This got me thinking when I received a press release from the Office of Sen. Richard Gordon recently. The PR read: “Turn around Mindanao’s image as RP’s ‘Wild West’ – Gordon” The senator said that Mindanao has “gained a negative reputation in the international media as the country’s “Wild, Wild West” due to the continued spate of kidnappings, sporadic bombings, and the poor peace and order situation.” Is our beloved island Mindanao really the Philippines’ version of the so-called “Wild West”?
In a meeting with the Regional Development Council of Region 12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Gordon challenged Mindanao executives to turn around Mindanao’s negative image from being the “Wild West of the Philippines ” into a premier tourist destination with its unique history and culture.
Gordon also emphasized that “there is no governance in area. Schools are decrepit; roads are bad; farm-to-market roads are non-existent and there is no focus on helping them solving their problem, or empowering them so they can conquer their own selves.”
Gordon, chairman of the Senate tourism committee, also stressed that the people of Mindanao should not wait for the national government to take the initial steps towards lasting peace and development of Mindanao.
“You should define what Mindanao is and assert yourselves as a people. Manila is never going to solve it for us. It is never going to be a solution. Mindanao should be self-sufficient,” he said.
The senator also said that Mindanaoans should encourage more tourists to visit Mindanao instead of other places.
What are your thoughts on this?
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Mindanao food aid from United Nations to continue – definitely good news!
July 12, 2009
Advocacy, Announcements, BIMP-EAGA, Commentary, Food, Government, Headline, Mindanaoan Update, News, Sultan Kudarat, Surigao, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, armm, basilan, sulu, zamboanga peninsula
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MINDANAO – Thankfully, the Mindanao food aid from the United Nations World Food Program will continue! We Mindanaoans should really be thankful for this because the UN WFP food assistance can really help so many people especially those displaced by the recent conflicts here in Mindanao.
UN Resident Coordinator ad interim Dr. Soe Nyunt-U has reportedly announced that the delivery of food aid for Mindanao will resume once the travel restrictions imposed on their personnel are lifted. I’m hoping that the travel restrictions will be lifted very soon! So many families will really benefit from the UN WFP food assistance.
Accordingly, the travel restriction to Mindanao for UN World Food Program personnel was only for the week of July 6 and was a precautionary measure following the spate of bombings in Mindanao.