Regional political party aims to fix BARMM’s economic woes

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — There is a provincial political party now expanding in the six provinces in the Bangsamoro region, aiming to address economic woes condoning underdevelopment in the local communities.

The Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo, (SIAP), organized together in 2002 by a group of political leaders, members of different business blocs and peace advocacy groups in Lanao del Sur, started reaching out last week to representatives of various sectors in the island province of Basilan.

SIAP was founded in 2002 by the patriarch of incumbent Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., the late Mamintal Adiong Sr., who had served as governor and congressman in the province for three terms each, respectively.

“The SIAP originally focused only on municipal and Lanao del Sur provincial politics. We are expanding it now to other provinces in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,”  Adiong, elected governor of Lanao del Sur in May 2022, told reporters on Sunday.

Members of SIAP who belong to the business sector in Lanao del Sur said the socio-economic goals of the party is something that can attract prospective members in BARMM’s Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces.

Adiong said the SIAP aims to promote cohesion, among political leaders, the traders and entrepreneurs in all four corners of the Bangsamoro region, on economic ventures that can generate trading opportunities, employment and attract investors from outside.

“The SIAP is keen on promoting, via political interventions, the partnership of local government units and the local communities on massive propagation of crops, abaca and bamboo as good sources of income for our people. These can bail them out from poverty,” Adiong said.

Representatives of SIAP from Lanao del Sur and sectoral leaders in Basilan held last Tuesday in Zamboanga City a dialogue on how they can establish domains for the party in the island province.

Maranao mayors who belong to SIAP said they want the initial brainstorming session with leaders in Basilan replicated in BARMM’s four other provinces, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and in its component-cities, Lamitan and Cotabato.

Adiong said the SIAP party wants to help Basilan Gov. Hadjiman H. Salliman address the adverse effects of the “cocolisap infestation” that destroyed thousands of hectares of coconut farms in their province.

Farmers were forced to cut down their coconut trees due to the cocolisap infestation that caused the yellowing of coconut palms and young coconuts, causing massive losses in production.

Adiong said the SIAP also aims to promote religious and cultural solidarity among BARMM’s divergent Christian and Muslim groups.