MARAWI CITY – A newcomer Maranao politician would try his hand at localizing national concerns to ensure that the impact of local applications would benefit his home province and his fellow Maranaos of Lanao.
Abdul Jalal Balt Indar “Bubuly” Decampong won a seat in the Provincial Board of Lanao del Sur as a senior board member, representing the Second District of Lanao Del Sur, and said national issues must not deprive of benefits and protection of the Maranao people, the Moro tribe inhabiting the interior towns around Lake Lanao in central Mindanao.
His only actual political experience was when he was a barangay kagawad and a barangay chairman in Barangay Silid of the municipality of Bayang.
In his first days on the Provincial Board, he demonstrated his ability to handle national concerns. He first appealed for a provincial clean-up of election posters and recycling of other usable materials. The Department of the Interior and Local Government picked up the tab.
The more challenging move was to address cultural misconceptions about vaccination against Covid-19. The Muslims’ house of jurisprudence already issued a religious ruling favoring the vaccination of Muslims, he said: “dapat i-educate pa ang mga Maranao na ang vaccine ay kailangan para ma protectionan ang mga may sakit at ma prevent ang spread nito (Maranaos must be educated on the vaccine that it is needed to protect them against the illness and to prevent the spread of the disease).”
He said the provincial government ought to boost the campaign of the Department of Health against Covid-19 and other related illnesses.
Decampong is a graduate of Economics at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City and ran under the Lakas-NUCD, alongside the provincial slate of now Governor Mamintal “Bombit” A. Adiong. His platform was to uplift the lives of the poor.
As a young legislator, he also wanted the youth to be part of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE)’s Balik Eskwela Program “in inspecting and implementing programs for the resumption of the face-to-face classes in all school levels”.
The bigger concern of the entire province now was the fluctuating power supply as the government cut off the subsidy to the Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc. when it failed to pay off its debts. Decampong said he wanted the provincial government to prioritize it.
Lasureco’s outstanding payables to Psalm amounted to P12.9 billion as of April 30, representing outstanding power bills. The Department of Finance said Lasureco had P9.5 million unremitted universal charges, which it already collected from electricity end users.
The DOF has instructed the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) early this month to commence the curtailment for Magelco and disconnection for Lasureco starting May 26.
