One morning in Manay’s remote barangay Taocanga last December, villagers woke up to see a strange site that put their village in the spotlight for once.
In front of them, a caravan of vehicles has arrived unannounced. In no time at all, representatives from 43 national agencies and provincial offices emerged from the vehicles and engaged the residents in a wide-ranging ‘consultation’ that was to last the whole day.
Leading the way was Davao Oriental governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang himself who made sure representatives of the armed forces, the Philippine National Police and several NGOs were also there to speak their piece and to share their expertise.
As it turned out, it was no consultation per se but the unveiling of services in the manner of a ‘one stop shop’ by the line agencies right at the residents’ doorstep.
The Department of Agriculture distributed seeds, fingerlings and farming equipment. The Department of Agrarian Reform and several lawyers from the public attorney’s office addressed the issue of land and property conflicts and the acquisition of land titles. The Department of Education distributed food packs.
The Philippine army cooked rice porridge or lugaw. The Philippine National Police distributed medicine.
Medical doctors performed minor surgeries, examined residents and provided prescriptions as well as advices.
The Department of Health stressed the need for residents to observe hygiene and sanitation. Individual households were told to put up their own toilets even as barangay officials were instructed to make sure every body complied.
Representatives from the engineering office examined the existing water system and came up with their recommendation.
Similarly, issues connected to the road access were evaluated and reported to the provincial governor.
The Department of Labor and Employment discussed livelihood programs and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority invited the youth to avail themselves of the short courses it has to offer such as carpentry, masonry, basic electrical course and automotive to name a few.
The Land Transportation Office dwelt on the advantages for motor and vehicle drivers to acquire licenses and how to acquire them.
The Philippine Army and the PNP tackled the issue of peace and order. The Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Process discussed the ongoing peace talks between the government and the various armed groups.
The list could go on.
And what initially shaped up as a purely government undertaking, turned out as a community undertaking as the various NGOs and organizations like the Guardians and the Nagkahiusang Lingkod Bayan ng Davao Oriental came out in full force.
Dayanghirang said the community’s reaction was one of relief and happiness as the caravan provided the answers and solutions to their concerns on the spot. More importantly, it saved the residents valuable time and expenses that could have been spent in travelling to the capital to transact business.
But most telling of all, the caravan has breached the barrier separating villagers and those in governance.
Dayanghirang said that if anything, the caravan had shown that there is no need in “killing each other” if the root cause of insurgency such as lack of development and lack of services in the countryside is addressed.
“Hence, whether we like it or not, it is our responsibility in government to serve the people,” he said.
The Davao Oriental governor said that by uplifting the economy, by cutting down on poverty and by improving the condition of the rural areas, the government will be able to render irrelevant the attraction of insurgency.
“That is the bottom-line,” he said as he expressed confidence that serbisyo caravan will be further strengthened and replicated in other areas as a catalyst in bringing government closer to the people
