DAVAO ORIENTAL—Taking the lead in steering the province to progress, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang urged all peace and development partners to further maximize their resources and boost the delivery of services to the public, stressing that it is the best way to counter insurgency.
As the province’s flagship program Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan (NLD-BOC) has reached its target 100 barangays, Governor Dayanghirang called on all the agencies and offices to continue and intensify their support to the program that made a mark in the province’s peace efforts.
“We need to combine efforts, help the masses, give them quality service, to let them feel that the government is there to serve them. That is the only way to address poverty, that is the only way to address the insurgency,” Governor Dayanghirang said during a short program attended by all peace and development stakeholders.
The program which has been providing services to the people in the barangays in the last two years has now reached a total of 100 barangays after serving three more villages recently. Thousands of residents from Barangays Pintatagan and Puntalinao in Banaybanay town and Barangay Zaragosa in Manay town availed of agricultural services, health and medical services, dental care services, optal services, animal welfare services, legal services, employment services, legal services, among others.
Within two years of implementation, on top of other peace and development efforts, the province has gained positive ground in its goal of achieving peace. Governor Dayanghirang said that “there is already an 80% reduction on the insurgency issue in the province, with the enemy being forced to the boundaries of the province.” Despite this, Governor Dayanghirang said that further efforts have to be made to totally eradicate insurgency and welcome development, which is the ultimate goal of the program.
“We’ve been doing this for two years now but sustainability remains the main issue of the program,” the governor said.
“In order to attain development, we have to ensure that there is peace. That’s why I’ve been asking everyone, including the public, to help each other out to totally eradicate insurgency so as to achieve development,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Governor applauded the effort of all agencies for their continuous support for the program, reiterating that convergence of effort is what made all of the provincial government’s achievement possible. To date, a total of 72 peace and development partners have signified commitment to the Provincial Government, consisting of provincial government offices, private groups, civil society organizations, and national government agencies.
701st Brigade Commander Col. Manuel V. Sequitin expressed the Philippine Army’s continued support in helping the government bring services to the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) and conflict-affected areas in the province. Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
