IMEE: WAKASAN NA ANG PANAHONG NAPAG-IIWANAN ANG SULU SA AGRI-FISHERIES, TURISMO, AT EDUKASYON

Senator Imee Marcos has vowed to help accelerate support for the province of Sulu's agri-fisheries, tourism and education sectors to boost development in the southern Philippine island and increase the income of its residents who, for decades, reeled from the impact of conflict and insurgency.

Marcos visited Sulu on April 19, days after the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, where she shared her soft spot for Mindanao since only Muslim countries in the Middle East agreed to grant her and her family sanctuary after the 1986 EDSA revolution.

"Tumatawag kami, nagpapasklolo--walang gustong tumulong. At ang gustong tumulong lamang ang mga kapatid nating Muslim... ibat ibang kaharian ng Middle East na tumulong sa akin na makaalis ng US na napakagulo noon.

"Ang totoong kaibigan, ang totoong nag-rescue, tumulong sa amin, walang iba kundi ang mga kapatid na Muslim sa ibang bansa," Marcos said, noting she and her sons stayed in Morocco for 6 years.

Marcos underscored how her father, the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, always viewed Islam as an important part of Filipino heritage.

"Ang sabi niya, 'Hindi tama na laging nakakalimutan, laging nahuhuli ang mga kapatid nating Muslim. Bakit sila lugi sa kasaysayan, lugi pa rin sa progreso? This is a historical injustice that must be put to right,'" the senator said.

The senator stressed, her personal connection with Muslims, coupled with the vast potential of Mindanao, inspires her to push for the progress of the southern Philippine region.

"We're really playing catch-up in Sulu... Sa wakas, insurgency-free na, naanunsyo September 8 last year. We have, very clearly, great prospects in fisheries. Ngayon ang secretary of agriculture natin, fisheries magnate. Sana tutukan naman ang Sulu katulad ng Zamboanga.

"40% ng ating fisheries development ay nasa Mindanao. Ayan napakalaking bagay. Yung seaweed, alam natin no. 1 ang Sulu dyan. So dapat itulak yan, kasi nakikita natin inuunahan na tayo, umuusad na yung Indonesia," Marcos said, in an interview with local journalists.

Sulu fishermen need to be provided with bigger bancas and fishing boats to deal with the province's often harsh seas, while fish processing facilities need to be put up, the senator stressed.

She said, "Kahit papaano, yung kabuhayan ng ating mga kababaihan ay maipapasok dyan (fish processing)."

Marcos, who is chairperson of the Senate Committee on Cooperatives, also urged local farmers and fisherfolk to form cooperatives to facilitate access to loans and other government projects.

Aside from proposing amendments to the 'Cooperative Code of the Philippines (Senate Bill No. 418)', Marcos has pending measures to amend the 'Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (SB No. 4170)' and establish the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Program (SB No. 180).'

To boost tourism in the island, known for its powdery white sand beaches and fresh produce, Marcos is helping to facilitate the construction of Sulu's circumferential road.

"Mayroon tayong wino-workout na circumferential road at iba't ibang projects... we have to find a way to make all of these much easier, and also for travel within the island to be easier," the senator said, noting the current limited transportation to and from the island.

She also pushed for a revival of the barter trade between Sulu and its neighbors, Sulu, Borneo, and Sabah.

"Ating kinagisnan na yan kaya't sana mabuhay ulit pero hindi yan mangyayari hangga't hindi tayo nagtutulong-tulong."

The senator visited Sulu's Maimbung Weaving Center, and noted the province's textile industry must be fully supported so that the 'Pis Syabit,' the prized handwoven cloth of the Tausugs, will be marketed in other parts of the country and internationally.

As for Sulu's geographical location in Southeast Asia and the similarity of the Tausug language to neighboring countries, Marcos said this will be an asset in forging peace in this part of Asia.

"Napakahalaga ng geographical location ng Sulu sapagkat kayo ang pinakamaliit na kapitbahay sa mga ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors natin. Kumbaga, kayo ang nasa kalagitnaan ng ASEAN.

"So kapag tayo ay sabay-sabay makipag-negotiate sa China, sa palagay ko, mas malakas ang dating. Importante ang papel ng Sulu rito. Kung minsan nagtataka ako kung bakit hindi natin naaalala na yung ating mga kapatid na Muslim ang dapat mag-negotiate ng kapayapaan sa ating mga kapitbahayan dahil sila talaga ang magkamag-anak, magkalapit at magkapareho ng diwa at pananampalataya," the senator explained.

As part of continuing efforts to support Tausug students, Marcos filed in July 2023 SB No. 2319 proposing to convert the Sulu State College into a state university.

"Itulak natin ang 'Policy of Attraction'-- imbes na gyera, hanapbuhay; imbes na bala at gulo, unibersidad at pag-aaral; imbes na tuloy-tuloy na pag-aaway, kayapaan at trabaho."

"Kung anuman ang magagawa ko sa Sulu at sa lahat ng ating mga estudyanteng Muslim, gagawin ko po, asahan po ninyo... dahil 'yan ang turo ng aking ama, tumanaw ng utang na loob sa lahat ng tumulong, at tumulong kayo sa panahon ng aming hirap at sakripisyo," Marcos said.