 |
| Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan (Provincial government photo) |
Below is my questionnaires and Governor Tan’s answers:
1. First of all, I want to thank you Sulu Governor
Sakur Tan for granting me this opportunity for a Q & A. This
is for The Manila Times 124th Anniversary Edition with the Theme: Securing
the future – Opportunities and hurdles over the horizon. My first question
is: Who is Governor Sakur Tan?
Gov. Tan: Despite the many offers from well-meaning
personalities and friends of writing my life’s story, there’s a tinge of
hesitancy, hued by a bit of embarrassment, to talk of my person. Being a
serving governor, in fact the longest, in terms of total number of years served
in that capacity, not in normal terms of office.
I started my political career as Councilor of Jolo,
then tried and succeeded as Member of the House of Representatives, finally as
Governor and Vice governor. I hold a political record as the first Governor who
made a successful come back after a two-term hiatus (6 years).
I was raised and bred in a family of Public Servants;
my late father was a former Mayor of Maimbung, who fell victim to political
violence while in service. My wife, Hja. Nurunisah A. Tan is the daughter of
Jolo Mayor Aminkadra Abubakar, also the longest serving Mayor of the
Municipality. To say that I am a quintessential politician, is a compliment
that I cannot agree to at this stage. We have a long road ahead.
In serving a people whose history is replete with
challenges, ordeals and sacrifices in defense of a civilization, I am conscious
of the age-old criteria that define their expectations of how a leader should
be; i.e. –
a) Bangsawan
– of good usage
b) Hartwan – resourceful
c) Pahallawan – brave and courageous; expected to be at the forefront especially in times of grave dangers.
During the turmoil of the 70s, punctuated by the
burning of Jolo, there was a diaspora of people from the horrors and
destruction. A number of them settled and died in lands not of their own. I can
well afford to do the same, and migrate with my family and seek my fortune
elsewhere. But it is not in my character to abandon a friend, what more a land
that nurtured me and shaped me into who I am today.
2. Having covered Sulu province the past 24
years - whether elections or strife - I am a living witness to what Sulu was
then and what it is now. The Tausugs largely credited your hard work, your
political experience and how you turned this once fearsome province to
outsiders to a haven for investors, a safer place for everybody. What have you
done to achieve all these great things, especially the improved peace and
order?
Gov. Tan: I
do not consider the present progress and development as great. It is the very
least we can do considering the limited resources we have. If one takes the
time to learn and peruse Sulu and what she went through for decades, what you
are seeing now as “development” per se, are services that are righteously long
due.
While most part of the Philippines were benefitting
from nation0building efforts of the government, Sulu was fortified as a volatile
province, a no-man’s land, land of kidnappers and terrorists and other
degrading and condescending tagging. From these stereotyping, it is Sulu who
suffered. Her name was sullied and her role in the civilization narratives in
the region set aside. The Bangsa Sug suffered as much, more than material.
The development efforts now obtaining in Sulu, are
in essence, make-up development to fill the lost opportunities which earned us
a name as “laggards” for a situation that we, the local government and the people,
have no participation, but just the same admitted or felt to admit as
acquiesce, a “fait accompli.”
There were bands of trouble seekers, a band of
saboteurs, faceless and nameless out to sow havoc and wreak destruction. I
always took the position that these bands were simply “criminals” and there was
no need to glorify them. Let the law take its mandated responsibilities, no
matter if the heavens fall as the parlance goes.
The National Government perhaps was preoccupied
with other pressing matters, so I mobilized local ground support from
communities which are frequently in the routes of the brigands and criminals.
With credit to our men in uniform, they agreed to the wisdom of such a move and
the relationship and shared responsibilities between the communities and the
security sector were intensified and put into good practices.
3. Having said that, what are the resources needed
to achieve your vision of a long lasting peace in Sulu and other development
goals for the province and its people?
Gov. Tan: During
the height of the pandemic, where people’s movements were restricted, they
began to take notice of the potentials that Sulu is endowed with. Taking cue
from other localities, they embarked, privately, to develop their own
communities. The criminals were neutralized, to a certain degree, that the
people’s fear and concerns were slowly and steadily doused.
A so-called “lasting peace” is utopic. Perhaps a
sustained peace which is already showing positive results in the lives of
the Bangsa Sug, can be attained. Peace is indeed a catalyst for change,
progress and development. Just let peace reign in Sulu and witness how she
shines.
There were many players in the Sulu setting, which
disrupts order and security. We all should be wary of encores from such spoilers.
With the Provincial Government, the Security Sector and the Communities, bonded
in solid tandem, a brighter horizon awaits Sulu.
4. What are the foreseen hurdles, obstacles
and challenges to all these aspirations?
Gov. Tan: Much
depends on the National Government and how it stands when it comes to Sulu,
being part and parcel of the BARMM, taking into consideration that Sulu voted
NO as to its inclusion in the regional entity, despite.
Politics, in the context of the traditional meaning
of the term, will play a factor in nation-building, for or against, development
and progress. It cannot be totally debunked of how the political parties,
especially those in the majority, play into the workings of the government.
This is reality. How a leader or a politician can navigate himself in the maze
of wheeling and dealing to secure what is best for his area of responsibility,
is a barometer of leadership.
5. What are your short-term and long-term
plans for Sulu?
Gov. Tan: Short-term
plan is how to revive the local economy after the worst of the pandemic. It is
not only Sulu who is attentive to the recovery stage of the economy. Long-term
plan is to maintain the refocused lens of the people towards peace and
livelihood efforts. Maintaining peace as a catalyst for development will remain
and should remain a priority after my term.
6. Local tourists have been flocking Sulu not only
for its white sand beaches and pristine nature, but for its rich and colorful
history. Many municipalities now have their own tourism programs. Cafes and
restaurants are sprouting like mushrooms in different towns. What is the
provincial government doing or will do to sustain this traction?
Gov. Tan: Tourism or opening Sulu to the world should be
prioritized, but it should not only be construed as a SOLE undertaking of
governance. It should be centered only on coastal developments. The necessary
infrastructures and other amenities should be available. More importantly is
the participation of the community where a tourist destination is located.
There is a trickle-down economy in tourism and the communities must also be
among the recipients.
Tourism development in Sulu should be planned
holistically. Our people’s narratives, our culture and traditions must be
included in the package. Even as we speak, the Sulu Provincial Tourism Office
is closely coordinating with the Municipal Tourism Offices to draft a mini
Tourism Plan.
7. Sulu province is well known for its 'Kahawa Sug'
or native coffee, and native delicacies and its unique gastronomic cuisine.
What else does Sulu have to offer? I understand that even your mangosteen are
being shipped to food supplement manufacturers in Manila and Sulu's native
Durian is the best in the South?
Gov. Tan: Value-adding
for our agro and marine products is hampered by the absence of technologies and
infrastructures. These facilities are not within our capacity and capability.
It rests on the national government. Our local resources and funds are only
enough to shoulder and finance local undertakings.
Our power supply is barely enough for households
needs and not sufficient to power industrial plants and facilities. Our
farm-to-market roads are not yet maximized and so are other agro-industrial
necessities, like irrigation.
8. And for my last question, what advice would you
give the new generation of Tausug? Thank you so much Governor Tan for this
interview.
Gov. Tan: Immerse
yourself in the knowledge of who you are. Know that the blood that flows in
your veins are of the same line as those of your ancestors who sacrificed for
the dignity of your race. This knowledge and immersion will imbue you with the
courage and sagacity to face challenges and tribulations that come your way.
You may differ in your worldviews from those before
you, like our generation. But never forget that you are the inheritors of all
our struggles. Preserve the seed of love and care in your very being for Sulu
and the Bangsa Sug.
And finally, let me congratulate The Manila Times
for its 124th anniversary celebration.
The Manila
Times was founded on October 11, 1898 by Thomas Gowan, an Englishman
who had been living in the Philippines. The paper was created to serve mainly
the Americans who were sent to Manila to fight in the Spanish–American War. At
the time, most of the newspapers in the Philippines were in Spanish and a few
others were in the native languages. Shortly after the paper's founding,
reports reached Manila about the Paris Conference that would lead to the treaty
ceding the Philippines to the United States from Spain.
The first issue of The Manila Times on October 11, 1898
had a sheet of two leaves, or four pages, measuring about 12 by 8 inches, each
page divided into two columns. The first page was taken up by announcements and
advertisements. Page 2 was the editorial page. It contained the editorials and
the more important news of the day. Page 3 was devoted to cable news from
Europe and the United States all bearing on the Spanish–American War.
In 1899, George Sellner acquired The Manila Times from
Gowan, who joined the paper as business manager. In 1902, an American
businessman acquired The Manila Times, reacquired by Sellner in
1905. In 1907, Thomas C. Kinney acquired The Manila Times from
Sellner.
On July 25, 1914, The Manila Times moved its
headquarters from the Escolta Street to the Cosmopolitan
Building.
In 1919, future Philippine
President during the Commonwealth
period Manuel L. Quezon acquired The
Manila Times and he owned until 1921, when sugar magnate George
Fairchild acquired the paper. In 1926, Jacob Rosenthal
acquired The Manila Times from Fairchild.
On December 10, 1928, the Cosmopolitan Building was destroyed by a fire
and The Manila Times headquarters were moved to Intramuros. On March 15, 1930, The
Manila Times was shut down for the first time until 1945, when the
paper re-opened after World War II and
was later sold to Chino Roces.
By 1950, The Manila Times becomes the largest newspaper
in the Philippines.
The current president
and chief executive officer (CEO) and
executive editor is Dante Francis "Klink" Ang II. On May 1, 2017, its
chairman emeritus Dante
Arevalo Ang was appointed by then
Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as special
envoy of the President for international public relations. (The author is
the Editor-in-Chief of The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper. He has been
with The Manila Times for almost two decades now covering Mindanao.)
No comments:
Post a Comment