'School of Living Tradition' to be built in Basilan

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The provincial government is now constructing a “Lumah Yakan” in Basilan, a showcase of local cultures and traditions the local communities want memorialized through such a learning facility.

Lumah means house in the Yakan language.

Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman said Saturday the Lumah Yakan shall also be called “School of Living Tradition,” where residents in the island province and visitors can learn from the ways of life of ethnic Yakans.

The Lumah Yakan project is to be bankrolled with funds released to the Basilan provincial government by the Bangsamoro local government ministry as incentive for its having won in 2019 a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) from the office of Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.

The grant of SGLG to deserving municipal, city and provincial governments is a yearly activity of the central office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

It is premised on the performance, sound fiscal management and involvement of local governments in activities meant to provide social, economic and political empowerment of constituent-communities.

The Lumah Yakan project in Barangay Sumagdang in Isabela City was launched November 25 by Salliman, Vice Gov. Yusop Alano and Ra-Diyah Akmad, acting provincial director of the Ministry of the Interior and the Local Government Ministry of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“We are thankful to the BARMM local government ministry for this and for its continuing support to all our programs focused on enhancing governance in this part of the Bangsamoro region,” Salliman said.

Salliman said the Lumah Yakan shall be a hub for traditional weaving of the colorful Yakan Tennun fabric, which has good market potentials in Metro Manila and abroad.

The now second-termer Salliman and senior provincial officials also facilitated the inauguration this week of three classroom buildings in Lamitan City in Basilan.

The school buildings, built by the provincial government, are located in Barangays Sta. Clara, Cabobo and Calugusan, all in Lamitan City.