SENADO 2016, sino nga ba?

Shariff Ibrahim Albani

Born January 14, 1972 in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

Independent

 

Since the turn of the millennium, no Muslim has ever sat in a senate position in the Philippines.

 

This is a streak that businessman and civic leader Shariff Albani intends to break with his senatorial candidacy. Though having little in the way of campaign funds, party support or mass popularity, his grassroots campaign centered on stamping out discrimination has won the hearts of many Muslims who support his causes.

 

He is an ardent supporter of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and a frequent advocate for safe elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He favors de-armament of private armed groups in the region, and had frequently called on national authorities to make sure the election gun ban is enforced in his home region known for its political violence.

 

Born in Tawi-Tawi, Albani graduated at the Universidad de Zamboangain 1994 with a degree in criminology. He later finished his master’s degree in Public Administration at the Manuel L. Quezon University in 1999.

 

As a teenager, Albani had his first taste of public service when he served as a Consultant on Muslim Affairs at the Office of the Governor in Tawi-Tawi. Through the ‘90s he worked with the Southern Philippines Development Authority in Jolo, the Japan Aquamarine Product in Zamboanga and the Abalone Processing Corporation in Singapore.

 

He currently serves multiple top-level positions: as President of the Indigenous Group of Industry in Manila, as President of Philippine Affairs for the California-based Coconut Oil Co., as a Senior Adviser of Austrian-based Ethanol Production Co. and as a Senior Adviser of the Asia-Pacific Investment Group.

 

Albani is also the founder of the advocacy group Unity for Revival Foundation, which advocates for a swift resolution of the conflicts in Mindanao and for the peace processes to be a primary concern of the national government. He and his group hosts the “Peace and Unity Awards” every four years which recognizes individuals and groups who have worked or negotiated for peace in the Philippines and other conflict-ridden areas.

 

Though a firm believer of traditional Islamic culture as a way of instilling moral values, Albani is nonetheless an advocate for modernization of the country through quality science and technology education coupled with integrated non-formal education for students.

 

He is also an advocate of Federalism, which he believes is “the political solution to our long-term national stability.” Albani vows to help transition the Philippines from a centralized unitary system towards the federated system of Germany and the United States.

 

For his 2016 bid he has decided to run as an independent candidate. Nonetheless, he was welcomed by and adopted by the late presidential candidate Roy Seneres, Sr. to his senatorial roster.

 

He continues his campaign that appeals for the unity of Christians, Muslims and indigenous peoples, which he believes is the true key to national progress. All that he asks is for a Muslim representative that will also represent the entirety of the Philippines.