AL-BARKA, Basilan — The education community in this island-province got a major boost with the inauguration of a three-storey building at the Mindanao State University (MSU)-Marawi Al-Barka Basilan Extension on April 7.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (Opapru) highlighted the importance of the occasion, as the new facility is expected to create a conducive learning environment for local students.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., whose message was read by Opapru Executive Director Cesar D. De Mesa, reaffirmed the national government’s commitment to creating more and better education opportunities for residents.
He noted that the Marcos Jr. administration is ramping up the implementation of high-impact programs that will benefit former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants, their families and communities.
According to Galvez, all these initiatives aim to ensure “that the dividends of peace and development will be felt by all Basileños” and are a testament to the government’s commitment to sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.
Sustainable peace through education
Opapru’s participation in the inauguration signifies its strong support for initiatives that seek to uplift the quality of education in Basilan and across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm).
This is also in line with the agency’s efforts to integrate peace education across all levels of the nation’s academic curriculum in partnership with leading academic institutions throughout the country.
MSU-Marawi is among the agency’s major partners in implementing peacebuilding programs that aim to capacitate and empower the nation’s most vulnerable sectors, such as the youth and women.
For Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Member of Parliament and a member of the Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC), Dan S. Asnawi, “the establishment is not just a building; it is a gateway to opportunities, a beacon of hope, a mirror of society…”
Asnawi underscored that the structure is “an investment in the future of our Bangsamoro youth, particularly [for] our former comrades in arms who aspire to pursue a higher education.”
“Ang tatlong palapag na paaralan na ating pasisinayaan ngayong araw na ito ay isang simbolo ng pag-asa at pintuan tungo sa maraming oportunidad hindi lamang para sa mga kabataan ng Al-Barka kundi para na rin sa mga anak ng ating mga former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants kasama na rin mga dating miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf na nagnanais na magkaroon ng isang mas maganda at masaganang kinabukasan,” Galvez emphasized.
A strong peace partner
Basilan is considered a trailblazer, as it is the first province to implement the localized adaptation of the Normalization Program called the Localized Normalization Implementation (LNI) Program.
“The province of Basilan and your local leaders have been our agency’s strong and reliable peace partners, especially in the implementation of the Normalization Program, which has been adopted by your province through the local normalization initiative,” Galvez said.
Since its launch in January 2023, the LNI has been instrumental in bringing greater peace, security, and stability to the region by reducing the proliferation of loose firearms and effectively addressing the threats posed by private armed groups.
Through its partnership with the MSU-Marawi systems, the Opapru has also been providing scholarships to MILF and MNLF members and their next-of-kin through its Education Assistance Program (EAP).
The EAP, which is being coursed through the Normalization Program for the MILF and Transformation Program for the MNLF, is paving the way for a better and brighter future for these former combatants and their families. PR