Building bridges of hope and opportunities

LANAO DEL SUR - From the stigma of constant armed conflict to opening its gates and embracing the opportunity to show the world the natural wonders it has to offer, the municipality of Butig in Lanao del Sur province has had, and overcome, more than its fair share of problems throughout the years.

Butig towns’s newest hanging bridge stands as a proud symbol of hope and a promise of more opportunities for the residents of Samer and Caloyan-Tambo. (Jason Casas)

While the local government and non-government organizations are working towards ending the stigma once and for all, some community-based problems get left on the back burner. But make no mistake! It’s not because they are deemed less important, but simply because they are in farther and remote areas where government agencies can’t reach as easily as they wish they could.  

This used to be the case for Samer and Caloyan-Tambo, two far-flung villages of Butig. Separated by one or two rivers, depending on which route you take, the villages were in constant trade and communication, but never truly connecting. That is until the non-government organization Community and Family Services International (CFSI) came into their lives. 

Samer Punong Barangay Mangontawar Amatonding Jr. explained how most of the residents in Caloyan-Tambo are farmers and more often than not, they had to either transport their produce via horseback and cross two rivers, or if they were in a hurry and didn’t want to go to round-about way, tie their products to a zipline and zip it over the river to Samer.  

Both ways of transportation had their drawbacks. The former meant longer travel time and a higher travel fee because they had to transfer their products from the horse onto a motorcycle before making it to the main market. 

Sometimes, a lot of their products get either bruised to the point where they would be rendered unmarketable, or worse, lost. The latter on the other hand, while saving time and money, ran the risk of the river rising - especially during the rainy season - and their products sometimes ended up falling into the water and getting lost.  

Thankfully, with the help of CFSI, funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the involvement of the Marawi COVID Recovery Project, Samer’s local government was able to build a hanging bridge and finally connect the two communities. 

Now with a stable and safe means of transportation between the villages, the bridge serves not only as a more efficient route that saves residents’ resources but a symbol of a brighter future for its constituents.  

Amatonding Jr. shared that there were doubts along the way. “Sabi nila hindi daw pwede, yung parang, malayo daw baka hindi namin matapos pero Alhamdulillah, natapos namin yung proyekto,” he said. 

He even shared that they plan on adding railings to the bridge to further stabilize it and make it safer for motorcycles to pass by for easier access. Amantonding Jr. also expressed his gratitude to CFSI for making Samer's residents’ lives easier. He likewise encouraged the citizens of Samer to treat the bridge as a community heirloom to be passed down to future generations.  

As the people of Butig slowly eradicate the stigma surrounding their town, the lives of its residents slowly become easier. If and when their goal of making people see Butig as the hidden gem it truly is becomes successful, their new bridge is only the first step towards its journey towards a better economy. (Pamela Joyce Fumero)