This is now the motto of the more than 400,000 inhabitants of this province in view of the construction of the 82.5-KMMindanao Railway Transit from Iligan City to Cagayan de Oro City about about to start.

The MRT’s strategic location will make it a gateway to reach the entire Mindanao island from the north to the south and from the east to the west where businesses thrive except for areas where the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) is being discussed to attain peace and progress in the area.

Located in the Northern Mindanao area along the north-western coast, Lanao del Norte is bounded on the north by Iligan Bay and the province of Misamis Oriental on the west. On the south is the province of Lanao del Sur, bordering Panguil Bay on the west and boundary of Zamboanga del Sur.

North Lanao is rich in natural resources and beautiful sceneries that tourists can experience and now is one of the places being included by the Department of Tourism in the list of emerging tourist destinations.

Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo believed that through the construction of MRT, tourism industry in the area will be enhanced and improved and the influx of tourists will increase in great number.

She said that there are beautiful spots in her province such as the Tinago falls in Linamon town approximately 13 kilometers from the city of Iligan. The name itself is coined from its location as it is literally hidden from a deep ravine and its falls cascades beautifully into a basinlike pool, calm, deep and icy cold.

One of the beautiful falls in the city is the Maria Cristina Falls, Iligan’s greatest heritage. The most beautiful among the city’s 20 other waterfalls, Maria Cristina is also known as the "Mother of Industry" and "Fountain-head of Progress" because this is where the local inhabitants and the entire Mindanao island get their supply of electricity.

According to Robert Dean Barbers, general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority, there are beautiful tourism spots in Lanao del Norte which tourists can visit and stay for relaxation.

He told Manila Bulletin that his office is coordinating with the leaders of Lanao del Norte to secure the safety of tourists in the province, though the place is relatively peaceful and in progress.

Barbers also believed that once the MRT begins operation in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, there will be an influx of local and foreign visitors who can experience the province’s beauty and culture.

Though Barbers has come from Surigao province yet he boasts that Lanao del Norte is one of the tourist destinations in the country.

To prove Barber’s point, Congressman Abdullah "Bobby" Dimaporo, 2nd District, Lanao del Norte, member of the strong bloc of the Commission on Appointments, cited the successful holding of the national sports festival "The Palarong Pambansa" held in the newlyconstructed world-class sports facility, the Mindanao Civic Center in the province capital Tubod in 2003.

"Our province is peaceful and we encourage the local and foreign tourists to come and see for themselves our beautiful waterfalls, springs, caves, beaches, resorts, river rafters, museums, historical places, buildings, artifacts, culture and industries," he said.

Dimaporo assured the safety of the tourists in his province provided that they should coordinate with the leaders in the province before their arrival.

He is one of the men who facilitated for the construction of the MRT in Lanao del Norte as it is his vision that the province would one day become prosperous.

Earlier, Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza announced the completion of its study to construct the Mindanao Railway Transit from the cities of Iligan to Cagayan de Oro.

Being the implementing arm of the government to put up railway transits in the country, DOTC made a study to construct railway transits in the key places in Mindanao where development and progress is very slow.

According to DOTC, the construction of MRT costs $US520 million and it would be given by several lending international institutions including Saudi Arabia, World Bank, Japan, that have expressed their desire to help this project in the form of loan assistance.

Datu Maminta Bongaros, vice president of the Action for Dynamic Development (ADD) Movement, said that through MRT, the farmers’ products or saleable goods will be delivered on time to the markets and it means good take for them as they could sell them without the intermediary of the middle man.

He said that this is the fastest way for his co-Muslim and Christian brothers and sisters to reach their own houses and destinations as compared with the plying buses or other vehicles.

Railway transit is no longer a comfort to travel, though comfort is one of the main features in this kind of high-tech and modern way of transportation, but it is the basic need by the people, the safer and fastest way in reaching to one’s destination, Bongaros added.

Bato Camid, ADD president, said we have to exhaust all means to support and finish the project as it will help boost tourism and the economy of Lanao del Norte as well as Mindanao itself.