BUTIG, Lanao del Sur — In an effort to realize this town’s vision of becoming Lanao del Sur’s center of agro-ecotourism, the Bangsamoro Government collaborated with the local government unit (LGU) to complete its first tourism development plan.
After a series of workshops, the Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS) officially handed over the 5-year Butig Tourism Development Plan (BTDP) to the municipal LGU on August 19, 2024.
This initiative is part of the Bangsamoro Government’s broader efforts to rehabilitate, rebuild, and develop conflict-affected communities in the region, such as Butig.
MPOS Director-General Atty. Al-Rashid Balt noted that the development of the tourism plan, covering the years 2023-2027, is a key component of the ministry’s Butig Rehabilitation Program. He also highlighted that this is the first tourism plan of its kind in the entire region.
“Kung ating pagtutuunan ang pagpapatupad nito kasama ang pagpapanatili ng kapayapaan at kaayusan sa Butig… malayo ang mararating ng komunidad pati na rin sa mga susunod na henerasyon nito,” Balt said.
[If we focus on implementing this, along with maintaining peace and order in Butig… the community, as well as future generations, will prosper.]
With the BTDP, the Butig-LGU now has a strategic roadmap to transform the area from a war-torn zone into a peaceful, self-reliant, and developed tourism destination by 2027.
In his acceptance message, Butig Mayor Atty. Dimnatang Pansar acknowledged the collective efforts of the Bangsamoro Government’s ministries, agencies, offices, and development partners in promoting tourism growth in his hometown.
“Kami ay nagagalak at nagpapasalamat sa suporta, simula nang sinusulat at ginagawa itong Butig Tourism Development Plan. Dahil sa tulong ng iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobyerno at sa pangunguna ng MPOS, naisakatuparan ito”, the mayor remarked.
[We are delighted and grateful for the support from the very beginning of the writing and development of Butig Tourism Development Plan. Thanks to the assistance of various government agencies and the leadership of MPOS, it has been realized.]
“This is part of our vision—to transform Butig from a conflict-affected area into one of the inspiring and thriving agro-eco-tourism havens in the Province of Lanao del Sur”, he added.
The MPOS and Butig-LGU developed the BTDP (2023-2027) in collaboration with the Special Development Fund’s Project Management Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform, the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy, the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, the Provincial Tourism, Culture, and the Arts Office, the Association of Lanao del Sur Tourism Officers, and Mindanao State University-Main Campus. (Norjana Malawi/BIO with reports from MPOS)
