COTABATO CITY (Updated 7:04 p.m.) — More than a thousand Moro and non-Moro residents in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte on Thursday joined a regional partly trying to fix the economic woes in the Bangsamoro region by improving commerce and trade in its six provinces and three cities.
They were sworn in as new members of the Serbisyong Inklusibo Alyansang Progresibo (SIAP) Party by Vice Gov. Mohammad Khalid Rakiin Adiong of Lanao del Sur, his constituent-mayor, Dimnatang Pansar of Butig, who is also president of the League of Mayors in the province and representatives of the Sinsuat clan and other Maguindanaon leaders during a symbolic rite on Thursday in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Leaders in the Bangsamoro region's Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi island provinces had earlier pledged allegiance to SIAP, whose president is Adiong, son of Lanao del Sur’s incumbent governor, Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr.
Adiong said that he is thankful to the Sinsuats in Datu Odin Sinsuat municipality for hosting Thursday’s event, where a big number of residents from the Bangsamoro region’s Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur province joined SIAP.
“To the Sinsuats, we are thankful. We are also thankful to other Maguindanaon clans that help make this event successful,” Adiong told reporters.
Adiong said that SIAP is keen on empowering the agriculture and fishery sectors in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through essential interventions and programs meant to boost the productivity of farmers and fishermen in all BARMM’s six provinces and three cities.
Ethnic Maguindanaon community leaders who joined SIAP on Thursday were quoted in radio reports on Friday morning as saying that they decided to join the party owing to its community-empowerment goals and commitment to entice big business firms to venture into viable fishery and agricultural projects in areas that are now peaceful as a result of the peace process between Malacañang and southern Moro communities.