By ARNOLD GARVANZOS

Fact 1:  The blessing of Iligan comes from the Lake up in Marawi.  Take away the Lake you take away the Agus river.  Take away the Agus river, you take away Maria Cristina Falls.  Take away Maria Cristina Falls, you take away NPC.  Take away NPC and you take away the industries of Iligan.  And without the industries Iligan is nothing.

Fact 2:  Iligan became a City because of a Maranao, the late Congressman Ali Dimaporo.  Marawi on the other hand became a City because of a Christian, the late Senator Tomas Cabili.  From the very beginning our leaders have shown the way—how to make both Iligan and Marawi grow economically—each must bless each other.

Fact 3: Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte are the ONLY twin provinces in this Nation-literally.  The birthday of both is July 4 of every year.  Their destinies are tied with each other and so where one goes the other goes with it.

Fact 4:  60% of the economic activity of Iligan comes from Marawi and the Lanao provinces.

By history and by nature, the growth of Iligan depends on the growth of Marawi and vice versa.  To ignore this fact is the greatest mistake our national policy makers can do to the area.

You see the waters of Lanao are the umbilical cords that tie up our destiny together.  It is in these waters that we can have peace.  It is in these

waters we can arise as an international destination of the Nations.  It is in these waters that Christians and Muslims can bless each other.

Sadly Iligan has forgotten to give back to Marawi and Lanao.  There is no conscious effort to do this among our local leaders and I hope NPC can help us make this happen-through the waters of the Lake up in Marawi.   NPC is the only government agency which has the national mandate on the Lake and their role on the matter is very crucial.

Whatever your view about the matter- the truth is  there is an economic synergy between Iligan and Marawi-the economic destiny of one is tied up with the other and that is why one cannot move upward unless he brings the other up with him too.

In short we are “economic twins” by natural arrangement and history, thus what happens to one affects the other. Our destinies are tied up together and both must work as one and as “twins” speak with one voice and tell our national leaders to respect and make policy decisions on this synergy.

To deny this fact is the greatest mistake our government can ever make for the Lanao provinces.

Maayung Iligan sa tanan!!  May Iligan be a blessing to you!!