Mass paper boats floating set in Marawi

PUBLIC

By ALI G. MACABALANG

MARAWI CITY – A mass floating of paper boats is set for launching tomorrow (Saturday) at a portion of Lake Lanao (Ranao) in this city to raise public awareness for the protection of the country’s second largest fresh water body and establish a new world Guinness record, facilitating local environmentalists said.

Asmenah Manabilang-Barambangan, event organizer, said at least 1,500 paper boats are expected to go afloat at the lake portion in Raya Madaya village here to break the record of the Australian Royal Navy of more than 200.

She pointed out though that the attempt for Guinness record is just a secondary goal since they designed the event to primarily to create public awareness on the need to develop and preserve Lake Lanao, which is a major source of Mindanao’s hydroelectricity and part of the Maranao cultural heritage.

Maranaos - known as “People of the Lake” – are clamoring for the transfer of the authority for the protection and development of the lake from the national government to the proposed Bangsamoro new autonomous political entity (BNAPE).

At a recent consultation here on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), a draft of the enabling law for BNAPE, thousands of Maranaos demanded for Congress to preserve a provision in the measure that empowers the new geopolitical entity to exercise authority to manage, preserve and develop “inland waters” in its territory.

The 340-square kilometer lake, locally called Ranao, lies in this city and Lanao del Sur, both areas that are among the proposed “core territory” of the BNAPE.

The national government retains the authority over the lake on the basis of its being a major hydroelectricity source in Mindanao and parts of Visayas. But Maranaos argue that Ranao is primarily part of their cultural heritage and a major source for fishing and transport livelihood.

Barambangan, incumbent chairperson of Raya Madaya village, was hoping that today’s event would open the eyes of concerned authorities on the cultural, ecological and local economic significance of Ranao.

Local environmentalists created recently a group called “RaNow” to launch various concerted initiatives that includes today’s mass paper boats floating. (Ali G. Macabalang)