Turtle Island mayoral aspirant keen to work with Sabah to boost eco-tourism
KOTA KINABALU: The Taganak Municipal mayoral aspirant Mohd Haji Faizal Salam Jamalul has expressed high hopes that the 5th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines could be a perfect partner of Sabah in promoting eco-tourism products to the world.
Advocating tourism as one of his advocacies in the coming May 13 midterm elections, Faizal said Taganak, also known as the Philippines’ Turtle Island, is just half an hour away from the main district of Sandakan.
The municipality, with slightly over 5,000 voting population, is blessed with many beautiful beaches, plentiful marine life and other gifts from Mother Nature apart from peace loving people.
Faizal said the municipality is also a nesting place for turtles for the past decades and and a perfect place to glance the presence of air-breathing mamals called Dugongs belonging to the Order Serenia.
These are some of the products, he said that both Taganak and Sabah can entice foreigners to visit both places.
If given the mandate , he said he would seek the cooperation of neighbour Sabah to develop Taganak into a tourist destination.
“I will also build a holiday resort in my municipality to cater for the needs of the visitors which will create not only employment to the local populace but also income and revenue to the local government,” Faizal, a businessman-turnedpolitician pledged.
Furthermore, the Zambasulta Traders Association president said it is also his vision to make the manicipality as the gateway for Cross-border trading between Sabah and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
To achieve all these noble objectives, Faizal is appealing to the his voters (including those still working in Sabah) to participate and cast their votes during the scheduled May 13 polls.
“I need your (voters) cooperation in order for me to be able to help develop our municipality and improve your standard of living,” he stressed.
As a responsible elected mayor, Faizal assured that he would also work closely with the Philippine Government as well as Malaysia to ensure security in both areas.
On the occasion of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s birthday today, Faizal said: “Your perseverance and dedication for our nation continue to inspire us all. We pray that you will continue to guide us with your wisdom, courage and strength for many years to come. Happy Birthday Tatay Digong!”