Mayor Nashiba Gandamra-Sumagayan is not the typical politician in a territory where armed might and money are the sure tickets to political supremacy.
A former professor of the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, she was drawn into politics by force of circumstances as her husband, a lawyer and former mayor of Taraka town, Odin Sumagayan, had to step aside after serving for nine years.
She was pulled out from the University to run the town of 25,000, one of the oldest and poorest but the cradle of Islamic religion in the mainland of Mindanao.
Taraka is a land of ironies.
It sits besides the mighty Lake Lanao, a 34,000 hectare inland body of water, yet the farmers could only plant rice once a year because they have no access to irrigation water.
A small river, Taraka River, runs through the heart of the town and ends up in the lake but the residents do not have a source of safe drinking water.
Instead, they rely on the unsafe water of the river for all of their daily needs, boiling the river water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes and dishes.
The lack of water for household use and for irrigation is actually a problem common in many rural areas in Mindanao.
But this was hardly given any attention and solution by both the national and local governments.
In 2019, when I resigned from the Department of Agriculture and moved to the Mindanao Development Authority, I identified the lack of water supply as one of the major problems in Mindanao.
In fact, I grew up in a mountain village which had its first water system which is still working today when as a beat reporter I asked the late Aber Canlas, former Public Works Minister to build one for my barriofolk.
Out of this experience and realization, I designed a program called the Mindanao Water Supply Program which brought in four major players – the Mindanao Development Authority as the lead agency, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Development Bank of the Philippines as the funding partner and the LGU as the implementor and beneficiary.
When MinDAWater was launched in Davao City on Dec. 6, 2019 with DILG Sec. Eduardo Año and DBP Pres. Emmanuel G. Herbosa, Mayor Nashiba and her husband were the first LGU officials to ask that their town be made the first beneficiary of the program.
That started the long and difficult journey in the midst of a pandemic which started with an exposure trip of all Taraka officials, including farmer leaders to other progressive areas of Mindanao.
It was in their visit to M’lang, Cotabato, my birthplace, where the officials and farmers of Taraka saw the Solar-Powered Irrigation System in Palma Perez Village.
They were amazed that with just the power of the Sun and water from the river which they have in abundance, the farmers of Palma Perez were able to harvest rice twice and year.
When the educational tour ended in the MinDA office in Davao City three days later, Mayor Nashiba shed tears saying that at long last her prayers for a solution to address the poverty of her town and the lack of access to safe water had been answered.
After that, the groundwork started which resulted in the crafting of a Master Plan for the development of the town, including the establishment of a database which involved face to face survey of all residents to get an accurate social and economic data of the town.
During the ceremony where DBP announced it had approved a P215-M loan package for Taraka for the procurement of road building equipment, the establishment of six Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems to irrigate 700 hectares of rice farms and the construction of a Solar-Powered Water System to provide safe drinking water to the residents, Mayor Nashiba again cried.
On Jan. 10, 2021, DBP President Emmanuel G. Herbosa and I led the groundbreaking ceremonies for the six units of SPIS and the Solar-Powered Water System.
Again, Mayor Nashiba, deeply touched by the very fast developments in her town, shed tears.
On Aug. 10, 2021, last Tuesday, President Herbosa and I, accompanied by officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and local officials of Taraka, again went back to the town to commission the first two Solar-Powered irrigation Projects.
As the water gushed from the huge pipes from the Solar-Powered Irrigation, Mayor Nashiba cried, this time shedding tears of joy and fulfillment.
With her nine-year term as Mayor ending next year, Mayor Nashiba’s tears were manifestations of relief and fulfillment that by simply using her deep academic discernment of problems and the capacity to think outside the box, she was able to end the difficulties faced by her people.
On Tuesday, during the culmination ceremonies at the gymnasium of Taraka, the local leaders and the farmers manifested that they wanted Mayor Nashiba’s husband, Vice Mayor Odin, to take over the leadership of the town to ensure the continuity of the programs.
Some may call it Political Dynasty but the people of Taraka, including myself, an outsider who is now deeply involved in Taraka’s dream of progress, do not really mind.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
(Photos and drone shots were taken by the Media Team of the Mindanao Development Authority.)
More Stories
Trump Presidency Boon To Philippine Agriculture
Mindanao Fruit Fest Scheduled Sept. 2025
DA, MinDA, LGU! MinDA Targets Tribal Areas For Highland Rice Farming