ZSCMST President inspires WBA dive trainees

ZSCMST President Prof Dr Jaime G. Jalon reflects on his past experiences about Basilan before the pandemic. He considers Basilan his second home. He urges participants to seize this rare opportunity.(Photo credit: ZSCMST Media Team)

Zamboanga City (November 23, 2021) – Participants from the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) municipalities of Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, and Sumisip, and the Basilan Provincial Government, convene today for their 7-day dive training and 3-day training on participatory coastal resources assessment (PCRA), from November 23 to December 3, 2021, here in the city. Each WBA municipality and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist is allotted four (4) trainee-slots, plus two (2) trainee-slots for the WBA Dive Shop.

WBA AMO manager Mr Zia Ulhaq Basa welcomes the participants and expresses his gratitude to the MILAB Project and to ZSCMST for supporting their alliance through this training program. As mentioned by Mr Basa, this training program is delivered in partnership with the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) through a memorandum of understanding signed with the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG). Leading the ZSCMST management team in the opening program today is no less than its President, Prof Dr Jaime G. Jalon, together with Prof Arthur Panganiban, Director for Research and Development and Prof Marlon Omatang, Director for Training and Extension Services.

Also part of the management and leading the 11-person training team is Prof Dr Oliver Tito, Dean of the College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences and concurrent Vice President for Research, Innovation and Extension Services. Other members of the training team present in the opening program are Victoria Lim, Chairperson of the Chemistry Department; Angelo Macario, Masters in Fisheries Management Program Adviser; Annie Gonzales, Marine Biology Program Adviser; Kathleen Dalope, Fisheries Program Adviser; Rolando Pelingon, Faculty, College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences; and Kent Anthony Enocita, Dive Associate, SCUBA Center. Assisting Dean Tito and Head of the SCUBA Center is Raymond Antonio Lim.

In his inspirational message, President Jalon expresses his consideration for Basilan as a second home and how he yearns to be back again. He is also optimistic about this partnership and urges the trainees to “make the most of it”, to seize this rare opportunity afforded to the participants by the AECID-funded MILAB Project. He urges participants to feel free to interact with the ZSCMST training team, and he reminds the former how he had freed them from their school obligation for the duration of this training in order to respond positively to his second home's needs to build competencies on diving and coastal resources assessment so that these local government units can be proactive in developing and implementing their coastal resources management (CRM) plan. He reminds everyone that we are still in a pandemic and the need to observe health protocols is ever urgent and compulsory as he believes health is a treasure that everyone should value all the time and that the Covid-19 virus is ever-present in our midst.

Prof Omatang delivers the first part of the training overview and how the ZSCMST team is happy to support this WBA initiative. Dean Tito delivers the second part of the training overview. He reminds participants that while the training team will have flexibility, there are also rules and standards to be observed. The training will be a combination of lectures and confined and open water practicum. The 7-day dive training will end with a CMAS assessment and certification, while the 3-day coastal resources assessment will end with practicum and data analysis. After the opening program, the participants proceeded to the pool area for the preliminary water skills assessment. Participants demonstrated to the training team their initial capacity to swim and float.

Ms Sheila Tan Acquiatan, MILAB Project Coordinator, orients the participants on house rules including the need to observe health protocols for the duration of the training program. The project booked a larger venue with a pool nearby, with several French doors which can be open from time to time to allow for fresh air to circulate. The project also distributed health kits consisting of face masks and alcohol. All the participants applied through the S-PaSS entry requirements to get into Zamboanga City and this training program, following these stated protocols, is also authorized by the Zamboanga City DRRMO.

WBA is the first inter-LGU cooperation in the Basilan Province and is being capacitated by the Spanish aid agency AECID-funded MILAB 2 Project, implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments.