Basilan is probably one of the last places anyone would want to visit. I remember visiting Basilan back in 2005, driving around the town and looking at landmarks that include notorious ambush areas and other places that made the news because of the Abu Sayyaf. Inside a churchyard lies the “Memorial for Peace,” a bullet-riddled jeep that was ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in the 1990s, killing five church workers. Repetitive warnings from my host added to the overwhelming feeling that Basilan was not safe for Christians like me.

After the trip, I had no other thought than being glad that I made it home alive.

(L-R): Sorayda Hayre (GK Coordinator for Basilan), Mayor Rustam Ismael, Former Mayor Tahira Ismael-Sansawi,

Bailinda Eman (GK Area Coordinator)

Early this month, Gawad Kalinga (GK) was invited by Mayor Rustam Ismael (and Former Mayor Tahira Ismael-Sansawi) of Lantawan, Basilan to visit their town and explore possible areas for partnership. So I found myself back in Basilan 7 years after that 2005 visit, together with Ms. Bailinda Eman, a fellow GK Area Coordinator, and Ms. Sorayda Hayre, a volunteer GK coordinator for the province.

We drove around the town and these were some of the things I discovered:

A number of school buildings are still in ruins and remain unused. Those who are determined to study have to walk 3 hours to another public school in a neighboring barangay. The rest stopped going to school altogether. In the early 2000s, the Abu Sayyaf ravaged the town of Lantawan – killing civilians, taking hostages with them as they flee, as well as destroying and even burning public schools to prevent kids from going to school.

Present state of the elementary school building in Lantawan proper

Of the 25 barangays that make up Lantawan, only 10 barangays are currently served with electrical power supply. Less than 5 barangays have health centers. According to the LGU, more than half of the population is made up of squatters. Many of these squatters were displaced by the armed conflict more than a decade ago, and some of them are forced to live in disaster prone areas such as shorelines.

Existing houses of the proposed beneficiaries in Brgy. Atong-Atong, Lantawan, Basilan

But this is not the entire picture of what Lantawan is. It’s also endowed with abundant resources, most of which are underutilized. There’s also an intense yearning for change from both the local government and the people living there. The peace issues have attached a certain stigma to Basilan. After this trip however, I realized that should there be a peace issue that I need settled, it is the lack of peace in my heart knowing that I have stopped being a brother to my fellow Filipinos in Basilan. But the visit opens so many possibilities of caring for our fellow Filipinos there and showing them that we have not left them behind.

>> Learn more about how you can help our fellow Filipinos in Basilan

Our fellow Filipinos in Lantawan, Basilan

After the trip, I had no other thought than a wish to go back.

And I will. Because this is just the beginning of the work that needs to be done. Through the bayanihan of the LGU, local volunteers and partners, I am full of hope that soon the “memorials” for peace would no longer be bullet-riddled jeeps but the people of Basilan themselves, especially the children who would start going to school. Landmarks would no longer be notorious ambush areas but beautiful communities that would be built out of mutual respect and shared love for the Almighty, for the country and for the poor. Walang Iwanan! (Leave No One Behind!).

>> Help the children of Basilan build their dreams through the "No Child Left Behind" campaign

Redefining "Memorials for Peace"

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This school year, join us in helping the children of Basilan build their dreams. Your Php1,200 can help rebuild classrooms and bring quality education for the next generation of peace-builders. Click here to learn more about the "No Child Left Behind" campaign for the children of Basilan.

Gawad Kalinga is not a charity, rather, it's an organization that aims to end poverty by building sustainable communities. By empowering residents to build dignified and empowered communities and strategically building these abodes of peace at the heart of conflict areas, peace becomes one of the most valuable results in our journey to rebuild the nation.