by Noel Baguio
Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario’s fourth state of the province address (SOPA) during the 11th regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last March 21 was attended by hundreds of local and national government officials and employees, members of civil society, and other sectors.
The audience greeted with resounding applause his statement that his SOPA was his personal report to his ‘boss’ — the Dabaonons.
In his address, the governor bared the tremendous accomplishments of his previous administration’s RDR WHEELS program, which paved the way for the great headstart of his new human-centered development strategy P.E.O.P.L.E, which stands for People empowerment, Education, Optimum health and social services, Public-private partnership, Link to the world, and, Employment and livelihood opportunities.
Del Rosario bannered the over-all high performance rating of the province in the annual Local Governance Performance Management Systems (LGPMS) released by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
He said Davao del Norte earned high ratings in LGPMS, particularly in terms of administrative, economic, and environmental governance. The province earned a combined income of P805.4 million last year, which is 5.7% higher than the 2009 level. This fueled the commitment of his administration in promoting the public’s general welfare.
The governor harped on the completion of the No Barangays Left Behind (NOBLE) program, which allocated P1 million per barangay in the last three years.
To mitigate the impact of the global crisis in 2008, the province came up with a stimulus package in the amount of P235 million to shore up the local economy.
The fund went to the construction of 127 public buildings worth P68 million; 90 community water systems valed at P55 million; 38 farm-to-market road and spillway installations (P39 million); 47 rural electrification projects (P28 million), and various infra projects for a combined cost of P46 million.
The province also secured external funding from regional and national sources for its “No Dead-end Roads in the Barangay” program, in the amount of P50 million.
As a result of the NOBLE Program and other local pump-priming strategies, overall the provincial government significantly increased the total road length in the province from 3,200 kilometers in 2006, to 4,200 kms in 2010, including the number of bridges from merely 53 in 2004 to 156 last year.
All barangays were also energized while 93 percent of Dabaonon households already have access to potable water from the 90 community water systems implemented since 2007.
However, in spite of all these accomplishments, the governor believes there is not enough infrastructure projects for total developmrnt of communities, hence, the current implementation of the P.E.O.P.L.E. development strategy that seeks to advance human development, people empowerment, and public-private partnership in preparing the Dabaonons for globalization.
For its infrastructure projects this year, del Rosario said the province is banking on the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) 2 to approve the proposed 50 agri-related projects worth P523.3-million.
Seventy new classrooms will also be constructed in the province in partnership with the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) and the Department of Education.
The governor has only recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health for its P52-million health facility enhancement program.
After realizing the Kapalong-Talaingod-Bukidnon “dream highway”, del Rosario said he will pursue the plan to connect Brgy. Florida, Kapalong to Loreto, Agusan del Sur. He will likewise push for provincial sea lanes by putting up a roll on, roll off (ro-ro) facility either in Panabo City, Carmen, or Tagum City to connect with the Island Garden City of Samal.
The governor said he will continue the construction of the re-designed provincial sports complex, which would operate as an income-generating economic enterprise.
He will use his influence as president of the Confederation of Local Chief Executives in Mindanao (Confed) “to bring our development concerns to a higher arena of decision-making.”
For his part, Vice Gov. Victorio Suaybaguio, who presided over the SP session, pledged the all-out support and commitment of the Provincial Board, particularly in providing the much-needed legislative support to all the programs, projects and activities of the provincial government.
Del Rosario delivered his speech in such a comprehendible and no-nonsense manner, at times adding some witty remarks in order to break the monotony. It was occasionally interposed with several rounds of applause and was briefly interrupted when he needed a drink midway into his speech.
Eight of the 11 town mayors were at the SOPA, including Joseph Nilo Parenas of Asuncion, Lolita Moral of B.E. Dujali, Marcelino Perandos of Carmen, Nestor Alcoran of New Corella, Jose Silvosa of Panabo City, Rose Bella Nana of San Isidro, Maximo Estela of Sto. Tomas and Rey Uy of Tagum City.
The occasion also served as a reunion of sorts of political leaders in the province, like former governor Gelacio Gementiza, former congressman Baltazar Satur and former vice governor Pedro San Jose.
After the session, del Rosario and Suaybaguio led the unveiling of the first SP gallery where portraits of the provincial officials greet visitors as they enter the SP building.
