Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman
Hataman wants to continue good work in Basilan
DEPUTY Speaker Mujiv Hataman on Friday filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for reelection in the lone congressional district of Basilan at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“Nakapagsimula na tayo ng mga magandang adhikain para sa Basilan at sa lahat ng mga Basileño. Nais sana namin na – sa pagtitiwala ng mga mamamayan – ay maipagpatuloy ang mga ito,” Hataman, a former governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said.
Accompanied by his wife Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman and children Amin and Umara, Hataman filed his COC at exactly 8 a.m. at the provincial poll office in Isabela City.
“Marami na tayong magagandang nasimulan para sa Basilan. Pero hindi pa tapos ang laban – ang laban sa kahirapan, ang laban sa terrorismo, ang laban para sa maayos na kabuhayan, at laban sa anumang uri ng diskriminasyon,” Hataman said.
“May mabigat na laban pa tayo sa COVID-19, na patuloy na binabago ang ating pamumuhay. May mga programang hindi pa lubusang naipapatupad sa sektor ng turismo at ekonomiya. Marami pang kailangang ayusin at haharapin para sa patuloy na pagbangon na ating mahal na lalawigan,” Hataman added.
Before being elected as representative in the 18th Congress, Hataman was regional governor of ARMM for eight years, or since 2011, before he stepped down in 2019 when the ARMM became Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
As incumbent representative of the lone district of Basilan, Hataman authored several local measures that aim to uplift the standards of living in the province.
Education is one of Hataman’s priority areas when it comes to legislation. He stewarded the conversion of the Basilan State College into a full-fledged Basilan State University, which is now Republic Act (RA) No. 11554.
Basilan will now have its very own university, which will offer more courses, take in more students and elevate the academic performance of not only those in the province, but also those from nearby island communities.
He also advocated for measures calling for the establishment of a Basilan Science High School, a TESDA in Isabela City, a Basilan Sports Academy, and an institute for the conservation of the Sulu and Mindanao traditional arts.
The House of Representative has also passed measures authored by Hataman, such as Marawi Siege Compensation Act now pending in the Senate, the Anti-Discrimination Based on Race, Ethnicity and Religion Act, and many more.
“Kaya’t sama-sama tayo, pagtulungan natin ito. Hangad natin ang mas maunlad at mapayapang komunidad, mas marami at makabagong paaralan, mas maayos na tulay at daan, mas kumpleto at modernong pagamutan, mas malalaki at masasaganang negosyo at kabuhayan, at higit sa lahat, may dignidad ang hanapbuhay ng mga mamamayan,” Hataman said.
