Pirates lair, no more! MinDA Helps Olutanga Towns Craft Agri-Aqua Master Plan

On Friday, March 19, I will return to Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay for the fourth time in six months to pursue the vision of turning Olutanga Island, former lair of bandits and pirates, into a model agriculture and fisheries production area.

With the support of the Provincial Government under Gov. Wilter Palma, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) planning team will conduct a 2-day planning workshop aimed at crafting a Master Plan for Agriculture and Fisheries for the island.

The 2-day workshop will be from March 19 to 20 to be attended by officials from the three towns of the province, including security officers.

I first sailed to Olutanga island on Sept. 1 last year following series of Facebook messages sent by residents of the island asking me to check on their place which they said had been neglected by government.

Using a “kumpit,” I and members of my team sailed for 3 hours from Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur, to the town of Olutanga, one of the three local government units in the 20,000-hectare island separate by a 500-meter channel from the main island of Mindanao.

The three towns in the island, Olutanga, Mabuhay and Talusan, have a combined shoreline of 90 kilometers and surrounded by rich fishing grounds where high value marine resources like Blue Crabs, Lobster and Lapulapu abound.

During my overnight stay in Olutanga town, I discovered the needs of the island, especially the long-promised road and bridge which would connect the island to the main province.

Olutanga Island, for so long, had been considered as Pirates’ Lair where armed groups involved in high-profile kidnapping hide after an operation.

Reachable by “Kumpit” from the islands in the Sulu Sea, the island has had its share of violent incidents, the latest of which was the daylight killing of Mabuhay Vice Mayor Bingbong Calonge, father of the incumbent Mayor Dr. Lulu Calonge, and the municipal engineer.

In my last visit to the island, I met with the three mayors – Artur Ruste of Olutanga, Rolando Ramiso of Talusan and Dr. Lulu Calonge of Mabuhay – in the Mabuhay town hall, two days after the burial of the slain vice mayor and municipal engineer.

During the meeting, also attended by security officers from the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police, I suggested that the three towns come together to craft a Master Plan for Agriculture and Fisheries.

The 2-day workshop in Ipil will also tackle security issues for the island and the progress of the construction of the ADB-funded P1-B Alicia-=Olutanga Road and the bridge to the island.

The Master Plan intends to turn Olutanga Island from a Pirates Lair to a prime fisheries and agriculture production area in Mindanao.

#GovernanceIsCommonSense!

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!

(First photo shows the Mayors of the three towns during a meeting with the MinDA Chairman in Mabuhay town on March 10. Photos by the Mindanao Development Authority.)