“Let’s bring our province to our desired destination,” – Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang“

DAVAO ORIENTAL – As the Province of Davao Oriental takes off to further development, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang urged Capitol heads and employees to join him onboard in a journey towards a world-class Davao Oriental.

Donning a pilot’s uniform during the “Christmas Around the World” themed Christmas Party on Friday, December 14, Governor Dayanghirang said this year’s theme coincides with the ambitious goal of the province to soar to new heights.

“As the ‘pilot’ who steers the development of our province, I am asking all of you as my fellow ‘lingkod-bayan’ to work even harder to better and expand our services to our constituents,” the Governor said as he urged the 3,000-strong workforce of the Provincial Government, whom he describe as the wings and engine of the province, to work together to improve the lives of the people of Davao Oriental.

A New Direction

In his message, Governor Dayanghirang said that the province is embarking on a new era of development, of which the main thrust is to empower the people, especially the farmers, to become more enterprising rather than just receiving dole out assistance from the government.

The Governor clearly stated that the development direction where he wants the province to take is one that creates opportunities, maximizes farmers’ income, creates employment, and generate revenue for the province.

He mentioned that the province will be offering more than the usual government assistance to farmers as he cited the many challenges faced by many farmers like those who grow coconut crops amidst the low price of copra in the world market.

“We have to dig deep on how to improve the lives of our farmers. We have to offer them more than what we used to,” he said.

He also hinted on the possibility and openness of the province of embarking on government-run investments amid the lack of investors. He mentioned the possibility of putting up of processing plants of agricultural produce that will ensure market for farmers and income for the province which in turn will help fund its development programs. In doing so, the Governor suggest tapping the expertise of partners in the Davao Oriental State University.

Being the captain of his province’s “flight to further development”, Governor Dayanghirang clearly conveyed his message inciting the strong spirit and commitment of the provincial workforce to match his own. “Let’s bring our province to our desired destination,” he urged.

A Time for Reconciliation, A Time for Unity

As the province is looking forward to a fruitful year ahead, Governor Dayanghirang said that the celebration also centers on forgiving and reconciliation.

“Our celebration acknowledges the Lord’s sacrifices for us. Amid his greatness, He forgives. How much more for us who are His creation? This season, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we also ought to ponder on our relationships with our colleagues,” he said, saying that the season also means patching up differences and quarrels in the workplace as well as in politics.

Gracing the occasion was Second District Representative Joel Mayo Almario, a former political adversary who is now an ally. In his message, he expressed his positive response to the Governor’s call on unity especially that all government officials share the same aim which is to usher the province towards progress and development.

Governor Dayanghirang said he is happy to see that all Provincial Government officials, including his immediate predecessor First District Representative Corazon Malanyaon who started the province’s bold move towards a comprehensive development, are on the same page in helping the province grow and develop.

“Like an aircraft, the province could not fly with broken bits and parts. We have to work in unison.”

Christmas Around the World

Donning exotic attires of different nations around the world, employees, officials, and guests revel in a night of colors and glitters as they celebrate the Capitol’s annual Christmas Party. This year’s themed party dubbed as “Christmas Around the World” was attended by some 3,000 employees.

Adorned with flags of different countries and embellished with elegant décors, the Provincial Covered Court has been made over to give off an impression of a somewhat intercontinental gathering.

Further creating a vibe of embarking on an international flight, the Capitol lobby was shifted into an airport complete with pretend x-ray scanners. There were also staff dressed as flight attendants taking boarding passes of the participants. Guests said they were very impressed with the party’s brilliant theme.

At the party, employees and guests were treated to a sumptuous buffet and refreshments and scores of impressive and colorful production numbers of employees representing nine countries which are the United States of America, Spain, India, Thailand, Egypt, China, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines.

More Reason to be Joyful

Aside from being treated to a night of merry-making, what lighten up the party even more was the more than one thousand exciting raffle prizes given away by the Governor. Major prizes include television sets, dining sets, and other home furniture.

Governor Dayanghirang also gave away P 20,000 cash each to five lucky winners. Aside from that, two employees have also won a round trip ticket to Singapore courtesy of Rep. Almario.

Employees were even more thrilled as the Governor announced this year’s bonus for employees and officials.

Regular, co-terminus, and casual employees, and elected officials will receive P25,000. Job order employees, on the other hand, who have served since January or prior will receive P12,000.  Job Order employees who were hired in 2018 will receive P1,000 per month corresponding to the number of months they have served. 

Capitol employees said they are very happy of this year’s celebration and are even more thankful of the Governor’s generosity. “It’s a Merry Christmas, indeed,” said one Capitol employee. Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan