AECID and IAG-supported WBA organizes Dive Center and opens opportunity for women

Maluso, Basilan (July 12, 2022) - CMAS-certified divers from within the Western Basilan Alliance convene today in this town for a training package that aims to build their capacity to operate and sustain the WBA Dive Center.

According to Noor Saada, MILAB Project manager, the WBA Dive Center is envisioned as a social enterprise for the alliance while sustaining the competence of their CMAS-certified divers and promoting sustainable tourism within the alliance through a wide range of exciting and waiting-to-be-explored dive sites.

Sarah Miguel Tahajid, one of the CMAS-certified divers assigned to operate the WBA Dive Center, says, she is happy and excited to be part of this engagement and looks forward to visit the pre-identified dive sites. According to her, even if she is a native-born of the place, she has not been able to explore many beautiful places around WBA.

Another female participant and CMAS-certified diver, Gernie Tadjah-Ladjaalam, says, feels lucky to be part of the initiative. According to her, this dive center is a rare but timely opportunity, to capacitate local personnel and open up an opportunity for women employees. Being a woman and part of the process builds up her competence that she can be on par with her male colleagues. Divers and diving have always been for men. With their participation, they now believe that women can be divers, too.

Sarah and Gernie are among the trainees of the WBA Dive Center training package that starts yesterday and is to run until July 24th. During this period they will be trained on proper set-up, maintenance, utilization, and storage of equipment; snorkeling, free diving and introduction to SCUBA as among the services to be offered by the center; identifying dive sites properly and testing the dive equipment to be donated by the AECID-funded MILAB project; work out the menu, tariff and promotional materials for the dive center and write all their learnings into an operations guide for their use and to guide their services and interactions with center clients.

WBA is the first inter-LGU cooperation in 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.

WBA Radio inks partnership with women's organization Noorus-Salam

WBA radio station manager Zia ulhaq Basa and Noorus-Salam provincial coordinator Sarha Ahmad signs partnership agreement. Present as a witness is Maluso administrator Rahman Sabito (representing Mayor Hans Bud).

Maluso, Basilan (November 4, 2020) – The Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) radio station 99.1 FM inks a partnership today with women's organization Noorus-Salam (NS). Present in the simple signing ceremony today at the radio station are NS Provincial Coordinator Sarha I. Ahmad, Maluso coordinator Ustadja Mariam S. Abdulla, members Melda Abdulla and Nasra Ahmad. The radio station is represented by its manager Zia Ulhaq Basa and deejay Morada Albani. Witnessing the signing is Maluso municipal administrator Rahman B. Sabito. 

Organized sometime in 2009, Noorus-Salam (Arabic for “Light of Peace”) is a national network of Muslim religious women scholars and civil society leaders, as an outgrowth of the PCID's "Empowering the Muslim Women and Aleemat Project"[1]. In October 2018, Noorus-Salam issued a statement in support for the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) that had plague a number of Moro communities in the southern Philippines. It said, the way forward involves continuing support and engagement, active advocacy, creating awareness among vulnerable individuals, community vigilantce; conducting seminars, symposiums, FGDs, inter-faith forums and lectures on PVE; integrating PVE activities in local government plans and programs; integration of PVE and peace education in Madrasah and classroom setting; creative use social media and radio broadcast; provision of livelihood programs; and engaging local leaders and curving opportunities and space to highlight women's participation and creativity. 

According to Provincial Coordinator Sarha I. Ahmad, their Noorus-Salam organization is about empowerment of Muslim women in the Philippines. Base on this partenrship, WBA radio station will allocate a weekly program for the organization, during which NS will disseminate information and discuss current events and issues relevant to Muslim women and girls. 

Station manager Zia Ulhaq Basa said, the WBA radio is happy to provide platform for women to express and discuss their issues and concerns as well undertake radio-based education, advocacy and information dissemination to engage and empower women to better themselves and be positive influence at home, work, community or wherever they are involved. 

Maluso mayor Hans Bud, ably represented by municipal administrator Rahman B. Sabito, expresses his optimism about this partnership believing in the power of media to influence positive change in the community and recognizes the value of women and women participation in community building especially in the Western Basilan alliance. 

The radio station is the first pilot project of the WBA. It was constructed through the “Modelling Inter-LGU Alliance in Basilan” (MILAB) Phase 1 Project and was turned over by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) to the WBA on October 14, 2019. The Local Government of Maluso is managing the radio station in behalf of the alliance. 

Western Basilan Alliance is the first interlocal cooperation in Basilan and is being capacitated by the Spanish aid agency AECID-funded “Modelling Inter-LGU Alliance in Basilan “ (MILAB) 2 Project, implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments in the province. 

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1 Rasul, Amina. (2011). “A Rock and a Hard Place: Muslim Women and Conflict in Mindanao “, Global Asia, Volume 6, Number 3 - https://www.globalasia.org/v6no3/cover/a-rock-and-a-hard-place-muslim-women-and-conflict-in-mindanao_amina-rasul