LAMITAN CITY, BASILAN – The Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP) led a delegation on Tuesday, February 25, composed of representatives from key national line agencies during the first ever Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) Caravan to be held in the island-province.
Also joining the officials of 24 ICCMN member-agencies were executives from six ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government, as well as the Provincial Government of Basilan and the City Government of Lamitan.
The ICCMN Caravan aimed to provide essential government programs and services to the people of Basilan, including former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants, their families and communities.
At the event, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., whose remarks were read by OSAP Asst. Sec. Ria Lumapas, noted that through the conduct of the ICCMN Caravan, the Marcos Jr. administration is fulfilling its commitment of delivering essential services to community members, while facilitating the reintegration process of MILF and MNLF combatants.
“Ito ay bahagi ng pagtupad ng ating Pangulo sa kaniyang pangako na walang Pilipino ang maiiwan. Lahat ay kasama sa pag-angat at pag-unlad ng bansa. Makakaasa kayo na patuloy ang suporta na ibibigay ng pamahalaan upang matugunan ang iba pang mga pangangailangan ng mga komunidad sa Bangsamoro,” he emphasized.
“All these efforts are in line with the President’s objective to pursue all the government’s commitments under the Normalization Program and to safeguard our peacebuilding efforts,” Lagdameo said.
At the same event, Lamitan Mayor Roderick “Orik” Furigay thanked the organizers and participants of the ICCMN caravan “as it unites people in bringing essential services and opportunities to our MILF brothers and sisters and other beneficiaries—a reflection of shared commitment to peace and development in the Bangsamoro region.”
Basilan Gov. Jim Saliman Hataman also expressed his gratitude to the government agencies that rolled out its programs in Basilan to assist the former combatants in making the transition as peaceful and productive citizens of society, saying, “Malaking bagay kung lahat tayo may ownership.”
Meanwhile, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. underscored the unwavering commitment of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in pushng forward and building on the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.
The Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) is a body created by virtue of Executive Order No. 79, amended by EO No. 6 s. 2022, to ensure the timely, appropriate and efficient delivery of the Normalization Program including the coordination and mobilization of national government agencies in the implementation of the Normalization Program under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The ICCMN ensures a “whole-of-government” approach, which aims to transform MILF combatants and their families into productive and peaceful members of society and turn their camps into zones of peace and development.
It also provides policy advice and monitors socio-economic interventions of the national government. The ICCMN is currently co-chaired by Secretaries Lagdameo and Galvez.###
