The government will help Basilan unlock its “agri-fisheries potential” to benefit not just the province but the whole country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vows on Saturday, March 2, 2024. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to help Basilan unlock its “agri-fisheries potential” to benefit not just the province but the whole country.
Speaking at the “Panabang si Kasanyangan” Peace Offering Ceremony in Sumisip town on Saturday, Marcos said that Basilan’s new role is now the “war against hunger,” noting that it has transformed itself into an “epicenter of peace” from being a “ground zero of war.”
“You have a land area twice the size of Singapore, blessed with a rich soil, above – all more or less typhoon-free, which makes you an ideal bulwark in our fight for food security,” he pointed out.
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“Kasama ninyo ang pambansang pamahalaan sa bagong hamon na hinaharap ninyo na ito (You have the national government with you in facing this new challenge). When your agri-fisheries potentials are unlocked, the whole country, not only Basilan, not only BARMM [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] but the whole country will benefit,” he added.
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Unleashing the province’s agri-fisheries potential would also make it a “very strategic island in the front and center of our national goals and our transformation.”
“Your future and fate are therefore intertwined with the nation’s. Please be assured that we will play our role as partner of Basilan’s great leap forward,” the President said.