DAVAO ORIENTAL – In the continuous bid to make the province of Davao Oriental more progressive and resilient, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang emphasized the importance of the roadmap to peace and development as he recognized all the peace efforts of the provincial government during the Joint Provincial Development Council (PDC), Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), Provincial Anti- Drug Abuse Council (PADAC), and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) meeting held recently at Lanes Kita-anan, City of Mati.
“We need to put all our acts together in realizing all our dreams for the province, with our reliable peace and development partners,” said Governor Dayanghirang.
The Governor furthered that the provincial government is exhausting all measures to continuously address insurgency and to never be complacent while pursuing also construction of roads and strengthening local road management.
Provincial Planning and Development Office Assistant Department Head Mr. Ricardo Velasco reported the situation of the local road management and recognized the importance of the public’s participation and cooperation in the implementation of the program.
Meanwhile, the special bodies were also updated on the Davao Gulf Marine Protected Area Network which stressed on strengthening the marine protected areas of the province, because Davao Gulf is one of the richest fishing grounds in the country.
With this thrust, the provincial government has gained remarkable partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Davao Integrated Development Program (DIDP).
The Provincial Youth Development Plan was successfully presented by Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation President Ronald Lara, Jr. with his colleagues from the Federation and the Local Youth Development Council.
The Plan focused on the youth’s involvement in bringing and improving education and health services, economic empowerment, peace building and security, environmental protection, tourism planning, and spiritual enhancement.
Also, the necessity to strengthen and sustain the watershed and river basins in the province with the inclination to restore the landscape of Davao Oriental was imparted by Ms. Dolores Valdesco, Chief of the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO).
Reporting on the updates of the localized implementation of the Executive Order 70 implementation in the province, Ms. Nor Jannah Gulembayan listed the initial accomplishments and interventions in the communities.
While all the local government units of the province now have their respective municipal task forces to end local communist armed conflict, initial interventions were already done to address the needs of the residents.
Amid all peace and development efforts coupled with the military and police operations, the province now enjoys being a conflict-manageable province said Col. Oliver Maquiling, Deputy Commander of the 701st Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, who represented Brigade Commander Brigadier General Manuel Sequitin, as he reported the general peace and order situation of the province.
The relative peace that the province now enjoys was concurred in the reports made by Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO) Provincial Director, Police Colonel Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV.
As such, to sustain the momentum, the provincial government has crafted the Peace and Order Public Safety Plan, with the need to have one explained by City of Mati Local Government Operations Officer Mr. Joseph Purgatorio.
“The provincial government of Davao Oriental is never resting on its laurels to succeed in its desire to be cleared and free from illegal drugs,” said Purgatorio.
Meanwhile, in terms of the war against drugs, Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council (PADAC) Action Officer Art Benjie Bulaong informed the special bodies on the strengthened anti-drug campaign of the province, the drug clearing program, and the status of the after-care programs of the local government units for the drug reformists.
Furthermore, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also reported their accomplishments in the measures for disaster resilience.
Mr. Al Jamil Macatabog of the PDRRMO listed their programs on prevention and mitigation, preparedness and disaster response. “These are the effective tools in working for certainty of resiliency,” said Macatabog.
Action items were also discussed and approved for the PPOC, including the creation of five special action committees, particularly the crisis management committee.
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang calls on all the members of the Council to never stop working for the province, reiterating that the prevalence of a good governance is not a one-man show but a beautiful orchestration of a plan and actions done in convergence. By Neela Duallo/Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
