By Karen Lou Deloso

Photos by Lester Berganio

CITY OF MATI, Davao Oriental— The provincial government and its Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) held a groundbreaking on Friday (February 3) for its PDRRMC Center, a 130 square meters edifice located at the Provincial Government Center in Dahican, City of Mati.

Public safety, being one of the top priorities of the provincial government gave the impetus to the province to construct the new PDRRMC Center, which is deemed to strengthen the province’s disaster management as it will serve as the official headquarters and operation center for disaster mitigation and response.

“Disaster risk reduction and management is a serious matter, and this soon-to-be constructed building will be the heart and foundation of the culture of preparedness and safety that we intend to inculcate in each and every resident of Davao Oriental,” states Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon who initiated the project.

During the Municipal-Provincial Consultative Meeting last January convening all stakeholders in public order and safety, Gov. Malanyaon laid emphasis on the need to strengthen disaster management. She said that issues on disasters are important concerns for all peace and order stakeholders to seriously address.  “Disaster concerns should be among the top priorities that must be addressed by all local government units,” she said. Governor Malanyaon further said that disaster concern is a matter that must be a shared responsibility and obligation by all LGUs and its officials.

Although adjudged for two consecutive years as the third most outstanding province in disaster mitigating and preparedness in the whole country and first in the entire region, Davao Oriental’s chief executive Gov. Malanyaon is determined to make room for further improvements concerning disaster management.

Seeing the maelstrom of catastrophes that recently hit some parts of the country, the provincial government recognizes the importance of preparing the people in dealing with disasters.

“Typhoon Ondoy served as a grim awakener for the entire country as we all saw in media coverage the death and destruction that it caused to Luzon,” she said. “And if we in Mindanao thought that we are impervious to storms, then we only have to recall the time when Sendong brought great sorrow to thousands of families in cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro”.

“It‘s about time to take serious action regarding calamities. Of course we can’t control nature but we can prevent the loss of lives as well as properties if we are disaster-prepared,” she said.

Furthermore, just recently, through the initiative of the province and in joint collaboration with the Red Cross Davao Oriental Chapter, 121 provincial employees have undergone and completed the basic first aid course. This training is in line with the province’s advocacy for public safety and efficient disaster response management and in an effort to save more lives in times of disasters.

]]> http://www.davaoorientalnow.com/main/2012/03/20/davor-strengthens-disaster-response-management/feed/ 0 http://www.davaoorientalnow.com/main/2012/03/02/davor-aims-for-higher-local-income-in-2012/ http://www.davaoorientalnow.com/main/2012/03/02/davor-aims-for-higher-local-income-in-2012/#comments Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:05:21 +0000 Admin http://www.davaoorientalnow.com/main/?p=842 CITY OF MATI (February 4, 2012)

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

Bolstered by a high collection efficiency last year, the provincial government of Davao Oriental is confident of achieving the much higher target collection this year for its locally sourced revenues as it struggles to significantly reduce its heavy reliance on the national government’s Internal Revenue Allotment.

Last year, the provincial government posted a 108 percent collection efficiency for its locally-sourced income which local government officials say is a result of their intensified efforts to tap the local sources of income amid a diminishing IRA share of the province. Official says the total amount of IRA reduction in the province this year is about P34 million as the national government cut by 4.8 percent the IRA shares of all local government units in the country.

According to provincial accountant Emelia Barrera who heads the local finance committee, the 108 percent collection efficiency they posted last year for local sources of income “is indeed a significant jump that’s happening only to the administration of Governor Corazon Malanyaon. For quite a long time, the province has never achieved a 100 percent collection efficiency for its local revenues.” Barrera says that last year’s impressive revenue collection performance has prompted them to set a much higher target collection this year. “With the strong leadership of Governor Malanyaon who enjoy full support of the mayors and barangay officials, we are much confident of achieving our high collection target this year,” says Barrera.

Davao Oriental’s locally sourced revenues last year that includes tax and non-tax revenues reached P102 million which comprises12.2 percent of its total budget this year. “We hope to operate on a one billion peso budget soon that is why we are really bent to achieve our much higher collection target this year. From 12.2 percent last year, our locally sourced revenues this year will reach at least twenty percent of our total budget. That is in line with our goal to reduce our heavy reliance on the national government’s Internal Revenue Allotment especially in light of the fact that the IRA share of local governments is now diminishing, so we really have to look for other sources of income,” says Barrera.

Barrera says among the local sources of income are real property tax which contributes P13 million last year, and small-scale mining revenues reached P20 million. The five government-run hospitals in the province generated P67 million in revenues last year, according to Barrera. Davao Oriental has five government-run hospitals located in the municipalities of Cateel, Manay, Lupon,  Governor Generoso and in the City of Mati. Three of these hospitals are primary hospitals and one is a secondary hospital. The tertiary hospital is located in the province’s capital, the City of Mati. Local officials are also pinning hope on the big-ticket irrigation project here as among the biggest sources of local income. The P256 million irrigation project in the town of Cateel that will irrigate at least 1,600 hectares of rice farms is expected to generate huge income for the province, according to Barrera.

Based on official data, Davao Oriental’s IRA share this year is P738 million comprising 87 percent of its P840.6 million total budget this year. “Raising provincial revenues to attain adequate resources for projects will be given priority by my administration so that dependence on the Internal Revenue Allotment may be minimized. We will be creating provincial government-owned-and controlled enterprises to be able to maximize income and make them as revenue-generating corporations,” Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon said earlier. She pointed out that Davao Oriental has one of the biggest real property assets in the Davao Region with an assessed value of P4.6 billion that could be a huge source of local revenues.

During a recent consultative meeting here between the governor and the province’s eleven mayors, among the measures they have agreed to implement to address the low collection rate of real property tax is to collect taxes on ancestral domains used for large-scale agriculture, commercial forest plantations and residential purposes upon titling by private persons. They have also agreed to defer issuance of business permits to delinquent taxpayers and involve barangay treasurers in the collection of real property tax. Local officials have also expressed concern over smuggling of mineral resources as traders without the Capitol’s accreditation were being allowed to buy mineral resources in the barangays without paying taxes to the provincial government. They vowed to strengthen barangay monitoring system to check the transportation of extracted mineral resources.

Governor Malanyaon says her most ambitious goal is to achieve fiscal independence through the institutionalization of good governance, efficient tax collection system, strict adherence to fiscal discipline and prudent management of the province’s rich natural resources. She says that under her leadership, she will make sure that revenues are utilized for programs and projects meant to uplift the socio-economic condition of her people and create a climate favorable to business. She says a solid financial condition will enable the provincial government to finance major infrastructure projects and programs that involves huge capital outlay.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

This highly agricultural province which has the largest coconut production in the country is optimistic to grab a fair share of investments flowing to the Davao Region and sustain its high economic performance last year.

Maria Belenda Ambi, provincial director of the Department of Trade and Industry in Davao Oriental, expressed optimism over the province’s economic growth prospects this year, saying that the significant increase of investments in the province last year is likely to be sustained this year owing to the “aggressive and great efforts” mainly initiated by the provincial government “that is now creating a more business-friendly environment” and a supportive governance.

“There is a high optimism that we will be able to sustain our high economic performance last year all because of the aggressive campaign mainly initiated by the provincial government that projects Davao Oriental as the new investment haven in the Davao Region,” says Ambi, adding that the “clear and focused strategic vision and agenda of Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon to make Davao Oriental an investment haven has accomplished a lot.”

The DTI says that investments in the province reached P593 million last year, exceeding its original target of P579 million. The 2011 investment figure is a 64 percent increase from the P361 million generated in 2010. Exports in the province surged by 112 percent to US$2.975 million from the original target of US$2.650 million. Domestic sales, meanwhile, reached P124.913 million. The DTI says both export and domestic sales posted a 100 percent client satisfaction rate. The export sales are generated mainly from the supply of cardava banana to Europe and coco coir and peat to China, Hongkong, Taiwan, and Japan. The domestic sales are generated from participation to trade fairs, market matching, pasalubong center and trade facilitation.

The DTI’s Ambi says that a total of 1,856 jobs were created last year, exceeding by 111 percent from the original target of 1,678 jobs. She also says that they have assisted 313 new and existing micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs through provision of business development and other trade and industry services. A total of 708 new business names  are registered in the province last year. The database of Davao Oriental Export Pathways Program shows an increase in the number of direct exporters in the province from six in 2007 to 13 exporters in 2011. These exporters generated a total of US$4.158 million in sales in the last five years.

Davao Oriental enjoys a vast wealth of natural resources ranging from agriculture, forestry, marine and mineral resources and fabulous eco-tourism destinations. It is now the country’s largest producer of coconut and leader in the Davao Region’s wood industry as it has the largest production forest area. The province is also the biggest producer of abaca in Southern Mindanao. It also has the biggest aquaculture area and the longest coastline in the Davao Region measuring 513 kilometers. Thirty percent of the country’s mineral deposits such as nickel, chromite, manganese, copper, cobalt, silver, gold and iron can be found in Davao Oriental, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. The province has at least forty natural tourist spots and six historical and cultural sites now being promoted by the Department of Tourism.

“We are taking an aggressive stance to pursue efforts in opening up business possibilities especially in the areas of agri-industry, tourism, reforestation and other investment options that will unleash the full potentials of what the province can offer to the country and to the rest of the world. Our province has much in terms of production areas for strategic crops and forest resources, a coastline which is the longest in the region, diverse natural beauty spots, mineral resources and skills and manpower resources,” says Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon.

“Our vision for this province is in synch with what our national leaders hope to achieve for this country. I have always been passionate about my advocacy for entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurship development. I believe that if we can only elevate the awareness level and mindsets of our people to be more enterprising or business-oriented, we can achieve so much more given our abundant natural resources. We have integrated all our support toward an enterprise development direction, taking off from our agri-business projects like Pagkain at Kita, Barangay Goat Enterprise Development, support to the production of major crops like rice, corn, coconut, rubber, banana, fisheries and aquaculture development, and many others. Aside from the technical training needed by our farmer-beneficiaries, we have infused the implementation of the Rural Entrepreneurship Advocacy for Change or REACH program so that beneficiaries will be more inclined to business and become farmer entrepreneurs. We hope to expand this training and advocacy initiative to cover other sectors,” says the governor during the launching here of the Center for Promotion of Investments and Trade or C-POINT.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

This province has recently won top awards from the Department of Health for its highly successful implementation of health and nutrition programs that are in line with the health agenda of President Benigno Aquino III that pushes for a universal health care for all Filipinos.

The DOH’s Universal Health Care Local Government Unit Report Card measures and tracks the performance of local government units’ implementation of health reforms. Aside from providing basis for performance-based financing, the program facilitates benchmarking of performance on key indicators among stakeholders and it is being used as reference with regards to future plans relating to health.

Among the performance indicators used by the DOH are the following: Mass treatment for filariasis, mass treatment for schistosomiasis, incidence for malaria, TB case detection rate, TB cure rate, fully immunized child, newborns initiated breastfeeding, protein energy malnutrition, facility-based deliveries, contraceptive prevalence rate, households with access to safe water, households with sanitary toilet facilities, rural health units accredited for out-patient benefit package, rural health units accredited for maternity care package, rural health units accredited for TB direct observed treatment short course, Botika ng Barangay to barangay ratio, families enrolled to National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), poor families enrolled in NHIP, municipal budget allocated to health, total local health budget, physician to population ratio, midwife to population ratio, procurement packages completed through competitive public bidding, annual financing utilized, audit objections on health transactions raised within the year.

Four municipalities of Davao Oriental bagged the top awards of the Department of Health’s LGU Scorecard Awards. Declared winner is Davao Oriental’s Banaybanay town, besting the bigger local government units in the four provinces of the Davao Region. Three other municipalities of the province has shared the third-place award, these are the municipalities of Lupon, San Isidro and Governor Generoso. The province’s capital, the City of Mati, was also conferred with the Distinguished Progress Award while the municipality of Tarragona was conferred with a Special Award for its successful measles immunization  campaign. The cities of Panabo and Tagum of Davao del Norte are in third place. For the provincial and city level, Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte shared the second prize award while Compostela Valley province, Davao City and Davao del Sur are declared first, third and fourth-prize winners, respectively.

Based on the official data of the Department of Health, Davao Oriental has become a role model in the fight against malnutrition. From having the highest prevalence rate of malnutrition in 2006 at 16 percent, Davao Oriental was able to significantly reduce its malnutrition rate to the present five percent which is now the lowest in Southern Mindanao provinces.

The Department of Health has consecutively conferred the Pag-asa Award to Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon “for strengthening and sustaining the functionality of nutrition program… and maintaining the highest reduction in the prevalence rate of malnutrition in the region that led to the improvement of nutritional status among preschool and school children.” The governor says the malnutrition rate in the province “is even better than the malnutrition rate of the well-developed Makati City.”

Governor Malanyaon was also elated after the province was adjudged by the Department of Health as winner in the Davao Region for the annual nationwide search for Garantisadong Pambata Champs, an award given to outstanding provinces and cities for achieving an exemplary delivery of child survival services. In pushing for her Bright Child Program, the governor have stressed the importance of giving much care to kids ages zero to six as the first six years of a child are crucial. She said this is the period when physical, mental and emotional development takes place. The governor said that with proper nutrition, stimulation and early education, the child has a greater chance of completing his formal schooling, keeping a job and become a part of the country’s human capital.

Moreover, the DOH has also lauded Governor Malanyaon for the successful expansion of its provincial hospital from 100-bed to its present 200-bed capacity and the acquisition of state-of-the-art medical equipment for the Provincial Hospital. The secretary of the Department of Health Dr. Enrique Ona says the 200-bed capacity Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital, which is the legacy project of Governor Malanyaon, elevates the standard of health care delivery system for public hospitals. Governor Malanyaon says the tertiary, Capitol-run provincial hospital will provide high-quality medical care to the poor patients who cannot afford the services of private hospitals. At least 40,000 poor families in the province have already benefitted from the provincial government’s Madayaw Health Care Program which gives free PhilHealth insurance to indigent families in the province.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

Disaster preparedness has topped the agenda of Governor Corazon Malanyaon’s first meeting this year with the province’s eleven municipal and city mayors as she stressed the need to always prepare the people for the worst disasters as a result of climate change whose impacts are no longer a distant fear but are already an unfolding reality.

During the recent provincial-municipal consultative meeting here, Governor  Malanyaon said the catastrophic effects of typhoon Sendong should prompt provincial, municipal and city officials and planners to examine the applicability of their disaster preparedness and mitigation measures.

The governor has called on the mayors to take the lead in disaster preparedness campaign that seeks to inculcate a “culture of safety” among the people in order for them to effectively overcome disasters. Drawing lessons from the past deadly disasters, the governor has pointed on the people’s general complacency as among the factors that makes the impact of disasters like earthquake and typhoon more terrifying.

At the consultative meeting with the mayors, the governor has identified villages in the ten municipalities and one city in the province that are vulnerable to natural disasters like flashfloods, landslides, earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis. The governor has also recalled that on the day typhoon Sendong hit the northern part of Mindanao, big television networks in the country were focusing their coverage in Davao Oriental as the weather bureau has issued storm signal number 2 for Davao Oriental at the time. “Thanks God for hearing our prayers. The deadly typhoon Sendong was changing its direction. Per the advisory of the weather bureau at the time, it was supposed to hit us on that day. Fortunately, it’s moving to a different direction, sparing our province from a big devastation,” says Governor Malanyaon. The governor has urged the eleven mayors here to help her address the problem on the people’s general complacency, citing the fact that most people only become restless when storm signals reach number three or higher. Disaster experts has pointed out that storm or typhoon signals are mere forecasts of wind velocity and that it was not the wind that caused the floods in Northern Mindanao but the unusually high amount of rainfall. Thus, they emphasized the significant importance of an accurate rainfall forecast to save lives as it is not the wind but the waters that can kill during typhoon. Governor Malanyaon said the success of reducing and managing disaster impacts also rest with competent local governments and an openness to work in partnership with civil society.

The governor wanted to make sure that the disaster preparedness at the institutional and community level is always sustained. Aside from conducting regular drills in mountainous and coastal villages including public structures in urban areas, the governor also vows to allocate enough funds for the installation of efficient warning systems, beefing up of its fire-fighting capacity, and to equip government-run hospitals with adequate supplies of medicine and personnel.

Governor Malanyaon said the people’s margin of survival is equal to the percentage of their preparation, adding that “Only when people are properly informed of the risks and hazards of their communities and subject them to a series of disaster drills will they become disciplined and overcome disasters effectively.” She said the campaign should aim to make local communities resilient against climate change through appropriate adaptation and mitigation programs to avoid natural hazards from becoming catastrophes. She emphasized that local government officials should really be in the forefront of this effort by ensuring that poor families are settled in safe areas, investing in flood protection and mitigation, and creating and updating of databases on local watersheds, land use and hazards. However, the provincial government and the National Economic and Development Authority have recently signed a memorandum of agreement that would integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in local development planning and decision-making processes.

Davao Oriental is located in the easternmost part of the Philippines and a huge part of the province faces the Pacific Ocean, making it vulnerable to natural forces like typhoons and the most dreaded tsunami. Also, the province, like much of the country, sits on the Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines spanning the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes frequently occur. Flash floods and landslides that regularly hit the province have also caused large-scale displacement among its residents. And the people of this agricultural province who are highly dependent on farm and fishery sectors were also among the hardest hit by a long dry spell called El Nino that have wrought massive havoc on the province’s agricultural production and other rural livelihoods. Eco-system decline brought about by unabated degradation of the province’s forest and marine resources is now among the most pressing problems that the provincial government seeks to address through the adoption of a holistic, comprehensive, integrated, pro-active and multi-sectoral approach in addressing the impacts of disasters, including climate change.

Long before President Benigno Aquino III issued an order banning all politicians from putting their names and faces on government-funded programs and projects, this province’s chief executive has long been practicing what the President have asked government officials to “do the right thing.” And Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon is indeed on the right track in shunning away from such traditional political publicity as she just focus herself in executing her priorities in her development agenda for the province. Knowing that leaders, past and present, will someday be taken to task for the stewardship of the power and wealth entrusted to them, such tack hailed as an act of decency in government service proved to be effective as Governor Malanyaon earned much respect and admiration from her people who has given her an overwhelming mandate in the past two elections.

As a genuine steward of the people entrusted to her care, Governor Malanyaon has consistently shown that she is always ready to give her best in fulfillment of her mission to make a real difference in the lives of her people who pin their highest hopes and expectations on her. She make sure that the power and wealth entrusted to her will be used to help especially the poorest of the poor, knowing that someday they will repay such commitment with their own dedication. But she believe that helping the poor through straight-out financial grants and donations is not the best way to earn the people’s trust, goodwill and loyalty but by servicing them through initiatives that really make a real difference in their lives. Thus the provincial government is now training its sights on implementing highly innovative programs that truly promote people empowerment like education, disaster response, environmental protection, health care, among many others.

Since her assumption into office in 2007, the governor is strongly pushing for programs that would engender a culture that embraces change for the better. From equipping each employee of the provincial government to provide exceptional services to the people, to spearheading the campaign to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, passion and mindset, the governor is bent on deeply embedding among her people these desired cultural norms so as to achieve higher output and productivity and contribute to national development.

In pushing for her entrepreneurship program, Governor Malanyaon, a successful businesswoman herself, constantly urge her people to “think big, act bigger” and stressed the need to always push themselves and test their limits in order to achieve big accomplishments. This guiding principle of her has created a transformative impact to the province of Davao Oriental. Her infectious can-do attitude has literally changed the image of a province known for a long time to be the perennial laggard among the provinces of the Davao Region. Long before she assumed the governorship, Davao Oriental always posted a highest rate of malnutrition in Southern Mindanao. Nowadays, the province has become a model in fighting malnutrition. The Department of Health has consecutively conferred the Pag-asa Award to the province “for strengthening and sustaining the functionality of nutrition program… and maintaining the highest reduction in the prevalence rate of malnutrition in the region that led to the improvement of nutritional status among preschool and school children.”

Davao Oriental has also shed its image as the perennial laggard in agricultural productivity to becoming a leader in agricultural production in the region. The Department of Agriculture has conferred the Gawad Saka Awards to the province for posting the highest agricultural production in the region. “From a province once tagged as the lowest in the region in as far as agricultural productivity, we have now established our supremacy in the Davao Region. Ngayon lang ang Davao Oriental naging champion (This is the first time Davao Oriental was declared a champion). It is a source of deep pride for all of us and may it spur us to do better in the future,” says Governor Malanyaon. The Gawad Saka Awards is an annual search for outstanding achievers in agriculture and fisheries that represent various stakeholders of the country like farmers, fisherfolk, farm communities, scientists and organizations.

The governor vows to make farming in the province profitable as she pointed out the fact that the farmers and fisherfolk who are the primary producers of farm and fishery products are themselves poor. She says the provincial government will give priority to projects that would improve farmers’ access to markets like farm-to-market roads that would facilitate movement of their products to the market. She also vows to help make formal credit become more widely accessible to small farmers. She is pushing for Credit Surety Fund, a credit program being crafted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that aims to increase credit flow for the micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.

However, the P256 million irrigation project in the town of Cateel, Davao Oriental is among the biggest achievements of Governor Malanyaon  The big-ticket irrigation project has finally started after the World Bank which bankrolls half of the cost of the irrigation project has issued a “No Objection Letter” paving the way for the start of construction activities that includes the building of a dam and canal structures over a period of two years. The Cateel irrigation project, touted to be one of the biggest irrigation projects in Mindanao, is set to irrigate at least 1,600 hectares of rice fields in that second-class municipality. Governor Malanyaon, herself a native of Cateel town, says that the municipality will now become the rice granary of Davao Oriental.

“This priority project is a valuable investment to develop the rice production potentials of the province. We have a wide rice field capable of producing enough grains. We see that this irrigation system can help us achieve food sufficiency in the province and contribute to the country’s food security,” says Governor Malanyaon. She says it will greatly benefit the local rice farmers and also create other livelihood opportunities. “If there would be enough livelihood, farmers will have sufficient income to sustain their basic needs,” says Governor Malanyaon.

The Cateel irrigation project is a joint investment of the provincial government and the Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA—MRDP). The MRDP is a poverty-alleviation initiative implemented through the Department of Agriculture and it is jointly funded by the World Bank, national government and local government units covering Mindanao’s 26 provinces and 225 municipalities. The program seeks to improve rural incomes and achieve food security through agri-fishery infrastructure, livelihood enterprise and biodiversity conservation projects.

DISASTER RESPONSE

For three consecutive years, the province bagged the Gawad Kalasag Awards for being the most prepared local government unit in the country in terms of disaster management. The award is given by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council which recognizes and rewards civilian and government organizations for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The award recognizes self-help and voluntary efforts to protect high-risk communities against disasters.

The province of Davao Oriental is located in the easternmost part of the Philippines and a huge part of the province faces the Pacific Ocean, making it vulnerable to natural forces like typhoons and the most dreaded tsunami. Also, the province, like much of the country, sits on the Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines spanning the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes frequently occur. In her campaign among the people for them to embrace the “culture of safety,” Governor Malanyaon always remind them that they have no choice but to be always prepared as deadly disasters like earthquake strikes suddenly without any warnings.

Stressing that your margin of survival is equal to your percentage of preparation, Governor Malanyaon says that only when people are properly informed of the risks and hazards of their communities and subject them to a series of disaster drills will they become disciplined and overcome disasters effectively. Drawing lessons from her successful disaster preparedness initiatives and programs, the governor says that the success of reducing and managing disaster impacts also rests with the competent local government and an openness to work in partnership with civil society.

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

A staunch environment advocate who founded the Million Trees Movement, Governor Malanyaon has attributed the success of her forest protection program to the relentless campaign especially among communities living in and near the forest that made people to understand the role forest play for humanity. She put premium in the need to protect and conserve the forest because of its important role, not only in the country, but more so in the integrity and survival of the world. “With a simple understanding on how things work between humans and their environment, people will surely feel a sense of responsibility making them accountable for the environment,” says Governor Malanyaon.

The provincial board of Davao Oriental has passed an ordinance that strictly impose a log ban in the whole province. Long before President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 23 that impose a log ban in the whole country, Governor Malanyaon has already announced the provincial government’s log ban policy. “I have always been against logging whether it is legal or illegal. There is no such thing as totally legal logging. That is my belief,” says Governor Malanyaon.

Davao Oriental is the only province in Mindanao picked to benefit from the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project or ICRMP, a foreign-assisted special project covering provinces and municipalities surrounding marine biodiversity corridors of national and global importance as identified by the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priorities. It is funded primarily from loan proceeds of the Asian Development Bank and co-financed by the Global Environment Facility, the financing arm of ADB on biodiversity conservation initiatives, with counterpart funds from the government of the Philippines. ICRMP is a “ridge to reef” project covering both upland and coastal and marine environments. Only six provinces from the five regions in the whole Philippines have qualified to become beneficiaries of the ICRMP. These are: Cagayan Valley of Region 2; Zambales of Region 3; Masbate of Region 5; Cebu and Siquijor of region 7; and Davao Oriental of Region 11. These provinces were selected for its strategic locations and the status of coastal communities that can potentially benefit from the enhanced management of coastal resources and the willingness of these provinces to support the program. In Davao Oriental, seven of its eleven municipalities are covered by the ICRMP. These are the towns of Tarragona, Manay, Caraga, Baganga, Cateel, Boston and the capital town of Mati.

HEALTH CARE

The Department of Health has lauded Governor Malanyaon for her administration’s successful health care program that saw the expansion of its provincial hospital from 100-bed to its present 200-bed capacity and the acquisition of state-of-the-art medical equipment for the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital. The secretary of the Department of Health Dr. Enrique Ona says the 200-bed capacity Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital, which is the legacy project of Governor Malanyaon, elevates the standard of health care delivery system for public hospitals. Governor Malanyaon says the tertiary, Capitol-run provincial hospital will provide high-quality medical care to the poor patients who cannot afford the services of private hospitals.

“The new Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital is an icon of my leadership’s commitment to the people of the province. It is not only a realization of our development agenda but a statement that things can be done with efficiency and excellence. Collaboratively with my partners in leadership as I am not alone in this, we have addressed our pressing deficiencies. The insufficiency of access to health services, malnutrition and poverty are not as formidable as they seemed now that we have proven we can make things happen,” says the governor.

“We may be overwhelmed by this beautiful structure but this is only a part of our whole perspective for an improved health care system. We will continue to address issues on delivery of social services, continue to expand our preventive health care program that will build up the poor. We dedicate this symbol of hope and love to the people of Davao Oriental and to all who will seek healing refuge,” says the governor who give free health insurance to poor families in the province. At least 40,000 poor families in the province have already benefitted from the provincial government’s Madayaw Health Care Program which gives free PhilHealth insurance to indigent families in the province. Last year, at least 46,000 people benefitted from the medical and dental outreach programs conducted in all barangays of the province. And aside from medical and dental outreach programs in the barangays, Governor Malanyaon is also regularly sponsoring big surgical missions in the province. “The surgical mission is intended for the poor patients who cannot afford the highly prohibitive cost of medicines and medical services of the private hospitals. And I am very thankful that we have lots of kind-hearted and tireless medical doctors who fully support my program because their heart bleeds for the poor patients,” says the governor. During last year’s Halad Surgical Mission here that served at least five hundred indigent patients stricken with various deadly illnesses, Governor Malanyaon has made sure that not one of the patients would shell out even a single centavo for the cost of the surgery.

Davao Oriental has five hospitals located in the municipalities of Cateel, Manay, Lupon,  Governor Generoso and in the City of Mati. Three of these hospitals are primary hospitals and one is a secondary hospital. The tertiary hospital is located in the province’s capital, the City of Mati. All of the five government hospitals here are licensed by the Department of Health and has the accreditation of PhilHealth. The province has eleven Rural Health Units spread in ten towns and one city.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

For the 2,000-strong workers of the provincial government of Davao Oriental, this year’s Christmas celebration is “the best ever” as they are being overwhelmed not only by a fabulous entertainment production during their Christmas party at the sprawling Capitol grounds but also with bonuses that is much higher than last year’s.

The exact amount of the workers’ bonuses was being kept under wrap by Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon and was disclosed only to the pleasantly surprised Capitol employees by the governor herself on the night of December 12 as officials and employees of the provincial government held their Christmas party.

“So speaking of bonus, ngayon ko na ba sasabihin? Sa totoo lang, tuwang-tuwa ako ngayon dahil walang nakakaalam, ako lang ang nakakaalam. So here’s the much awaited announcement. So much that I would like to perhaps double or triple… So for your extra bonus for the rank and file: P13,000 and an additional one half sack of rice. For the casuals, P10,000. For Job Orders who have served ten years and above, P10,000. For those who have served six months and above, P8,000. And for those who have served at least six months, P3,000. Everybody will receive one half sack of rice,” says Governor Malanyaon whose speech was met with thunderous applauses and shouts of joy from among the grateful and joyous Capitol employees.

Capitol workers says they were greatly surprised by the governor’s pronouncement during the Christmas party. “I can’t believe it, she (Governor Malanyaon) almost tripled our Christmas bonuses this year. She is the most generous governor ever,” says one Capitol employee. Nenito Bandigan, president of the Provincial Government Employees Association, says that he and fellow workers were not expecting huge amount of Christmas bonus for this year. “This is the best Christmas celebration ever for the Capitol employees. We are overwhelmed by the governor not only with fabulous entertainment and fine-dining Christmas party but most especially big bonuses. This is really our happiest Christmas ever,” says Bandigan. He noted, however, that only under Governor Malanyaon’s administration that Capitol workers have consecutively received Christmas bonuses.

Bandigan also says that Capitol employees are now excited to benefit from the governor’s housing program in the City of Mati. The provincial government has set aside at least six hectares for the construction of the Provincial Employees Village in Barangay Dahican in Mati. “The Provincial Employee’s Village being strongly supported by the governor will be materialized early next year. And we are all excited for that,” says Bandigan. He also says that staring next year, the Davao Oriental Provincial Employees Credit Cooperative will finally be established that would greatly benefit the Capitol workers. “We see the governor’s sincerity and she has helped us a lot. Her administration is very much different than the previous ones. She truly cares for the welfare of the employees,” adds Bandigan.

Governor Malanyaon says this year’s big Christmas bonus is her way of rewarding the hard work and efficiency of the Capitol employees. She also cited the provincial government’s strong fiscal discipline that enabled her administration to give extra bonuses to the employees.

“This is our fifth year of celebration, celebrating Christmas together. How time fly so fast. Lima na katuig, five years na pala tayong nagsasama. Di na ba kayo nagsasawa? But what have you observe in every year celebration? Ano ang meron palagi? Sa first two years, we have our talents competition per department. And after that, we have our ball at the Capitol grounds for two years. And now, we have this white, white, glittery Christmas. So palaging merong pagbabago. As I said, this is especially created for you to enjoy… It is so great to be together again, to have dinner together, to sing and dance together, to have fun together, and to enjoy the wonderful ambience together especially created for you to translate our common desire and theme for a white, white and glittery Christmas,” says the governor.

“One of the pleasures of the Christmas season is the opportunity to thank all of you for the support you are giving me. Thank you sa tanan natong mga empleyado, opisyal, sa atong mga consultants, salamat sa inyong makanunayong tabang og suporta sa akong administrasyon. We have had our successes, we have our shares of disappointments. We have our highs and we have our lows. But, we share the glories together. We weathered the temporary upsets together. So lagi tayong magkasama, walang iwanan,” says Governor Malanyaon.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

Many more international humanitarian groups have  donated modern equipment and medical supplies to the provincial government-run Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital as they are inspired by the strong determination of the provincial leadership to deliver a quality health care program for the marginalized poor.

The recent donation came from the United States-based international humanitarian groups like World Medical Relief Incorporated, Kiwanis International, Health Equip Foundation USA, Advent Christian General Conference of America, and the Agape Foundation International.

“We are indeed very lucky to be the recipient of these people’s benevolence and generosity. Most of the equipment in our new hospital are donations. I don’t think we can immediately furnish the 200-bed capacity provincial hospital through our own resources, but we are able to get a lot of donations. It takes only some kind of goodwill or letting some people who have the heart to see the situation,” says a grateful Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon.

Early this month, the World Medical Relief Incorporated and the Kiwanis International has donated the following equipment: 40 hospital beds, 61 crutches, 31 walkers, 12 wheel chairs, 36 hospital mattresses, 10 I.V. poles, 4 examination tables, 2 surgical instruments and 2 dental chairs. A few years ago, the same groups has donated medical supplies like cardiac monitors, needles, syringes and medical equipment such as wheel chairs, surgical instruments, dental chairs, nebulizers, syringe pumps, suction machines, defibrillator, hypothermia machines, sleep amnea machines, ultrasound machines, physician’s chairs, copier machine, operating room sink, ICU beds, digital thermometer, blood pressure monitors, hospital beds, crutches, walkers, canes, hospital mattresses, dialysis machines and two anesthesia machines.

The other international humanitarian groups Health Equip Foundation USA, Advent Christian General Conference of America, and the Agape Foundation International have also donated a brand new set of incubator for the Davao Oriental Provincial Hospital. “We are so pleased to be able to serve the Lord  and share with you the blessings that He has given us. And we are hoping that many lives will be saved and changed especially of young children who may grow up as leaders,” Janice Lee Hendrickson of the Advent Christian General Conference of the United States. Rowena Cabrizos of the Agape Foundation International says they are greatly inspired by the governor’s efforts to give top priority to health care program for the poor. The World Medical Relief, whose professed mission is to “serving the sick and poor locally, nationally and internationally” says they will continue to extend their all-out support to the governor’s meaningful health care programs.

The donors specifically cited the governor’s outstanding health care programs and projects among them the newly built 200-bed capacity Davao Oriental provincial hospital, the distribution of free PhilHealth insurance to at least 40,000 poor families in the province, the purchase of adequate supply of medicines for the government-run hospitals in the province and the hiring of more doctors and nurses.

The Department of Health is also donating at least P35 million cash assistance to the province of Davao Oriental to help upgrade its local government-run health facilities like the provincial and district hospitals including the rural health units. Governor Malanyaon says the P35 million DOH donation to the province is a big boost to her administration’s flagship health program. “We are going to use the funds for the purpose for which the donation or assistance is intended. I would like to believe that the Department of Health was inspired to help us because we had taken a lot of initiatives as far as construction of hospitals as well as health concerns,” says Gov. Malanyaon during her speech at the turnover ceremony.

Earlier, American doctors of the Kiwanis Club of Cosmopolitan Detroit, Michigan, successfully conducted a medical mission in the province in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club of Davao and Henry Ford hospital.

Spearheaded by Van S. Ong, manager of Henry Ford Hospital and also a distinguished official of Kiwanis Club, the US medical experts, aside from holding medical missions in the province also went to far-flung communties in the Davao Region to donate hospital equipment and medical supplies.

Eleonor Madiclum, assistant secretary of Kiwanis Club of Davao City and immediate past division secretary said that Van S. Ong and the group of American medical experts have been regularly doing the medical missions together with his (Ong’s) brothers and sisters.

“My dream for the people of Davao is to bring a mobile operating room so we can bring the services to the people in remote areas. Inside the mobile van we can do minor operations for the barangay people in remote barrios,” Ong told the local media earlier. “I would like to share my bounty to the poor people of Davao. It reminded me of how I grew up here in Davao. We were nothing but we were successful because my mother believes in good education and kahit na wala kaming pera, sa Ateneo at Womens kami pinagsisikapang paaralin ng aming mga magulang. Laging nangungutang ang mga magulang namin. I thought for one moment that the payment for tuition at that time was a promisory note. We are ten brothers and sisters, but we survived. And now, seven of my sisters are in Chicago, one in San Francisco, me and my brother in Michigan. I’m a native of Davao, I know the needs of my constituents and I want to serve the people with free clinics, medical missions and free services,” adds Ong.

By Ferdinand Zuasola -

Unmindful of a back-breaking, long-haul trip, a pack of so-called young eco-tourists from the highly urbanized Davao City recently trooped to the municipality of Baganga in Davao Oriental as they said they are “so captivated” by the town’s fantastic ecotourism destinations ranging from the highland’s prestine waterfalls, caves, rivers and lakes to a long stretch of powdery white sand beaches that remain unknown but definitely far more beautiful than the famous beaches of Boracay and Bohol.

But what recently struck the young adventurers who have been frequenting the “prized” ecotourism destinations of Davao Oriental is the locals’ “sudden change of attitude” toward protecting these tourist spots where they also live and source their livelihoods. Now fully aware that the unabated influx of tourists in their communities would cause ecological imbalance that would lead to destruction of their vast resources and, yes, their lives, the locals are closing ranks to strictly but reasonably protect these ecotourism destinations.

“On our way to the beach in Baganga, Davao Oriental, we were stopped by a young boy. He sternly told us that we can no longer use the beach because it is already declared a marine protected area. I was amazed that there is now a growing number of people in that province actively involving themselves in environment protection efforts,” says Marc Anthony Onez, himself a staunch environment advocate from Davao City.

Facing the Pacific Ocean, this easternmost coastal province that is blessed with the earliest sunrise of the Philippines constantly experience “natural forces” that have instilled fear of the sea among its people. Consequently, the people do not value the sea or want to care for it because for them, home is land, and the sea, even as it is a source of food, is being viewed as a threat to home and family. Over many years, people took what they could out of the sea in the fastest way they knew how, using destructive fishing methods, intent only on getting home safely.

But when the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP) was introduced to seven municipalities of Davao Oriental, the residents’ perception of the sea have started to change significantly as they realized that a polluted and depleted sea is detrimental to all life. Maria Shea Bitaloc who works for the ICRMP says their program is now “creating a massive impact to the people of Davao Oriental. It has greatly changed the mindset of the people in the province as they are now strongly closing their ranks to protect the environment. With the new mindset, they are now determined to protect their vast natural resources at all costs because it is where they live and source their livelihood.”

The ICRMP is a foreign-assisted special project covering provinces and municipalities surrounding marine biodiversity corridors of national and global importance as identified by the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priorities. It is funded primarily from loan proceeds of the Asian Development Bank and co-financed by the Global Environment Facility, the financing arm of ADB on biodiversity conservation initiatives, with counterpart funds from the government of the Philippines. ICRMP is a “ridge to reef” project covering both upland and coastal and marine environments.

“Life is diverse but inter-connected. From the mountaintops to coral reefs, different species live, survive, and sustain each other, including people. But the chain of life is continuous: what happens to life above will affect the life below. Denuded hills, growing cities, and dirty rivers can bring all manner of pollution to the sea, resulting in reduced fish population, lesser catch for fisher folks, smaller livelihoods for coastal communities. And a polluted and depleted sea is detrimental to all life — people and their industries, economies and leisure,” says one of the resource persons of the ICRMP who spoke to a group of fishermen here clearly clarifying their important role in biodiversity conservation. Davao Oriental is the only province in Mindanao selected to benefit from the ICRMP.

“Between the mountain and the sea are the coastal zones where communities live and source their livelihood. The more we use the same amount of resources, the lesser benefits we derive, and shortage and an increasing imbalance happen. The wide range of resources available from coastal zones — ecosystems interlinked with the larger environment and biodiversity — is in danger of being lost if we do not use such resources wisely. Worsening the threat is when those in authority do not manage the resources responsibly. To address this situation of threat and imbalance, an integrated approach, the Integrated Coastal Management or ICM is necessary,” adds the ICRMP resource person who held a series of dialogues among residents of coastal communities in the province.

The Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) is the strategy and mechanism designed to address the complex issue of coastal zones management. This includes protecting and sustainable use of the marine environment and conserving the biodiversity in concert with social goals for the communities. ICM takes into consideration the living chain of resources from the mountain to the sea, from ridge to reef.

This integrated approach takes into account the variety of needs arising from the multiple use of the coastal and marine environment, biodiversity protection and sustainable use. At the same time, it involves all stakeholders including the government, non-government organizations, different economic sectors and local communities to participate and benefit.

ICM is a process of responsible governance that provides the legal and institutional framework — the laws and government instrumentalities — to ensure that development and management plans for coastal zones are integrated with environmental and social goals, and are developed with the participation of those affected.

ICM seeks to maximize benefits provided by the coastal zone to people and the coastal communities and minimize conflicts and harmful effects of coastal activities on social, cultural and environmental resources.

To implement the ICM approach, the Philippine government, through a loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank and a grant from the Global Environment Facility, is implementing Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project. In line with the Philippine government’s medium-term development objectives and ADB’s medium-term operational strategy, the ICRMP focuses on the following goals: poverty reduction, natural resource and biodiversity conservation, and environment protection.

The project covering the five regions in the Philippines has a total base cost of $53.32 million (approximately P2.4 billion) distributed as follows in accordance with the financing source:

Asian Development Bank     =  54 percent

Global Environment Facility =  14.4 percent

National government            =  14 percent

Local government and beneficiaries = 17.4 percent

ICRMP seeks to enhance coastal resources and reduce poverty among municipal fisherfolks. It wants sustainable management of coastal resources and aims to increase by ten percent the income of coastal communities.

Only six provinces from the five regions in the whole Philippines have qualified to become beneficiaries of the ICRMP. These are: Cagayan Valley of Region 2; Zambales of Region 3; Masbate of Region 5; Cebu and Siquijor of region 7; and Davao Oriental of Region 11. These provinces were selected for its strategic locations and the status of coastal communities that can potentially benefit from the enhanced management of coastal resources and the willingness of these provinces to support the program. In Davao Oriental, seven of its eleven municipalities are covered by the ICRMP. These are the towns of Tarragona, Manay, Caraga, Baganga, Cateel, Boston and the capital town of Mati.

The project is designed to be implemented over a six-year period, starting in June 2007 and ending in June 2013. In Davao Oriental, the project was officially launched in February 8, 2008. ICRMP has four components, these are:

1.Policy and institutional  strengthening and development.

2. Biodiversity conservation.

3. Enterprise development and income diversification

4. Social and environmental services and facilities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

On policy and institutional strengthening and development, the ICRMP has provided technical assistance in the formulation of Provincial Environment Code of Davao Oriental. On biodiversity conservation, a massive information, education and communication campaign are being regularly conducted in the 53 villages of seven municipalities here. The ICRMP has already spent P54.5 million for the rehabilitation of the targeted 3,344 hectares of watershed and mangroves in the province. It has also helped in the establishment and management of nine Marine Protected Areas in the province. And just recently, a two million-peso Regional ICRM Center was inaugurated in the province’s capital, the City of Mati. Moreover, the project proposals of at least four municipalities here have already been approved for funding by the Asian Development Bank. These are the P23.3 million municipal water system in the town of Boston; P29 million riverbank stabilization in the town of Manay; P21 million municipal drainage system in Cateel town; and the P9 million Visitor Information Center.

PROTECTED AREAS

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Davao Oriental is one of the three “extremely high biodiversity areas” in the Philippines. The other two areas are Palawan and the Northern Sierra Madre. The province is part of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor, an area endowed with rich natural resources.

There are now five National Integrated Protection Areas System or NIPAS in Davao Oriental. These are the Mount Hamiguitan Range and Wildlife Sanctuary in the towns of Mati, San Isidro and Governor Generoso; Baganga Bay Protected Landscape in the municipality of Baganga; Baganga Protected Landscape; Pujada Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape in the capital town of Mati; Mati Protected Landscape; and the Aliwagwag Protected Area in the town of Cateel.

The Mount Hamiguitan Range and Wildlife Sanctuary is now Davao Oriental’s flagship eco-tourism destination as it is set to be inscribed soon in the highly prestigious World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO

One more area in the province is set to be declared a NIPAS area, the San Isidro Protected Landscape and Seascape in the municipality of San Isidro. Based on official records, Davao Oriental has largest NIPAS area covering 778 square kilometers which is 43 percent of the total NIPAS of the Davao Region.

The 7,000-hectare Philippine Eagle Sanctuary in the capital town of Mati is the first forest area in the Philippines set aside for the conservation of a threatened raptor species. Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon, a staunch environment advocate, continue to push for her Million Trees Movement, telling her constituents: “We are only stewards of our natural resources, and we are accountable to the future generation if we continue to destroy our environment.” The governor strongly believes that in order to execute a successful undertaking in forest and coastal management, communities living in and near the forest and coastal areas must first understand the role forest and the sea play to their lives and to the whole world. “With a simple understanding on how things work between humans and their environment, people will surely feel a sense of responsibility making them accountable for the environment,” says Governor Malanyaon.