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Governor, Province of Sarangani
25 October 2004
Vice-governor Bridget Chiongbian-Huang, Boardmembers,
Municipal Mayors, Vice Mayors, Representatives from National
Government Agencies, friends from the Media, fellow capitol
employees, friends, ug hilabi na sa akong mga igsoong Sarangan:
Maayong Buntag sa inyong Tanan.
Ang Pagbag-o sa probinsya sa Sarangani was an overwhelming victory
for our party in the May 10 elections of this year. It clearly
echoed our people’s cry for change in the way government
was being run by the former administration. It was a call to
change our attitudes about governance, and accountability, and
actually transforming the Capitol into a more service-driven
organization.
Nahimo kong Governador sa saad nga Pagbag-o,
Paglaum ug Paglambo. Ug sa akong inaugural speech kaniadtong
June 30 ning tuiga, nagsa-ad ko ug nga mag-focus sa edukasyon,
maayong panglawas, imprastraktura ug negosyo aron makab-ot ang
kalambuan. Dili nako pakyason ang akong mga sa-ad. Over the
past 117 days and nights working in the Capitol, I had the opportunity
to lay a strong foundation that will propel the province forward
in the next two and a half years. The continuing consultations
with you Sarangans that I have been doing since election time
also provided me with the necessary insights on what needs to
be done to improve the delivery of basic services and bring
about development. Hatagi ko ug higayon aron mapapahibalo nako
ang mga importanteng butang sa inyong bag-ong administrasyon.
First of all, I believed that change had to begin from within
the Capitol --- to transform it into the organization fully
and solely committed to uplifting the plight of our people and
bringing development at the quickest possible pace. The creation
of the Transition Task Force for the first 100 days in office
provided me with the necessary tools for the provincial government
to quickly set the Capitol on the right track.
Significant savings were generated in the first
60 days of our administration which enabled us to give priority
to the requirements of the seven municipalities. As a result,
many high-impact projects --- like those under the Kalahi-CIDDS,
GEM, and DOE --- that had been left hanging were completed or
are finally operational. We were also able to provide direction
and set policy directions to existing programs such as the MADARIS
and the newly launched Indigenous Development Program for our
IPs.
The savings also gave the Provincial Engineering
Office (PEO) an additional 33% operationalization of heavy equipment
since this new administration took over. This development improved
our productivity and has allowed us to respond more readily
to emergency situations. Usa ka dakong ehemplo niini mao ang
dali nga pag-ayo sa tulay sa Small Margus. The PEO, DPWH, and
the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO)
and the municipal governments of Glan and Malapatan, as well
as the Sanguniang Panlalawigan, all combined resources to repair
the damaged bridge in Small Margus in a week’s
time when the responsibility to repair the bridge
lies with the National Government.
Dili gayud ako makatugot nga mabalda ang paghatag
sa mga nag-unang serbisyo kong makakuha man lang kita ug resources
aron motubag ang atong problema pinaagi sa pagtinabangay. On
the other hand, many of what we have done so far couldn't have
been achieved without the help of many organizations, including
the national government. On that end, I would like to assure
you that I do my best to allow time to maintain linkages with
the main offices of the different organizations and government
agencies in Manila and their local headquarters to assure that
basic services are provided and that the needs of the Sarangans
are attended to immediately.
Sumala akong gisaad, akong gidunar ang akong unang suweldo isip
Gobernador sa Probinsiya ngadto sa Alabel Science High School.
We continue to work with the Department of Education and non-governmental
organizations for the improvement of education in the province,
providing support in the construction of school buildings, even
teacher trainings and the requirements of the students. Ug pinaka-importante
nako nga ipahibalo mao ang pag-alokar ug lima ka milyon ka pesos
nga scholarship programs sa high school ug kolehiyo sa sunod
na tuig.
The provincial government bagged a grant from the Development
Bank of the Philippines for a study on the provincial health
care program with primary focus on improving disease-prevention
in the barangay-level.
Aside from this, the provincial government has
allocated funds to augment the financial requirement of all
Sarangans in three hospitals in Gen. Santos City, namely: the
hospitals of Diagan, Baptist, and the Emergency City Hospital,
Gen. Santos. This fund will be increased from P5M to P10M to
substantiate the province’s intention to put its people
above everything else.
Malipayon usab akong i-report nga human sa upat
ka tuig sukad nga gisugdan ang konstruksiyon, ang Malungon District
Hospital na inagurahan na kaniadtong milabay nga semana ug magamit
na karon. We completed the repair and re-building of the hospital
in just 30 days.
For me, responding to infrastructure requirements of the province
ranks second to speedy delivery of basic services. I am happy
to report that the DPWH will soon finish the NAGPAN to AMPON
bridge that has been under construction for the past 5 years.
The department will have this bridge passable by the end of
next month to make way for the road that will connect Bgy. Alegria,
Alabel to Tamban, Malungon. This Alegria-Tamban road, in turn,
will open up the interior of Alabel to Malungon and vice versa
which would ensure that crops are delivered more efficiently
at less cost to the farmer.
Bridges in connecting Talus to Kawayan and Banate
to Kinabalan in Malungon will also be constructed in only 6
months time beginning today. I’d like to commend the Provincial
Engineering Office and the DPWH for their persistency in ensuring
that these projects are completed and serviceable to the benefit
of our farmers, ug atong mga mag-uuma.
The province in its first 100 days was able to bag what I call
the biggest agricultural grant in the history of Sarangani.
This is a package worth P1.1B from the Italian government, DAR
and the province in creating a Farmers’ Center in Bgy.
Datal Tampal, Malandag, Malungon that involves the delivery
of 44 farm tractors, 24 silo dryers and various infrastructure
investments that will further enhance Malandag’s production
area into a center of high value crop production.
Ang agrikultura maoy modula sa “vital
role” sa kalambuan sa atong probinsiya. The Provincial
Agriculturist’s office has been tasked to change its mindset
from being production-driven to a more market-driven organization
that will strengthen its links with the private sector and financing
institutions that will provide the necessary assistance and
information on the crops that are being demanded by the market.
The entry of Dole Philippines in the mountain
ranges of Maasim is the first step in opening up the province’s
rich and abundant mountain ranges. The experience of the entry
of this company is a case-study for all of us government workers
to learn from. The support that the LGU of Maasim and its community
had given to the investor in terms of infrastructure is the
type of message we want to send to the business community. We
in Sarangani are hungry for investments! Today, what was once
an NPA area that had been left unutilized is now a sight to
see for everybody. Today, many of our brother B’laans
are learning to be entrepreneurs under the growership program
of this company.
Soon, Alabel will follow as being the next center
of agriculture investment with the entry of Davao Sugar Central
(DASUCECO). A huge investment potential at 10,000 hectares of
sugarcane, the LGU of Alabel together with the Investments office
of the province have aggressively been assisting in the requirements
of DASUSECO. I had even provided the use of my plane for free
for them to survey the areas of the province.
Kini ang maayong senyales nga atong ipadala
sa business sector. This kind of attitude I expect not only
from my provincial employees but as well as the 7 municipalities
of the province, especially when the Sabah Ministers and potential
investors from the BIMP-EAGA visit Sarangani before the year
ends as a result of the trip that we made in August.
I went to KK, or Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia in
August to present investment opportunities in our province to
businessmen and government officials in the BIMP-EAGA. That
trip was indeed an eye-opener for me.
Prior to the creation of the BIMP-EAGA, Sabah was similar to
Mindanao in terms of slow economic activity and lack of attention
from the central governments. Things started to pick up when
the province started to assert its development agenda, using
the concept of the BIMP-EAGA as leverage. When I visited in
1998, I would say that Kota Kinabalu had picked up: new and
numerous infrastructure were visibly sprouting, and there was
a healthy traffic of goods and people. Last month, some of the
Boardmembers, Mayor Yabes, and I were very impressed to see
Kota Kinabalu has turned into a bustling city and host to a
world-class university with the most modern of facilities. Sabah
at this point would not be BIMP-EAGA's center of activity if
not for the province's single-minded pursuit of its goals, and
I wish for us to have the same determination to pursue our development
plans.
Even before I took my oath of office on June 30, heavy rains
caused Glan and Maasim to flood. I soon took up the task of
responding to the victims of the calamities, calling on the
Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) for
help even if I hadn’t been official sworn-in yet. Through
teamwork among our employees from the offices in the Region,
province and municipalities, rehabilitation soon started and
immediate assistance was granted to the victims. Over a thousand
sacks of rice have been distributed to the municipalities of
Glan and Maasim. An initial 200 (out of 500) sacks of corn seeds
have also been delivered to Glan. The engineering department,
through the support of our SP members, also readily responded
by immediately attending to damaged roads. We also attended
to the resettlement of affected families in Mabay, Maitum, and
Glan.
In reaction to the calamities brought about
by the flashfloods, a heightened awareness towards conservation
of the environment has brought about co-management agreements
between the DENR and the different municipalities like Glan,
Kiamba, and Maasim. This hopefully will foster a better relationship
in terms of ensuring protection for the environment.
The province, through the Department of Agriculture
(DA), was also a recipient of a 1.7M patrol boat that arrived
shortly after assuming office. This shall ensure that the Fisheries
Code is properly implemented to ensure sustainability of our
marine resources and that the future generations will have fish
to catch as well as provide security patrol in our provincial
waters. In fact, BFAR has very recently given us an award for
our conservation efforts only last Saturday.
We have also partially addressed the issue of security in our
province both in land and at sea. Efforts by the PNP and 601st
brigade, and the LGU of Malungon, resulted in the neutralization
of key bandit leaders in the mountain barangays of Malungon
which has resulted in less incidents of cattle and carabao rustling
or matawag nato nga bandido.
For Maritime security, I have brought in the
Navy to establish a permanent presence of a gunboat in the waters
of Glan as well as the setting up of a radar facility in Batulaki
to ensure that the waters covering the province are monitored
against pirates or what we call kadtong mga ambakpare
Ang maayong kalambuan sa atong pang-gobyerno mao ang pagkab-ot
nato sa kredibilidad nga tibuok probinsiya maoy makabenepisyo.
Take for example the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program
which formerly had only a handful of projects scattered throughout
the province, and which dealt directly with municipalities.
The GEM program today has committed to finance and implement
42 projects in the province to include infrastructure, investments
in education (satellites, computers), as well as livelihood
assistance that will be implemented from 2004 to 2005
Last week, my office hosted a forum between the Provincial
Government and members of the Civil Society in Sarangani. In
that forum, I invited civil society to be my partner in pursuing
Unity, Progress and Good Governance. Nalipay ko ug dako nga
ang Civil Society naghimo ug partnership kanato aron makab-ot
nato ang kalambuan. As a result of the forum, together we will
pursue a project to study the poverty situation in the province
and update our Poverty Map. The study once completed will guide
us where and how to maximize our efforts in order to alleviate
poverty and create livelihood and jobs for the poorest Sarangans
I’d also like to announce that a tuna canning plant will
be put up in Alabel, particularly in Kawas.
Nagkinahanglan ako kaninyo Sarangan trabahu-on
ang kalambuan, ang dugang kooperasyon partikular arong akong
ipadayon ang pagtuman sa inyong gipahimo kanako --- to change
the way things are being run in the province, to change our
attitudes about governance and accountability to the people.
Sa mga igsoong Sarangan, nia na kanato ang paghimo
sa mga lisod nga tahas. Ipadaplin nato ang politika ug ubani
ko ninyo sa krusada aron ibalik ang dignidad sa serbisyo sa
gobyerno ug tinuod nga pag-alagad sa katawhan. We have come
this far, we still have a long way to go, but I know that we
can hurdle the challenges we face. We only have
to stay and work on our goals together AS A TEAM so we make
progress little by little, one day at a time. Backed with good
and honest governance, I promise you, Sarangani will be unstoppable.
Ito po si Migs Dominguez, ang inyong Gobernador.
Daghang salamat ug maayong buntag sa inyong
tanan.
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