Sarangani launches province-wide development program

Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon. Photo from https://www.sarangani.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines – In what could be described as a declaration of war against poverty, Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon recently launched Sulong Sarangani, a major province-wide development program specifically designed to address the socio-economic challenges of the province of Sarangani.

Sulong Sarangani is designed to establish a sustainable system of inclusive growth, from a multi-sectoral perspective, which will be measured primarily in terms of economic output and poverty reduction as the secondary indicator.

In the words of Governor Solon himself, “Sulong Sarangani, in essence, is a convergence of all resources, which will be used towards evidence-based actions, to bring about God-centered prosperity.”

For the long term, the Sulong Sarangani program seeks to create a system of sustainable development which can be retuned and adjusted yearly, regardless of future provincial leadership.

“Sustainable development is a crucial aspect of the program in reducing multi-dimensional poverty which, unlike income poverty, also considers a number of social living factors like health, education, access to water and sanitation, environment, food security and even the interests of indigenous and marginalized people” Gov. Solon further explains.

Sulong Sarangani calls for the execution of strategies across the board – in the areas of education, health, environment, peace and order, infrastructure, economic empowerment and disaster preparedness. The flagship program is in line with the initiatives meant to further accelerate local and foreign investments.

“We are committed to improving the quality of life of Sarangans. That’s why we are here. And we believe it can be achieved by finding effective ways to reduce multi-dimensional poverty in different areas starting at the barangay level,” Gov. Solon adds.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has been very supportive to the thrust of the Governor to ensure a proper yet comprehensive execution of the program. The 2014 Annual Budget of the province was unanimously passed by the council to support Sulong Sarangani.

A composite team with the executive and legislative department is seen to be beneficial in order to identify development priorities, assess progress and gaps in implementation and seek renewed socio-political commitments.

Governor Solon, Congressman Emmanuel Pacquiao, Vice Governor Jinkee Pacquiao and the Board Members are one in calling for “concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented programs through the Community-Based Monitoring System” (CBMS).

The CBMS is a method of data collection and processing at the local level which integrated into local planning, program implementation and impact monitoring to identify critical poverty indicators.

“The need to consolidate public sector service is critical as it will support well-designed social protection and safety net programs of the provincial government that can keep people out of poverty and thereby address the overall poverty levels of the province” Solon added further.

The National Statistical Coordination Board’s (NSCB) recently released a poverty map, which clustered Sarangani among the poorest provinces in the country. The province recorded an increased poverty incidence of 46.5% in the Official Provincial Poverty Statistics of the Philippines for 1^st Semester of 2012. Even lower than previous poverty incidence rates of 40.8% and 45.7% in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Sarangani ranked as the 6^th poorest province in the Philippines based on the report.