Party seeking BARMM's biz sector growth expands to island provinces

COTABATO CITY— More than a thousand more entrepreneurs, agriculture traders and farmers have joined a regional political party aiming to fix the economic woes in the Bangsamoro provinces caused by decades of secessionist conflicts.

Radio reports in Cotabato City and in other cities in Region 12 on Tuesday stated that the 1,780 new members of the Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo, or SIAP party, have sworn to abide by its rules during symbolic engagements in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi and in Isabela City in Basilan in the past two weeks.

The president of SIAP, Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mohammad Khalid Adiong, on Tuesday said that he is thankful to local officials and sectoral leaders in the two provinces for helping them push the party’s expansion in both provinces forward.

“To them we are thankful. There is no rivalry between SIAP and the regional political parties they are identified with,” Adiong said.

The new members of SIAP in Basilan, among them Yakan, Tausug and Sama traders, on Monday issued a statement saying that they joined the party owing to its vision of empowering the lowly merchants and entrepreneurs in all 116 municipalities and three cities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

An ethnic Yakan rice and corn grains trader, Linggisan Sarattul, said that what fascinated him the most is the policy of SIAP enjoining members to be cordial with people in other political parties, particularly during electoral exercises.

“What is good too, as far as we are concerned, is that never before have we heard of a political party wanting to improve the lives of 'municipal level traders' by connecting them to big establishments in Mindanao,” said Sittikalina Muin, an entrepreneur who sells fertilizers and other products needed in hybrid corn farming.

SIAP was founded in 2022 by the patriarch of incumbent Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., the late Mamintal Adiong Sr., who had served as governor and congressman in the province for three terms each, respectively.

Among those who participated in dialogues included SIAP officials and sectoral representatives from across Basilan last weekend before recruits were sworn in as new party members