The Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi welcomed five research groups from the Asian Institute of Management’s Master in Development Management (AIM-MDM) Program. Fourteen students, specializing in policy transformation, visited multiple municipalities to collaborate with stakeholders and conduct field research for their capstone projects aimed at improving the province’s policies.
Provincial Governor Yshamael “Mang” I. Sali expressed gratitude for the students’ commitment during their courtesy call to the Provincial Capitol. “We are happy you’ve chosen Tawi-Tawi for your research. Your ideas are valuable, and we support your efforts in making our province better,” he said. As a symbol of the partnership, the governor presented AIM with a token modeled after the lepa, a traditional Sama-Bajau boat, symbolizing the connection between Tawi-Tawi and the world.
The capstone projects consist of:
- Project ISLANDS: Integrating Systems and Local Adaptations to Navigate DRRM in the Small Geographically Isolated Islands of Tawi-Tawi led by Michael Belaro, Aaron Valdez, and Gabriel Yap focuses on strengthening disaster reduction and risk management (DRRM) by integrating local indigenous practices in small island municipalities;
- ZERO-WASTE BONGAO: Promoting Behavioral Change towards Sustainable Circular Economy in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi led Joseph Manalo, Janus Magat, and Rinku Thakur intends to help with Bongao’s Solid Waste Management policies;
- COASTAL ProTech (Community Observation And Shared Technology for Aquatic Life led by Nolan Gara aims to improve policies against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Bongao;
- Islamic financing for Agrifisheries in Tawi-Tawi led by Maesie Bertumen, Maxi Sta. Maria, and Dioven Panamogan focus on improving credit and savings access to the agrifisheries sector through Islamic finance;
- Kulturismo sa Bangsamoro: A Roadmap for Community-Based Cultural Tourism for the Province of Tawi-Tawi led by Janvier Bastian, Larissa Gatmaitan, Nigina Muminova, and Danielle Purzuelo aims to strengthen cultural preservation and integration in Tawi-Tawi’s tourism development plan.
“Having been an MDM graduate myself, I know the rigors and difficulties of making policy suggestions”, said Admin Mobin Gampal who is currently the Provincial Administrator of Tawi-Tawi and also a graduate of the AIM-MDM program, “These policy suggestions are useful to us and we understand their value. If they pass muster, we adopt them in the province. Who are we to turn down well-intentioned and creative policy suggestions?”, Admin Gampal notes this is the biggest group of AIM researchers they have accommodated so far, after having hosted a capstone group from the 2023 cohort that focused on the issue of cross-border trading last year.
Bongao Vice Mayor Jasper Que, a graduate of AIM’s Bridging Leadership program, also invited the researchers for a courtesy call at the Municipal Hall of Bongao. He asked the researchers about their various topics and discussed the privilege of being a leader given the province’s unique idiosyncratic features.
The researchers are slated to finalize their proposal by November 2024. Their main goal is for their policy proposal to be implemented by their partner institutions.
