The provincial government of Tawi-Tawi steps up its preparation for the upcoming celebration of its 38th founding anniversary next month dubbed “Kamahardikaan sin Tawi-Tawi” as it centers its preparations for the promotion of the province’s ecotourism potentials.
Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali said the province will showcase this year the many impressive tourist destinations and tourism potential sites to domestic and foreign tourists during the anniversary celebration of Tawi-Tawi.
“Showcasing the eco-tourism potentials and products of the province during the holding of the 38th founding anniversary is very important during the affair, and this is the very reason why I asked them to center their preparations on the eco-tourism potentials of the province,” Sahali said.
Adding that Tawi-Tawi’s founding anniversary is one of the most appropriate activities to showcase the eco-tourism potentials to the visiting tourists.
“We only need a serious and aggressive promotion of our tourism attractions, destinations, and potentials, and add more colors to the celebration to get the much-needed boost in the tourism field,” Sahali pointed out.
He assured tourists who wanted to visit this capital town during the celebration that the province has many good hotels and resorts where they can be accommodated during the duration of their stay.
Tawi-Tawi was previously part of the province of Sulu, and on September 11, 1973, Presidential Decree No. 302 was issued separating Tawi-Tawi from Sulu, with this town as the seat of the provincial government.
Sahali said that most of the people in this province belong to the Sama cultural group, and within this group are subgroups, and were named based on the location of the individual.
The Sama Sibutu are those from the Sibutu-Sitangkai Island Group, Sama Simunul are those from the Simunul-Manuk Mangkaw Island Group, and other subgroups.
While those who belong to the Jama Mapun are largely found in the Cagayan Mapun and Turtle Islands Group.
Many of the people from the Turtle Islands and Cagayan Mapun are conducting their marketing in Sabah, since it is only some 14 kilometers away from the island, Sahali explained.
The Badjao – also called “Sama Dilaut” – population is diminishing due to diseases and migration to other areas in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, he claimed.
The Tausug, Orang Suluk or Aa Suk are migrants from the Sulu province and came to Tawi-Tawi in search for better livelihood opportunities or run away from the seemingly unending conflict and violence in Sulu, he added.
Fishing and agar-agar (seaweed) farming are the leading source of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, the governor said. (Nonoy Lacson, RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa)
