Official Website of the Provincial Government of Biliran

STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS
delivered by
Gov. Rogelio J. Espina, MD, FPOA
January 10, 2003

Our esteemed Presiding Officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Honorable Vice Governor Carlos L. Chan, Sr.; our respected members of this august body; the highly regarded and most distinguished gentleman from the Province of Biliran, Honorable Congressman Gerardo S. Espina, Sr., our lone representative to Congress; well respected municipal mayors and local officials who are here with us on this meaningful occasion; Most Reverend Msgr. Filomeno Bactol; department heads and personnel of the provincial government; officials, functionaries and representatives of the national government agencies and various sectors of our society; my ever supportive First Lady Cecil; distinguished ladies and gentlemen - to all of you I am extending my warmest greetings. Maayong buntag po sa inyong lahat!

What I foresee as another great year has just started, and certainly hope it will be more fruitful than last year. As a good start, I am once again privileged and glad to take center stage to deliver my annual Address before my respected colleagues in the Sanggunian on the occasion of your first official session for 2003 and to my beloved people of Biliran province. After having served the Biliranons for one and a half years - which means I am halfway my term as your Provincial Governor - I am filled with pride as I stand before you to report the achievements of this administration and to refresh you and my constituents about my priority programs as well as our major thrusts for this year.

In my previous state of the province addresses, I have emphatically said that the efforts and resources of my administration would focus on the development of the social sector and at the same time giving priority to the economic sector and infrastructure development. These guideposts for leading Biliran to progress have not changed much; we have only enhanced the enabling strategies and sustained the effective ones. With your legislative support for which I am sincerely thankful, with the hard work, dedication and cooperation of the personnel and staff of the provincial government, the local and national government and non-government organizations, and with the effective teamwork that I get from our generous congressman and municipal mayors, I believe we have done much in our common pursuit of a development agenda for a progressive Biliran.

Alam po ninyo na bilang isang doktor ay binigyan po natin ng importansya ang kalusugan sa ating probinsya.

We have conducted numerous medical and dental missions of which 53 barangays were served, from the coastal barangays to the hinterlands of Barangay Kalipayan of Culaba, Barangays Libtong and Imelda of Naval and other remote areas of our province including the island of Higatangan and the island municipality of Maripipi.

From this, we were able to provide medical and dental services to 25,667 Biliranons especially the less privileged. People's organizations and non-government organizations like the Couples for Christ, Biliran Medical Society and others have also conducted medical missions in some areas, where the provincial government provided the medicines used, further increasing the number of Biliranons who have availed of the free medical and dental care.

We have also conducted not only one but three surgical missions for free at the provincial hospital benefiting 150 patients from the different municipalities of the province, from various surgical procedures like thyroidectomy, OB and gyne operations, and other general surgical procedures, to plastic surgeries for cleft lip and cleft palate where 40 children were treated successfully, and for cataract and other eye problems where most of the patients belong to the elder age group of our society.

We also made medicines available to barangay captains for their barangays' health care needs, to barangay health workers, senior citizens groups and to farmers groups. We will continue to conduct medical and dental missions to the barangays and sitios as well as the free surgical missions in our hospital for this year. As a matter of fact, there is already a Surgical Team which is scheduled to arrive in our hospital from Manila on February for our 1st surgical mission for this year.

Malaking po kasing tulong para sa ating mga kaigsoonan ang libreng medical mission at operasyon kaya tuloy-tuloy po nating gagawin ito para sa ating mga kababayan.

Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, after several years, nakapaglagay na po tayo ng mga doktor sa Maripipi Emergency Clinic at Caibiran Emergency Clinic, and this year we will construct the Cabucgayan Emergency Clinic for the health needs of the people of Cabucgayan considering their distance from the Biliran Provincial Hospital. We have also assigned a doctor who served in the island of Higatangan every Friday for their health care need, thus lessening the burden of bringing their patients to Naval whenever their health status requires it.

It is also my vision and mission to transform Biliran Provincial Hospital to be the best provincial hospital in the region by improving its equipment, its facilities and manpower. We have acquired blood chemistry machines and other equipment last year, and still hope to receive the P20 Million medical equipment assistance from the Spanish grant by this year, which will complement our hospital infrastructure program.

Last year, the second floor of the new hospital building was inaugurated, housing the new separate male/female medical ward, five private rooms, and separate male/female doctors quarters among others. This year, by month of February or March we will inaugurate our new outpatient department building which will house our new dental clinic, minor operating rooms, consultation rooms, x-ray rooms, and a large waiting area for our patients. We will also inaugurate by that time our new pediatric ward for our sick children.

We have employed additional doctors, nurses and attendants in our hospital and have hired medical specialists in the field of medicine and OB Gyne, and by this month, medical specialists in the field of surgery and pediatrics will be accepted to further improve the quality of health care in our hospital. We sent one resident physician to train in the field of anesthesia last year, and he is expected to graduate by the year January 2005.

Aside from the medical benefits that the Biliranons have received from our hospital, the Biliran Provincial Hospital has improved its reputation for its services and facilities. Patients who tend to be confined in large hospitals in Cebu or Tacloban now consider the services of the Biliran Provincial Hospital for their health needs.

Last year, the provincial government sponsored 3,300 families provincewide for PhilHealth program. This includes our volunteer Barangay Health Workers and Day Care Workers of the 132 barangays in the province. For this year, an additional 4,000 indigent families are targeted to be enrolled to PhilHealth. With our PhilHealth program as well as with individuals who seek admission as private patients, the income of the provincial hospital increased.

For the year 2002, the hospital income amounted to P4,841,939.00. This has shown a marked increase from P1.35 Million collected in the year 2000 and P1.93 Million collected in the year 2001 or an increase of 150 percent.

For the first time, we have endowed additional honorarium to all 952 Barangay Health Workers in the province, and we will continue to do this to provide incentives and support to health workers in the barangays and sitios.

We will provide an ambulance worthy for Caibiran Emergency Clinic. On top of that, we will be procuring a second-hand 911 US St. Bernard type ambulance for our provincial hospital. This ambulance will not only provide additional comfort and safety for patients but it can also be equipped with emergency medical apparatus than can be used for patients while in transit if the need arises.

All of these, my friends, are what we have done and will continue to do so to deliver the best quality health care for our constituents.

We all know that Biliran province is blessed with fertile soil, abundance of water and god-fearing and hardworking people, but we need to give a strong direction to nurture and develop this gifts from God. Understanding this, I consider our local agricultural industry as a key to our socio-economic progress, thus, it needs equal attention and priority. In agriculture, even our less privileged brethren finds comfort and food to eat even in times when unemployment proliferate in our country.

Last year, together with our Provincial Agricultural Office, we launched the Dagdag Ani Program for our rice farmers and have distributed 1,781 bags of certified palay seeds and 200 bags of hybrid palay seeds, benefiting 1,200 farmers all over Biliran. This has increased their palay harvest and has contributed to the improvement of the economic status of their families.

On the other hand, under the Plant-Now-Pay-Later Program for grafted fruit trees, we were able to cultivate 131.4 hectares of land for fruit production, in which 97.3 hectares were planted with grafted mangos and the rest for lanzones and rambutan. This year we intend to include grafted fruit trees like seedless longkong, durian, mangosteen, lakatan variety of banana and other fruit trees recognized with their good commercial value. This program is being implemented, so that 5-10 years from now, Biliran province will emerge as the fruit basket of the region. The fruit industry maybe brought to the level where we can soon export our fruit products to other regions and even abroad. For this purpose, our budget for this year's operation for Dagdag Ani and the fruit tree program is P2.5 Million and we will provide additional funds if needed.

Vegetable production is also a must for our people. Last year, we have procured and in turn distributed various vegetable seeds to different farmers groups, women's groups, members of the DOK ROGER's 4H Clubs, municipal agriculturists and all interested individuals to improve our province's vegetable production. And to my surprise, even lettuce, cauliflower, carrots and other high value vegetable crops do grow in our land. This effort of our people to improve their land and their quality of life will not go to waste because this year, we will further enhance procurement of vegetable seeds and conduct more agricultural seminars for high value vegetable production for our vegetable farmers.

For our fisherfolks, the year 2002 has also been beneficial to them. We have distributed 25,050 tilapia fingerlings for 62 beneficiaries raised from our freshwater fishpond in Brgy. Lucsoon, Naval. We have maintained four hectares of brackish water fishpond and 1,500 square meters of land for mud crab culture in Brgy. Busali, Biliran. The provincial government has assisted in the establishment and operation of 2 units of fish cages in Brgy. San Pablo, Naval which is jointly funded by DOST, PCMARD and the provincial government. We have also provided 1 unit fish cage, 1 unit fish corral and 20 units fish pots funded by BFAR.

In addition, we have maintained 2 fish sanctuaries in Hiagatangan island and in other municipalities. More to the benefit of our fishermen, we have organized a total of 29 fisherfolk associations, and assisted in the organization of 3 Municipal Fishery and Aquatic Resource Management Councils, and the training on seaweed processing and bobo making for 74 participants.

A total of 24 trainings and seminars were conducted for seaweed or guso farming in various coastal barangays. The Provincial Fishery Section has also dispersed 1,862 kilograms of guso to different fisherfolks association in the province which has provided both economic gain and food for our fishermen and their families. The provincial government has provided various fishermen with 352 units of panggal, 128 units of bobos, 53 units of squid traps, and 3 units of non-motorized bancas, and by this year, we will conduct production trainings to provide them with means of livelihood and distribute banca made of fiberglass to assure them of the durability of their main source of income. On top of that, we will increase the number of fisherfolk associations focused on guso farming because of its high demand and market value.

In our DOK ROGER's Livestock Dispersal Program thru the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian, we were able to disperse 55 carabaos, 10 cattle, 84 goats, 195 Kaber chickens and 223 heads of swine to various beneficiaries all over the province in order to promote food security and a source of income.

The year 2002 was also advantageous to the women's sector, wherein thru the Word Kalipi organization, our women underwent capability enhancement and were oriented on their significant roles in the economic upliftment of their families. After the Provincial Women's Congress last March, we have provided practical skills development training to 138 women from different barangays where the art of fish, shrimp and squid processing, ornamental candle making, and parlor related activities were conducted. Livestock like Kaber chickens and swine were also dispersed to different chapters of the women's groups for them to redistribute the livestock offsprings to other members.

This year, we will not only intensify the skills training for our women's groups but also grant them financial assistance for equipment and operation like food processors and others, from the P1 Million fund provided by Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

For the skilled workers in Biliran province, we have conducted two successful Provincial Jobs Fair, one last May and the other was in October. A total of 1,500 Biliranons registered and participated in this affair. The first ever Passport Processing activity was also held last November, where 250 Biliranons availed of a hassle free and less expensive passport procurement, including a number of beneficiaries coming from the neighboring towns and provinces.

Aside from providing our skilled workers with passport, we have given them employment opportunities to Singapore, Riyadh, Hongkong and other countries, and we will continue to replicate this activities this year so that once again we will be able to provide opportunities for overseas employment to our skilled workers. This project was realized due to the cooperation and full support of our beloved Congressman Gerry Espina. Our Provincial Employment Service Office which we have created will continue to assist Biliranons for job opportunities abroad thru the Internet and thru the coordination of the DOLE and the POEA. The Provincial Employment Service Office is also entasked to check the welfare of our province's mate abroad.

The Cooperative Movement, I believe, also plays a major role in our province to spur economic growth and development. The provincial government with the provincial cooperative development office have jointly facilitated the holding of pre-membership evaluation session, preparation, processing and registration of documents, assistance in economic surveys and project proposals. We have also conducted the First Provincial Cooperative Month Celebration where 31 cooperatives participated. Six delegates were sent to participate a study mission on cooperative development in Bulacan. The provincial government has also granted financial assistance for the 24 - person delegate from Biliran to attend the 6th national Cooperative Summit in Cagayan de Oro City using our Kasabay Coaster for their transportation on the duration of the caravan and summit. To cap last year's coop related activities, we hosted the Provincial Cooperative Summit on Electricity with no less than the Cooperatives Development Authority Chairman and Presidential Adviser on Cooperatives Obet Pagdanganan gracing the occasion, attended by 350 coop members and officers.

We have also granted P200,000.00 in financial assistance to 4 cooperatives in Naval, Almeria and Cabucgayan. Having seen a positive result on this endeavor, This year we will have a P1 Million fund allocation for cooperative development. It is my hope that our cooperatives will further prosper to benefit more Bilrianons in the times to come.

Education is also a must for progress because we need a well-educated citizenry to attain development. Hence, last year, we have used our SEF for the procurement of 5 computer sets for Naval SPED Center, Viga National High School in Maripipi and the Division of Biliran.

Our grade school pupils utilized the Mobile Information technology Van twice last year and this has exposed almost 2,000 pupils to laptop computer medium of education. With the local School Board, we were able to hire a total of 20 contractual teachers at P9,000.00 monthly salary for schools that needed additional teaching force in an effort to reach the proper teacher-to-pupil ratio thus promoting better quality of education.

The provincial government has also provided P900,000.00 last year as counterpart fund for the various new school building projects under the TEEP program. This has greatly improved the state and condition of our classrooms in some barangays in the province. From this counterpart allocation, 36 new classrooms were constructed and 14 were renovated.

This year, we will again use our SEF to hire more contractual teachers, for TEEP programs, as well as in enhancing our non-formal education programs for out-of-school youths. From the same fund, we will procure more computer sets for our major secondary schools in every municipality in order to set up their respective library sections which will be an enabling tool for educational development.

The provincial government has provided funds for several activities of the Department of Education that has benefited not only students and pupils but teachers alike. In our program called Tabang sa Titsers Gikan sa Dagdag Ani Program, were were able to distribute 300 bags of 10 kilogram rice to our teachers in Maripipi, Caibiran, Naval and Biliran. We have also distributed day care books to all 132 barangays in the province to improve learning and comprehension of our pre-schoolers. Aside from giving our day care workers with additional honorarium, we have enrolled them to PhilHealth coverage for their added advantage. We will continue to pursue this educational programs, and in addition, we will now start to qualify deserving elementary, high school and college students for scholarship. We have allotted 100 slots each for elementary, secondary and college scholarships for the year 2003.

For our youth sector, we have organized until last December the DOK ROGER's 4H club in 126 barangays provincewide, getting a total membership of 6,000 out of school and in-school youths. I am proud to say that the 4H Club members are now active stakeholders in our quest for agricultural development, considering among others the substantial quantity and quality of vegetable products they have produced in their communal gardens. These have afforded them a sense of economic development in their communities and a strong direction for progress. As a part of the youth's over-all development, skills in sports were also promoted thru the provision of equipment like basketballs, volleyball sets, chess sets, badminton sets and the like. This is geared to channel their energy during their free time to wholesome activities and away from practices that are inimical to them and to the society.

Our package of services for the social sector will not be complete without social welfare. With the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in hand, we gladly serve 13,886 disadvantaged clients for the whole year, most of whom were family heads and women. Timely and appropriate assistance to alleviate their living conditions was extended to 3,379 distressed and displaced individual and families. Sixteen persons with disabilities were divided into six groups and were given a grant worth P12,666.67 for their sari-sari store livelihood project.

For our emergency assistance program under the PSWDO, we have provided assistance to 2,958 classified patients in the hospital, 30 financial/shelter assistance, 157 financial/burial assistance, among others.

The provincial government also acknowledge the senior citizens groups by launching the Mahal ko si Lolo, Mahal ko si Lola program, where we have provided medicines, inducted the senior citizen organization of their barangays and for this year, we will include senior citizens in our PhilHealth program.

An unfortunate incident struck our province as we celebrated the culmination of our provincehood anniversary last May 11, 2002. In aid to the hapless victims of the sea tragedy, together with Congressman Gerry Espina we have solicited donations and assistance from different agencies, LGUs, and concerned citizens that reached almost P1.25 Million, of which more than P754,000 was received by the families of the victims in form of hospitalization, cash assistance, funeral expenses, and other miscellaneous assistance. P500,000.00 of the remaining balance which came from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, was committed to provide livelihood and educational, self-employment assistance to families of victims.

Peace and order shall be maintained and the lives and safety of people and property as well as the protection of our vital natural resources shall be secured. Last year, we were able to confiscate more than 2,000 board feet of lumber and wooden boat hull thru the concerted effort of the PNP and the Provincial Task Force Kalikasan. From June to December 2002, the Task Force Kalikasan collected compromise fines totaling P97,500.00 for illegal fishing. Aside from the radio communications equipment and vehicles previously given to the PNP force, we will provide an additional service vehicle for the Maripipi Police Station and additional radio communications equipment to augment its operational capabilities as well as for the barangays. This is thru the coordinated effort of the Honorable Congressman Gerry Espina and your Governor.

For the 4th quarter of 2002, the Biliran Provincial Police Office recorded a lower crime volume and a higher crime solution efficiency of 100% with sustained improvement. From October 15 to December 15 2002, the BPPO had a crime volume of 36 and a decrease of 14 cases compared to year 2001 of the same period. Most significant of which is zero incidence on firearms and firecrackers accidents.

Last year we have installed a total of 150 units of sodium lights in the streets of the different poblacions in our province. This year, we will be procuring an additional 200 units of sodium lights to further lighten our dark streets, and therefore making it safer for commuters and residents. We will continuously coordinate with the PNP in order to control or even prevent illegal activities especially for our anti-illegal drug campaign thru our intelligence fund and other activities that would educate our youth, and other people's organizations to help us maintain a peaceful society and a healthy environment.

We have planted thousands of flowering plants and trees along the highways thru our "Flower along the Highway Program" and will continue to do so for this year. Biliran province won for the third time as the Cleanest and Greenest Province in Region 8, and this is because of the full support of the local barangay officials and the citizenry. But, we need this year to implement a proper waste disposal system, where waste materials should be segregated in busy areas like in poblacions and others. I therefore appeal to all concerned citizens and public officials to support this program in segregating our basura.

The provincial government will be distributing color-coded containers for waste disposal in our poblacions, which will somehow educate our citizens to dispose their wastes properly. This I hope will be duplicated by other local government chief executives in respective areas as well as by barangay officials to make our environment not only friendly but also a decent place to live in. We will also be encouraging organic farming to farmers in order to maintain the fertility of our land thru the use of their farm wastes as fertilizers with the support of the provincial government.

Biliran is slowly becoming a destination point for tourism, though the provincial government is focusing more on agriculture, health and others. This year, P1 million will be allotted for the development of tourism in our province.

The provision of basic and support infrastructure complements almost all of our major programs and projects. Through the Provincial Engineering Office, we will continue to construct farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, minidams, seawalls, flood control projects, health facilities, and water supply facilities for our people.

On the rise is our new Justice Hall building in Brgy. Larrazabal, with an initial fund of P2.5 Million, which was realized thru the concerted effort of Congressman Gerry Espina and your Governor. And again, this year, our legislative building will also rise just beside the main capitol building with an initial capital of P2 Million. This will provide a better working place for our legislators.

All of these achievements, and those yet to be achieved are geared towards improving the basic life of the Biliranon. Making food, security, health, shelter and livelihood within reach to every Biliranon. Making Biliran the island paradise we all aspire it to be; where harmony, peace and progress exist.

I would like to thank our Honorable Congressman Gerry Espina, the members of the legislative body headed by our Vice Governor, Honorable Carlos Chan; all the local chief executives of the different municipalities headed by the President of the Mayors' League, Honorable Mayor Gerry Boy Espina; to my Capitol family; to all municipal and barangay officials as well as to all Biliranons, and above all to the Almighty Father, for the trust and confidence you have given me, believing in my character of leadership in promoting peace, justice, equality, and opportunity for a better life for the Biliranon.

Salamat Po at Mabuhay Tayong Lahat.