included in the plebiscite.
She called on the public to contribute and decide wisely “that will serve the best interest of the city and its people for one and only Isabela City.”
Meanwhile, a separate flag-raising ceremony followed at the Provincial Plaza Rizal where Basilan Governor Jum J. Akbar led the wreath-laying ceremony with Brigade Commander Gen. Galvez.
In an interview, Governor Akbar called for unity as the province journeys toward prosperity and peaceful communities in the near future.
“I am happy today, not only because we celebrate our independence as a nation, but also because of the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Provincial Government and stakeholders on the establishment of the Basilan Micro-Enterprise Development and Community Empowerment Center in Tipo-Tipo Municipality, south of Basilan,” she said.
She expressed her gratitude to the American people through the US Forces present that the project, when completed, will greatly contribute to the people in the southern part of the island province who because of conflict situation were deprived of more government and non-government services and programs, especially from national government agencies and foreign funding institutions.
Cpt. Austin Liu, of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF) in his message said that the project was conceptualized last year on how to systematically change the lives of the communities for the better.
Liu explained that “the concept was to provide a one-stop-reintegration/rehabilitation center in the heart of Southeast Basilan for the out-of-school youth, the unemployed, and other disadvantaged sectors, providing not only basic livelihood training but also management skill enhancement and micro-financing opportunities for them to become successful, functioning, and contributing members of the local economy.”
He said that the MOA signing will bring a step closer to new hope and opportunities for the underprivileged and marginalized communities in Tipo-Tipo, Sumisip, Ungkaya Pukan, and Al-Barka, including the rest of Basilan.
Various groups including the academe, the military, police and other security sectors, USAID projects (BE SECURE, CREST, Health, and MYDev), the Basilan Bikers Club, and Isabela Water District participated in the local Independence Day celebration.
This year’s theme was “Pagsunod sa Yapak ng mga Dakilang Pilipino, Tungo sa Malawakan at Permanenteng Pagbabago.”