Arnold Garbanzos ILIGAN City--Under a unitary set-up Iligan loses a lot.  Check the facts:
  • Our biggest steel mill has been privatized and is now languishing due to the approval of Malacanang.
  • We have one of the highest power rates in Mindanao thanks to the Epira approved by Malacanang.
  • Despite our super-abundant fresh water resources our water industry has never been developed and I wonder why Malacanang never cared knowing that fresh water today is one of the world’s most expensive commodities and is a valuable resource that should be cared for and protected.
  • Malacanang has never institutionalized peace building between Muslims and Christians in Lanao knowing that it is an area that houses both in equal numbers divided by two Lanao provinces but whose economic and cultural existence depends on each other greatly.
  • With revenues supposedly running by the billions of pesos coming from our power and our industries we only received a measly P1.6 billion million in IRA when we are entitled to more--even to the tune of no less than P20 billion a year at the most. Again thanks to the people of Malacanang.
All of these indicate that there is an “invisible hand” that controls Iligan from above. Couple these with leaders and a people who are too trusting of Malacanang, allowing ourselves to be “punched” endlessly on our face with no defense or counter punches to protect our rights and our resources, it is no wonder that Iligan is in such a mess today. The only solution? A federal government where our city can control its own destiny, manage our resources with no interference from Malacanang, build relationships between the tri-people financed by our own resources (yes we must spend for peace!), give more job opportunities to our young people, develop our BPO industry, revive our industries and make sure they pay all their taxes to us and not in far off Manila or Makati, develop our water resources to the benefit of the entire nation and to our Asean neighbors, make the Maranao culture a million dollar tourism industry, create and build a university for our indigenous people and fulfill our destiny as an “international” destination of all nations. That my dear friends is the great potential of  Iligan and Lanao given the right government set-up and system. It is therefore no wonder why many in Iligan and Lanao will vote for a man who believes in federalism. He is the only  man who can fulfill the great potential of both Iligan and Lanao. It is time for us to make someone sit in Malacanang who has the same vision as that of our late Senator Tomas Lluisma Cabili who fought staunchly for a federal set-up but lost in his honored bid due to the manipulations of Malacanang, making us the only city and province which did not sign the 1935 Constitution. With all of its great potentials, Iligan and Lanao will continue to suffer and languish  if we continue under a unitary “all powerful Malacanang” set-up. Iliganons and my fellow provincemates, it is time to go back to our foundation as a city and province  and fight for our “birth right”--the right to enjoy our God-given resources and to be a blessing to this nation.  And that can only happen when we fight for a man who has the same vision as us for a federal government. This nation needs a model, a prototype area that will show how greatly federalism will affect it, making  it grow in leaps and bounds, be prosperous and be a blessing to all. Iligan and Lanao might as well be that model. Maayung Iligan sa tanan!