President Rodrigo Duterte makes history tomorrow as the first Philippine leader to address directly the people of the Turtle Islands in Tawi-tawi via the VSAT facilities installed by the government in March this year.
The Turtle Islands Municipality is the southernmost islands town of the Philippines which could be reached through a 24-hour boat ride from Zamboanga City and only 1 hour by speedboat from Sandakan, Sabah.
Before the installation of the VSAT by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the island in March this year, residents had to scale a hill to be able to get a faint signal of the TELCOs based in Sabah.
People of the island also use two currencies, the Philippine Peso when they do their marketing in Zamboanga City and the Ringgit when they buy goods from Sabah.
While the President’s message is pre-recorded, it will be sent from the main office of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) in Davao City with a back-up copy of the message in the hands of the MinDA staff now in Taganak, the main island, in case of a disruption in the satellite transmission.
A Wide-Screen TV Set provided by Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go will be used in projecting the President’s message to the islanders.
The President will be greeting the 12,000 residents of the islands as they celebrate the Pawikan Festival, the endangered Green Sea Turtle which breeds in the islands.
The event will also mark the turn over by the Dept of Environment and Natural Resources of the Green Sea Turtle sanctuary, the Baguan Island, to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Government.
I will also deliver a message live via satellite during the event because I failed to join the team which sailed to the Turtle Islands last May 20.
In March 2020, I and a team from the MinDA visited Taganak Island and spent the night in the Pawikan Breeding Ground, Baguan Island.
During the visit, residents of the island asked for satellite facilities which would link them up with the rest of the country, a wish which was worked out by MinDA with the help of DICT Secretary Gringo Honasan and Regional Director Tess Camba.
Tomorrow’s event marks the first time the people of the islands would hear the Philippine President talk to them directly.
The Pawikan Festival and the speech of the President will be aired live via MinDA’s Facebook page.
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