Municipality of Sumisip, Basilan
March 2, 2024

As the Administration continues to reaffirm its unyielding commitment to uphold lasting peace across the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the Province of Basilan to lead a ‘Peace Offering Ceremony’ (Panabang Si Kasanyangan) to former rebels in the Municipality of Sumisip.

Taking place at the Kasanyangan (Peace) Monument at Barangay Mahatallang, the President’s visit coincided with the Province’s 50th founding anniversary celebration, where he witnessed the destruction of at least 400 handed-over firearms under the Small Arms and Light Weapon (SALW) Program and Assistance for Security, Peace, Integration and Recovery for Advanced Human Security (ASPIRE). This is considered a crucial and integral part of the government’s normalization efforts, as well as a symbol of the Province’s consistent progress towards peace and stability.

President Marcos Jr. emphasized this event as a reaffirmation of a whole-of-government approach in combatting terrorism in a Province once known as ‘ground zero of war’ but is now an epicenter of peace.

“Peace is more than the cessation of hostilities. It is about the creation of a social order that values human dignity, improves lives, and promotes progress. Peace is totally achieved not when the sound of gunfire has ended. It is when the clamor for better lives has been met… This is the kind of peace that has dawned in Basilan,” he said.

He also distributed assistance that included eight (8) motorcycles, food and rice packs to former rebels who were once part of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group to uplift their quality of life and overall progress in the Province.

“This makes Basilan no longer an island far south, but a very strategic island in the front and center of our national goals. Your future and fate are therefore intertwined with the nation’s. Please be assured that we will play our role as partner in Basilan’s great leap forward,” President Marcos Jr. stressed.

With these achievements, the Commander-in-Chief expressed his gratitude to all local government units (LGUs), international partners and allies for their active role in the pursuit of a just and amicable peace in the country, and vowed to extend the national government’s further assistance to the Province, particularly in the food security and fisheries sector.

“Kasama ninyo ang pambansang pamahalaan sa bagong hamon niyo na ito… May the hope we feel today sustain what we have already achieved in Basilan, and power us towards a Bagong Pilipinas,” President Marcos Jr. concluded in his message.

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