MNLF community in Basilan receives new fishing boat

A COMMUNITY of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Basilan province has received a new fishing boat dubbed as a new vessel of peace, the military said Sunday, August 4.

This, as the 18th Infantry Battalion (18IB) headed by Lieutenant Colonel Mark Serapion Lagud, Jr., continues its partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Mafar-Barmm) to deliver a crucial socio-economic development program to the MNLF community in Basilan.

The 18IB said the recipient of the new fishing boat is the MNLF community headed by Habirin Jalil in Lahi-Lahi village, Tuburan, Basilan province.

The 18IB said the office of Tuburan Mayor Jabher Kallahal, represented by Mafar Municipal Officer Noravane Kalantungan supervised the formal handover of the fishing boat to the MNLF community on Friday, August 2.

The turnover of the new fishing boat, which is the second, was witnessed by Major Julius Ian Maestrado, 18OB executive officer, along with other officers and members of the unit and the members of the recipient MNLF community.

“This collaborative effort between the Philippine Army, Mafar-Barmm and MNLF community exemplifies a positive approach to peace-building,” the 18IB said in a statement.

“By investing in the community’s economic well-being, the program aims to create a more stable and prosperous environment, fostering a sense of hope and sustainable peace and order,” the 18IB added. (SunStar Zamboanga)