Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Assalam holds caravan, asks support of voters By Antonio M. Ajero
AN IMPRESSIVE crowd cutting across tribes and religious affiliations attended the caravan and rally in Davao City last Saturday of Assalam, a partylist of marginalized grassroots communities in Mindanao with membership that covers the whole Philippines.
Close to a hundred vehicles joined the caravan starting from the Crocodile Farm at the Riverfront Business Park in Ma-a culminating at Rizal Park where an estimated 8,000 people were gathered for the brief program.
Assalam Partylist, founded in 2002 by dynamic and young Mindanao youth leaders, appealed to Dabawenyos to support its vision of peace, unity and development in Mindanao.
Datu Pendatun "Penny" Disimban, Assalam national president and nominee, said that "with the present overwhelming number of members and supporters nationwide, Assalam is determined to seek seats in the Philippine Congress, an arena where national policies are crafted and eventually affect the grassroots communities in times of implementation."
Disimban said membership in the House of Representatives is an effective way for the grassroots to voice its sentiment and views on various vital issues affecting Mindanao and the entire country.
In a press conference before the start of the caravan, Bai Sittie Zohora Montaner-Mindalano, Assalam vice president and nominee, said that "under the primary policy advocacy agenda, Assalam will focus on economic upliftment of the underdeveloped communities in Mindanao through establishment of economic infrastructures.
She said Assalam advocates the setting up of economic enterprises, which are "truly reflective of people's miserable and impoverished condition especially among the remote grassroots communities."
Assalam national secretary general Jolly S. Lais, also a nominee, said "Assalam believes that the grassroots themselves have a crucial role in the economic and socio-political development.
One key area must be present is the grassroots access and productive utilization of information technology especially in the development of agro-based economic enterprises in the community level with unselfish support of the local government units, said Lais who is from Davao Oriental.
She added that "this will be carried on of course with utmost regards to the preservation of balance and worry-free integrity of creation."
Assalam Partylist caravans and rallies were earlier held in various parts of Luzon and the Visayas.
