Buy Ranao!

[Amomoai]

(Originally posted on Piss Book/Agama.Niyog.Society)

Browsing at my Iranaon friend's and their friend's photos on Piss Book, I see most of their entertainment and recreation are spent outside Ranao. Beautiful pictures indeed and there's no doubt the Iranaons had tons of fun in those nice "foreign" places.

But we can't blame the Iranaons for spending their money in "ragat". There's nothing to do in Ranao. The place is dirty, rido-tulisan-kidnapper-drug-politician-infested, has no public infrastructure, no stable electricity ironically Ranao supplies the Mindanao island 70+% of its electricity needs, no 24x7 water supply, no malls, no decent restaurants... I can go on and on. 

You can't swim on the lake and rivers because they are full of human waste and garbage and diseases. Agus river is close to  drying out because the water flow was diverted to the hydro-electric plant right at the mouth of the river. The river could have been a world-class water-rafting adventure right in the middle of the city.

Everything we need, from our daily food consumption to medication, entertainment and recreation, we buy or enjoy them in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro and all the beaches and restaurants in between. Even the fish population have left us. We now eat "sda sa ragat". Newer incarnation of Pilandoks don't know what a bongkaong, kasili, tomba and other native fish of Ranao look or taste.

Most well-to-do families, businessmen, politicians, theives from the government and the people have residences in Iligan or Cagayan de Oro.  The rest of the population are just wating for opportunity to leave. 

Ranao is dying!

The only thriving "legal" business in Ranao is politics. Iranaons go to Ranao on two occasions: to buy or sell their votes and to bury their dead. Weddings are now a "foreign" business too, at restaurants in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, even as far as Manila.

If this is not wrath of God, I don't know what is.

The Bangsa can not sustain the status quo. The crazies have taken over.

Now, what can we do to change the situation and keep the Bangsa? Its Hijrah and Gregorian calendar new year. We can start afresh.

Here's my "Whats on your mind?"...

Lets develop local tourism to generate commerce. Let's spend our money within. Lets keep our money. Lets buy local.

Iranaons like good times. They would spend all their hard earned money or stolen money, even pawn their jewelries, to dine out in Iligan or Cagayan de Oro or go to beaches. They say no restaurant or pawnshop in Iligan can sustain business without Iranaon patrons. So there's definitely commerce opportunities.  

I am requesting everyone, "a mala on so Bangsa", to post potential tourist spots in Ranao and describe how they can be developed for local tourism. Please include proposals for NRP (Non-Resident Pilandok) financial investment.

Happy (Hijrah and Gregorian) new year to the Bangsa.