ZAMBOANGA CITY(December 5) — Once a battlefield and refuge for rebels and Abu Sayyaf bandits, Basilan’s Sampinit Complex is now being reclaimed as a symbol of peace, community strength, and environmental revival.
Around 1,200 seedlings—mostly Narra and jackfruit—were planted Wednesday, December 3, as Governor Mujiv Hataman led a massive Peace Caravan and Tree Growing Activity for the 2025 Mindanao Week of Peace.
The site, straddling Lamitan City, Sumisip, and Maluso, used to be one of the most dangerous patches of land in the province. This week, it became a gathering ground for nearly 800 government workers, soldiers, firefighters, youth groups, and local volunteers, all planting side by side.
Hataman, who said 1,100 of the seedlings were Narra, described the effort as part of a broader push to turn a former conflict zone into a living, sustainable resource for surrounding communities.
The activity also aligned with Executive Order No. 19, which created the Sagip Kalikasan Mechanism—a provincial framework that merges forest protection with eco-friendly livelihood programs under the Kabuhayang Makakalikasan agenda. The initiative aims to shield Basilan’s remaining forests from illegal logging and destructive extraction while opening new income streams tied to conservation.
For many locals, the shift is more than environmental—it’s symbolic. Sampinit, home to wildlife such as tarsiers, deer, and wild pigs, is being reimagined as a future hub for agro-forestry and eco-tourism, with Hataman eyeing Arabica coffee as a flagship crop.
Just days earlier, on November 29, Hataman led a dawn climb to Sampinit—another gesture marking Basilan’s long journey from conflict to care for the land that once sheltered war.
Where gunfire once echoed, communities now hope seedlings—and peace—will take root.
