Press Release - Imee: Wakasan na ang panahong napag-iiwanan ang Sulu sa agri-fisheries, turismo, at edukasyon

Senator Imee Marcos has vowed to help accelerate support for the province of Sulu's agri-fisheries, tourism and education sectors to boost development in the southern Philippine island and increase the income of its residents who, for decades, reeled from the impact of conflict and insurgency.

Marcos visited Sulu on April 19, days after the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, where she shared her soft spot for Mindanao since only Muslim countries in the Middle East agreed to grant her and her family sanctuary after the 1986 EDSA revolution.

"Tumatawag kami, nagpapasklolo--walang gustong tumulong. At ang gustong tumulong lamang ang mga kapatid nating Muslim... ibat ibang kaharian ng Middle East na tumulong sa akin na makaalis ng US na napakagulo noon.

"Ang totoong kaibigan, ang totoong nag-rescue, tumulong sa amin, walang iba kundi ang mga kapatid na Muslim sa ibang bansa," Marcos said, noting she and her sons stayed in Morocco for 6 years.

Marcos underscored how her father, the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, always viewed Islam as an important part of Filipino heritage.

"Ang sabi niya, 'Hindi tama na laging nakakalimutan, laging nahuhuli ang mga kapatid nating Muslim. Bakit sila lugi sa kasaysayan, lugi pa rin sa progreso? This is a historical injustice that must be put to right,'" the senator said.

The senator stressed, her personal connection with Muslims, coupled with the vast potential of Mindanao, inspires her to push for the progress of the southern Philippine region.

"We're really playing catch-up in Sulu... Sa wakas, insurgency-free na, naanunsyo September 8 last year. We have, very clearly, great prospects in fisheries. Ngayon ang secretary of agriculture natin, fisheries magnate. Sana tutukan naman ang Sulu katulad ng Zamboanga.

"40% ng ating fisheries development ay nasa Mindanao. Ayan napakalaking bagay. Yung seaweed, alam natin no. 1 ang Sulu dyan. So dapat itulak yan, kasi nakikita natin inuunahan na tayo, umuusad na yung Indonesia," Marcos said, in an interview with local journalists.

Sulu fishermen need to be provided with bigger bancas and fishing boats to deal with the province's often harsh seas, while fish