Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo considers 2016 as the most challenging year for his administration with some of the trials staying longer and hounding his administration even after the elections. But he thanked God for making the ship of NegOr survive all kinds of onslaughts and disasters in 2016.

Degamo issued the statement during a year-end briefing with members of the media in the city and province where he reported the gains of the past year.

REENACTED BUDGET

Working on a reenacted budget for 2016 is not that easy for the incumbent governor especially with a Sangguniang Panlalawigan that is dominated by the other camp of the political fence until the May 2016 elections and then the legal battle for the governorship up to the creation of the Negros Island Region.

Suffice it to say, however, the governor said he was able to weather and accomplish many things due to the overwhelming support of the people and the different stakeholders.

Foremost of the accomplishments, Degamo said is the understanding reached by the leaderships of both the executive and legislative departments of the province of Negros Oriental to work as one to the best interest of the people. (By Dems Rey Demecillo)

One of these is the completion of the fourstorey Negros Oriental Hospital Central Block Building with the P36 million oxygen generating plant fully operational.

Another one is the IWAG Award given to the province by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for being one of the best implementing provinces of the antidrug campaign.

The province is recognized by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry as best implementing local government unit on its anti-rabies campaign.

Meantime, the province continues to be under the conflict manageable category for having controlled the insurgency situation particularly in the southern part of the province.

• According to the governor, the province has continued to bring the basic medical services closer to the people, especially those living in the hinterlands thru the Magdegamo Medical-Dental-Surgical and animal welfare missions.
  As of today, a total of 61 Medical, Dental, Surgical Animal Missions have been conducted benefitting around 65,000 individuals all over the province.
• This resulted to the immediate approval of the 2017 annual budget of P2.331 billion, especially thanking Vice Gov. Edward Mark Macias and the members of the provincial board.

SP/RRD CRITICAL COLLABORATION

As a result, further, they have crafted the executive and legislative agenda from 2016-2019 which was a product of the critical collaboration attained by the leaders of the province.

Other accomplishments include the completion of the 4-storey Negros Oriental Hospital Central Block Building, recognition received as the best implementing province in the antidrug campaign dubbed as IWAG award, recognition as the best implementing local government unit in the anti-rabies campaign by the Department of Agriculture, a COA declaration for being the 5th richest province nationwide in terms of assets at P4.955 billion, completion of the construction of the P36 million oxygen generating plant which is now fully operational and acquisition of modern diagnostic and laboratory equipment through donations from the Department of Health such as the new MRI and x-ray machines.

Not to be outdone, the Magdegamo medical, dental, surgical and animal welfare missions continued to bring government closer to the people with a total of 61 medical missions this year benefitting 65,000 indigents all over the province.

FREE COLLEGE TUITION FEES

On Education, the CHED announced free tuition fees for all college students in public colleges and universities. Scholarship programs have been extended to 781 beneficiaries on top of the 442 who are high school valedictorians and salutatorians presently enrolled in different colleges and university in the province.

This is not to mention the ongoing scholarship program for the school of medicine at Silliman University numbering about 30 scholars.

Degamo also reported that this year, the provincial government has allocated P7.8 million for the 6,500 public elementary and high school teachers who will be receiving P1,200 each charged to the Special Education Fund, the first two years was at P400 and P800 only.

On skills training, the Provincial Integrated Skills Training Center (PISTC) has recorded a total of 340 graduates from the regular training modules and has graduated 150 others from various training for work scholarship programs (TWSP) funded by the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA).

Likewise, the Department of Social Welfare and Development also sponsored 25 scholarship slots for shielded metal arc welding NC1 which the city agriculture office also initiate3d a two –day special training module for engine repair and trouble shooting to 29 employees of the city government of Dumaguete.

For the record, 90 percent of the graduates have landed jobs here and abroad while the remaining 10% have started their own businesses.

TESDA IS HERO OF JOB SEEKERS

On the other hand, 297 Negrenses have benefitted from the 14 different livelihood training programs being conducted by the Technology and Livelihood Development Center (TLDC) of the province, which include dressmaking, fish, meat and poultry processing, commercial baking, cosmetology among others, aside from extending P528,000 as micro financing assistance to 117 individuals.

For self-sufficiency in food production, the provincial tilapia satellite hatcheries in different 139 barangay agricultural development centers have produced 326,583 tilapia fingerlings which were dispersed all over the province with a marketable estimated sales of P2.75 million. The Panambalon development project itself in Bais, has harvested 2.7 metric tons of tilapia with an estimated sales of P216,000 while the Bais Oyster Famr was able to produce 80,000 pieces of oysters this year.

This is not to mention the fact that a total of 1,117 heads of cattle, carabao, goat, swine, poultry and even sheep were distributed to farmer recipients in the province with artificial insemination services to 2,932 heads of cattle, carabao, goat and swine which produced a combined 3,739 offsprings.

INTEGRATED FORESTRY PROG

On the environment, the province has sustained 26 integrated social forestry/ agro-forestry and 16 special reforestation sites with a total of 1,810 project adaptors in reforestation efforts through the establishment of nurseries and plantations, producing 48,000 forest tree seedlings and almost 20,000 fruit tree seedlings.

On disaster risk reduction management, the provincial government has recently formed eight Rapid Emergency Telecommunications Teams all over the province.

This is in line with the Gov. Degamo’s directive to make sure no deaths are reported during calamities in the province.

QUO VADIS NIR!

In closing, Gov. Degamo said a huge challenge is being faced by the people of Negros Oriental especially with the creation of the Negros Island Region. The governor said the status maybe unsure but this will not stop the two provinces from pursuing its objectives of trying to achieve peace and development in the area.

Rest assured the provincial leadership will continue to do its best in order to implement programs and projects that are essential in attain total peade and development in Negros Oriental under the program of government dubbed as “Sa Probinsiya-Mag Degamo ta,” that focuses on the centerpiece program of HELP, health ,education, livelihood and other programs and projects. (By Choy Gallade & Dems Rey Demecillo)