A Public Safety Act/‘Lansangan’ at CCP

Assemblyman Amenodin Sumagayan of the first district of Lanao Del Sur claims that the high crime rate, drug abuse, threat of violent extremism and the Marawi conflict, born out of terrorism,  prompted him to author the bill  titled the “Public Safety Act.” The bill aims to strengthen the protection of the people of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through  the  creation of  the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO). 

At present, there is no office that provides centralized control on crisis in the  local government units in ARMM. They depend heavily on national agencies, in terms of peace and order, such as the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.  This makes the LGUs helpless or less prepared to cope with situations that endanger the public.  

Hence, the bill aims to enhance the security in the community with a local system or a command center which is to be organized after the establishment of the POSO.  This office assists in law enforcement, medical services, fire, traffic, rescue and emergency services and disaster relief. The command center will also have a 24/7 emergency hotline. 

According to Sumagayan, POSO will also recommend the supply of temporary terminal permits for public utility vehicles, traffic clearances for business establishments, security clearances for security agencies, and clearing of sidewalks of illegal vendors and other obstructions. The command center will be led by the mayor as the chairman and the POSO chief as the vice chairman. 

“In the past years, the peace-and-order situation in ARMM has been extremely challenging. Violence in the region is motivated by politics, personal vendetta or substance abuse. Still, there has been some progress. Aside from the positive reception of this bill, the Regional Government has been holding regular regional peace and order council meetings,” said Sumagayan. He pointed out that the ARMM is learning to stand on its own in handling crisis situations instead of relying solely on the national government. 

Sumagayan hopes that when the proposed bill becomes a law, its strict enforcement in the different LGUs would reduce crime and maintain public safety in ARMM.

“The POSO through the command center will make it  more accessible for the people to report different lawless elements that would threaten their community,” Representative Sumagayan says. “ The constituents can seek help at the command center when their safety is at risk. The bill will also address natural catastrophes and traffic-related problems in the locality.”

*       *       *

ON ANOTHER FRONT: Life on the streets of Manila and elsewhere will take center stage this Saturday at the Cultural Center of the Philippines through a theatrical play titled Lansangan. The play is brought to the literary cultural circles for the first time by the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), headed by my long-time friend, Ruth S. Callanta.

Lansangan is an original musical play in Filipino, written and directed by Mark Aranal, with music arranged and produced by Leo Quinitio. It is based on true-to-life accounts of selected individuals whose lives have been dramatically transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries.

The production features talents from CCT, including former street dwellers, as well as volunteer professional and amateur performers from the theater industry. It will be staged on Oct. 21 at the CCP’s Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

This play is designed to support programs for the poor and vulnerable members of society, particularly the homeless. True to its title, Lansangan presents the perils of street life, and the redemptive work of Christ Jesus to change lives and transform communities.

Inspired by the Scriptures, specifically in Mark 8:22-25, Lansangan foretells the healing touch of our Lord. In this passage, Jesus touched the blind man twice before he regained his sight. We often ask why the Lord needed to touch him twice whereby He could easily just touch him once or say the Word, and immediate healing could be experienced. 

“Metro Manila has perhaps the world’s worst street-dwelling problem. An estimated 3.1 million Filipinos live on the streets, having no other place to call home,” Ruth, president of CCT Group of Ministries said. Ruth is also the play’s executive producer. Line producer is Leah Katigbak. 

“The street dwellers,” Ruth said, “knock on car windows begging, they go through garbage bins for food, they sniff wood glue fumes to stave away hunger pangs, and sleep in kariton or on sidewalks with nothing but pieces of cardboard between their bodies and the ground. Many of them engage in crime – petty or otherwise – to stay alive,” she added.

According to my friend Dante M. Velasco – volunteer leader  for CCT’s communication, governance and leadership training – Tanghalan “brings the heartbeat of street dwellers onto center stage so the more fortunate members of Philippine society can feel and sense first -hand the big struggles and little victories of street dwellers, especially when they go through life-changing experiences promised by the Gospel. 

Working in the context of the Scriptures and guided by the Holy Spirit, we seek to change lives, strengthen families, empower communities, and transform the nation.

CCT is currently ministering in 40 provinces, 65 cities, and 66 municipalities across the Philippines, reaching out to street families, children and youth, fisherfolk, landless agricultural workers, small-scale rice and vegetable farmers, livestock farmers, tribespeople, informal workers, factory workers, micro-entrepreneurs, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Christian development and pastoral workers, disaster survivors, former inmates, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and the communities-at-large.”

Lawyer Joel Butuyan, chairman of CCT Kaibigan Ministry Inc.’s  Kaibigang Maaasahan Multi-Purpose Cooperative, said: “The stories in Lansangan represent the experiences of former street dwellers—people who are stigmatized as ‘dwellers of the bottomless pit.’ The play gives these less fortunate brothers and sisters a collective voice that cries for help and empathy, and yet, at the same time, speaks of hope and light as their lives are transformed.”

The story develops in a setting called “Tarima,” a colloquial term for a street dweller’s territory. Here, the characters — street people in Manila — reveal why they ended up on the streets and how they feel society sees them. Homeless, helpless, and miserable, they  go through  their journey of transformation which begins when CCT workers reach out to them, attend to their needs, and introduce them to the Gospel.

The play also allows the audience to have glimpses of the heart, vision, struggles, and challenges of those who minister to the poor. It uncovers the truth that transformation also happens to Christian development workers and that they, too, experience pain and heartaches.

“It is my honor to present to you a mixed-media musical anchored on true-to-life stories of individuals transformed by God working through the ministries of CCT,” according to the director of Lansangan, Mark Aranal.  

“At one time, these individuals were acquainted with the realities of a cruel world. They were outcasts of society, oppressed and vulnerable, who once succumbed to hopelessness and despair. By God’s saving grace they were transformed, and what a transformation that was because many of these street dwellers are now also serving the least and the lost!” He added.

Aranal is a director-writer-producer for stage and television. He is also a performing artist, songwriter, production designer, and events coordinator. 

Email: [email protected]