The leader who first brought worldwide prestige to this eastern seaboard province that is blessed with the earliest rays of the sun in the country is coming back to the Capitol unopposed.
And her Day One in office was marked by a powerful speech as she lifted a powerful line from a popular song in the 90’s titled One Moment in Time, a song by Whitney Houston.
“’Give me one moment in time when I’m racing with destiny. Then in that one moment of time, I will feel eternity. You’re a winner for a lifetime if you seize that one moment in time. Make it shine!’ These lines will continue to resonate to me the message of taking hold of this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people I love and savor the joy that it brings for the rest of my life,” says the newly installed Governor of Davao Oriental Corazon Malanyaon during her inaugural speech on July 1, the 55th founding anniversary of the province.
Malanyaon, who was first elected Governor of Davao Oriental in 2007 up to 2016, was the first leader in the province who brought Davao Oriental to world tourism map as she had succeeded in her earnest bid to have the province’s crown jewel, the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, inscribed in the UNESCO’s highly prestigious World Heritage List.
Such a feat makes Davao Oriental an instant premiere ecotourism destination in the country as the mountain range enjoys the unique distinction of being the first and only World Heritage Site in Mindanao.
“I consider this moment as a beginning of a God-given destiny which I did not imagine would happen again in my lifetime after having served you as a former governor for three consecutive terms,” says Governor Malanyaon who was clad in immaculate white terno during her inauguration at the Davao Oriental Capitol in the City of Mati.
“My guiding principle is to spend judiciously. By that, I mean spending for what is more important, kung unsa ang mas importante; what is more relevant, kung unsa ang mas magamit og gikinahanglan; what benefits the greater number of people, unsa ang makatabang sa kadaghanan; and what will bring the biggest impact for the common good, og unsa ang makahatag og mas daghang kaayuhan sa tibook katawhan. We are taking off from a poverty incidence rate of 32.7 percent in 2021, the second highest among the five provinces in Davao Region. Which means that for every 1,000 people in the province, 327 live below the poverty threshold. Thus, we need to spend within our means. Apan bisan pa niini, dili nato ihikaw ang mga nag-unang panginahanglan sa atong katawhan nga bisan taliwala sa ilang kawad-on, naa gihapon silay panggamhanan nga kanunay nilang madaganan,” says the governor.
ADRESSING THE CHALLENGES
The governor said she will streamline and professionalize the Capitol bureaucracy by making it “lean and mean” organization, free from corruption and run by competent professionals “capable of serving with compassion” and give timely, appropriate and effective response and service to the people.
Malanyaon said she will pursue convergence of services among local government units, national government agencies, people’s organizations and civil society. “We need to put our acts together. We will interface with the LGUs, national agencies and private sector to align our common goals and objectives and set a clear development direction. Kinahanglan natong pakusgon ang pakiglambigit sa mga kauban sa panerbisyo. Lakip na niini ang mga LGUs, ang national agencies og mga pribadong sector kung diin makapa-ambit ang matag-usa sa ilang pondo og katakus pinaagi sa mga nagkadaiyang programa og proyekto alang sa hiniusang pagpalambo sa atong probinsya,” the governor adds.
Malanyaon said that aside from opening new roads, she will rehabilitate and improve roads in the villages leading to main towns and market centers. She also vowed to provide clean potable water systems especially among depressed villages in the province. She also promised to energize the villages by tapping other sources of electricity like solar energy.
By pushing for a sound public health program, the governor vowed to improve the services of the Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center, including the district hospitals in the towns of Lupon, Manay, Cateel and Governor Generoso. “These hospitals should be able to provide appropriate and adequate services and treat patients and co-workers with respect and courtesy. We will have to ensure that medicines and other hospital provisions are made available,” says the governor.
Malanyaon also vowed to strengthen the provincial government’s disaster response programs, education and livelihood. On food security, she vowed to revive her flagship Pagkain at Kita program which enabled the province to achieve 85 percent rice sufficiency during her previous term. “We need to rationalize our agriculture sector which is the major contributor to the province’s economy. We cannot help but anticipate a food crisis for lack of food supply especially rice in light of Vietnam and Thailand’s plan to regulate, if not totally prohibit, rice exports. We will adopt a market-driven approach in the selection and production of major crops and livestock. We shall only produce what the market can absorb,” says Malanyaon.
On fishery, the governor vows to attract more investments in deep-sea fishing, tuna processing, canning and ice plants. Davao Oriental has the longest coast line in the country and is host to the so-called “tuna highway,” which is a rich fishing ground.
On tourism, the governor said she would rehabilitate and upgrade all of the Capitol-run eco-parks, museums and tourism sites in the province as she encouraged the municipal and city local governments and private individuals to build their own town and family museums as additional attractions. “More importantly, we have to preserve and secure Mount Hamiguitan area from encroachment being Davao Oreintal’s pride and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mindanao,” said Governor Malanyaon.
PRAISING THE “PEACE-MAKER” PREDECESSOR
On peace and development efforts, Governor Malanyaon vowed to continue the successful peace and development initiatives of her predecessor, former governor now First District Rep. Nelson Dayanghirang. “Davao Oriental was declared by the Philippine Army during my incumbency, specifically on April 13, 2013, as development-ready province, the first in the region. I am happy Governor Dayanghirang aggressively pursued these during his term. We shall sustain the gains of our efforts in line with peace and order by engaging all peace stakeholders in the implementation of our development programs. Together with the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police and other national line agencies who have been collaborating in the provision of comprehensive government services to conflict-affected areas and far-flung barangays, we will continue reaching out to these barangays and provide programs and services,” says Governor Malanyaon.
On revenue generation, the governor vows a stricter collection of taxes as she is eyeing on two major sources of revenues in the province: taxes on real property and extraction of mineral resources.
“Reality check: our development roadmap, apparently, will require financial and other resources. Hence, we need to seriously collect taxes. We will intensify collection of real property taxes. We will undertake all measures possible to collect every centavo of the extraction and permit fees on sand and gravel, aggregates, stones and ores sourced everywhere in the province, and which tax collection will be shared with the barangays, municipalities and city. These are the only two major sources of revenue for the province, thus extensive collection should be enforced,” says Governor Malanyaon.
By Ferdinand Zuasola | Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan, Mark Oliver Alvite
