PRES. MARCOS: BASILAN FROM TERRORISM TO ZONE OF PEACE

SUMISIP, BASILAN – As a testament of his unwavering commitment to bring greater peace, security and stability to this once conflict-ridden island province, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Saturday, March 2, led the smelting of 550 surrendered firearms.

In his message, President Marcos remarked that Basilan was “a province that was once tainted by violence and terrorism is now a zone of peace,” which was “made possible not by military might alone but more so, by a people saying no to violence.”

“Peace is more than the cessation of hostilities. It is about the creation of a social order that values human dignity, improves lives, and promotes progress,” the President underscored, as he addressed the large crowd gathered here at the Sampinit Complex.

The putting beyond use of surrendered weapons, which is under the Government of the Philippines’ Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Management Program, was the highlight of the “Panabang sa Kasanyangan” or Unity for Peace activity. The decommissioned firearms were collected through the efforts of the SALW Program of the Joint Normalization Committee ( JNC), a peace mechanism that was created under the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The event was organized by the provincial government of Basilan, 101st Brigade Philippine Army, Western Mindanao Command and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity’s SALW-ASPIRE Program with UNDP and Embassy of Japan. The historic event was participated in by top officials from the national and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governments.

The SALW is actively supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under its Western Mindanao Command, Joint Task Force Orion and 101st Infantry Brigade, as well as international peace partners such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese Government through the Assistance for Security, Peace, Integration and Recovery for Advancing Human Security in BARMM (ASPIRE) Project.

In a show of solidarity to rid the BARMM from loose firearms, majority of the governors were present during the event. These are BARMM Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, Gov. Abdulraof Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte, Gov. Datu Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Gov. Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi.

Historical peace monument

The site of the historic smelting, which the President witnessed is the Sampinit Complex. It is where the Kasanyangan Peace Monument was erected in March 2023 to symbolize the solidarity of the people of Basilan, and their collective desire to put an end to the culture of violence in the province.

Years ago, the municipality of Sumisip was considered a “no-man’s” land due to the frequent armed encounters between government troops and rebel forces, as well as violent extremist groups. The situation has dramatically turned around since then. /