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| Gov. Migs Dominguez |
ALABEL,
Sarangani — Governor Migs Dominguez on Monday jazzed
up his State of the Province Address (SOPA) with success
stories about community mobilization, public service reforms
and partnership with various sectors – leading to
“unprecedented achievements” in local governance.
Governor
Dominguez delivered his SOPA - usually a prepared written
report - extemporaneously with only an outline.
His
45-minute speech before the 5th regular session of the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan was held at the full-packed, 4,500-capacity
provincial gym.
“Of
course we all feel proud of having done numerous projects
in the province, in our municipalities down to our barangays,”
Dominguez said, but “this is not the time to sit down.”
He
recalled his 2004 campaign pitch of “kape at pandesal”,
where “ako magtitimpla ng kape ninyo, kayo magdala
ng pandesal,” to stress partnership.
He
said Sarangani’s triumphs have been achieved through
cooperation and unity.
Gov.
Dominguez reported that he has improved Sarangani’s
services for infrastructure, health, education, peace and
order, environment, culture, tourism and economy “because
of our cooperation.”
“Remember
when we work together we achieve a lot. We are writing our
own history. This is not only my story, this is your story
my fellow Sarangans,” he said.
Public
service reforms, efficient and quality service, and benchmarking
with the private sector marked his management style.
Under
Dominguez’ administration, Sarangani has become the
front door to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines
East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) through the Jose Abad
Santos-Glan-Sarangani Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT).
Sarangani
has an Internal Revenue Allotment of only P328 million.
In 2006, tax collection increased by 125% from local taxes,
a P109% for permits and licenses, 199% increase for service
income. These collections amounted to about P25 million.
However,
“we have been able to source out funds amounting to
more than P1 billion in the past two years in terms of development
projects, with various sectors,” said Dominguez.
He
also cited “our partnerships with the private sector”
in sending poor and deserving students to school, building
classrooms, and feeding programs for pupils.
Sponsors
such as Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated
Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) have empowered
communities to build their own projects. KALAHI-CIDSS, the
government’s flagship socio-economic program for poverty
eradication, has been recognized by the World Bank as one
of the best ongoing poverty reduction initiatives in the
world. (PIO Sarangani/PIA SarGen)
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