Western Basilan barangay chairpersons convene for alliance building

Photo: Basilan Governor Hadjiman “Jim” Hataman-Salliman inspiring the barangay captains from Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, Sumisip and Tabuan Lasa municipalities to support and be active in the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA), an inter-LGU alliance supported by the Spanish Aid Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and implemented by the Institute of Autonomy and Governance (IAG).

January 04, 2018, Maluso, Basilan – Local chairmen and chairwomen from ninety-six (96) barangays of the municipalities of Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, Sumisip and Tabuan Lasa convene today for an orientation and consultation under the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA), today, at the covered court of Claret School of Maluso, this municipality.

In his opening statement, Mayor Muctar Junaid of Tabuan Lasa highlights the uniqueness of the gathering, how the idea of the alliance evolved from the consensus of the local executives and acknowledges the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) in capacitating the five municipalities in pursuing inter-LGU alliance. He said, they are equally invigorated by the promise and opportunities of this alliance as this is the first of its kind in the island province.

Mayor Hanie Bud of Maluso and concurrent president of the League of Municipalities in the province at, presented the concept and strategic plan of the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) to the barangay captains. He explained the motivation behind the alliance building, and articulated its vision and shared values, models of alliance building, the development priorities and strategies. Further, he explained that through the WBA platform the five municipalities should be able to attract partners and partnership from both government and non-government entities.

In his inspirational message, Governor Hadjiman “Jim” Hataman-Salliman relates the power of ideas. He reckons that elected officials are used to view development in terms of infrastructure. It has its own merit, too. He said, but he thinks the better and sustainable way is to appreciate the power of ideas whose time has come, like the alliance building that is now being pursued in the five provinces. Ideas begin with conversation, imagining about the future and not just criticizing the past or complaining about the present. He thinks, local leaders should be engaged in creative thinking because the words we think can become the world we will live in. In closing, he extolled the barangay captains to support and be active in the Western Basilan Alliance, because this platform is an area of engagement towards good governance.

In this one-day consultation, participants also engaged themselves in a workshop where they reflect on and suggested ways on how to make the development priorities and strategies more meaningful and relevant to the needs of their constituency. They also identify their community’s top three development priorities.

This consultation is supported by AECID and implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) through the 18-month “Modeling Inter-LGU Alliance for Basilan” (MILAB) Project. (MILAB/Ramil Tarami)