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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Lamitan--back on its feet
LAMITAN, Basilan -- The day after an incendiary bomb exploded inside a passenger vessel at the newly-improved Lamitan Port in August this year, Lamiteños went about their daily routines as if no disruption had occurred. Employees went to work. Business establishments were open. Farmers worked at their farms. Fisher folk went to the high seas.
"People here are tired of being scared. We have our own lives to live," said Lamitan Mayor Roderick Furigay. "Like the rest of the population in Mindanao, we are also peace-loving people."
Community leaders are now busy planning and installing the economic infrastructure required for the promotion of Lamitan to the rest of the country. Residents are looking for ways to take advantage of the growing economic opportunities in their midst.
For example, the Lamitan Port has been improved significantly, and is now equipped with a new Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) ramp, an expanded berthing facility, breasting dolphins and mooring facilities. The improvements have generated optimism among local business owners because the facilities now provide an efficient means for local producers to ship their goods and also offer improved passenger services to local and neighboring residents.
The project was undertaken by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the local government. The port is one of 800 medium and small-scale infrastructure projects to be constructed by USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, in partnership with local governments and community organizations throughout the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other conflict-affected areas of Mindanao.
"People are encouraged to do business. They can now conveniently ship their produce directly to Zamboanga City at a lower cost and in the most time-saving manner," Lamitan Councilor Clarito San Juan said.
San Juan said that a producer he knows saved around P4,000 in shipping costs for a single shipment of cargo. "It's a huge savings for our traders here," he added.
The port's "Ro-Ro" system, which is part of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH), enables producers to ship trucks complete with cargo on ships and then drive away to deliver the cargo immediately upon docking.
The national government recently included the Zamboanga-Lamitan Ro-Ro link in the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH), as part of its efforts to connect the island provinces of the ARMM. The SRNH covers the Manila-Western Visayas-Northwestern Mindanao areas. The Zamboanga-Siasi (Sulu), Zamboanga-Bongao (Tawi-Tawi), and Zamboanga-Jolo-Siasi-Bongao Ro-Ro connections, are also included in the highway links.
Local government officials in the ARMM are encouraging vessel operators to integrate their operations into the Ro-Ro transport system, while business support organizations in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are promoting the Ro-Ro service among shippers, traders, producers and local officials.
The inclusion of Lamitan in the nautical highway augurs well for this agricultural community which is also known for its vast coconut plantations, covering almost 12,000 hectares spread across its 45 barangays. The agriculture sector also includes rubber farms that cover almost 1,700 hectares. Lamitan also produces coffee, corn, rice, bananas, vegetables, root crops and fruits.
The port improvement represents a welcome development for the people who want to shed the negative image that lingers from the one-day battle of 2001.
"Everybody wants development. They also want to live quality lives," Mayor Furigay said. Through the concerted efforts of local businesses, community residents, the local government and the GEM Program, both of these objectives are now closer to being realized. (Press release)
(December 13, 2005 issue)
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