Basking in the glowing prospect to become the “Gateway to the Pacific” in 2012, Davao Oriental capitalized on its vast economic and investment potential in agriculture, forestry, aquamarine, mining, and culture and nature tourism. The momentum of growth at that time was perfectly matched with the dawning of peace and security that the provincial government with the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had worked for.
Just as Davao Oriental geared for a full take off, Typhoon Pablo swept over its east coast towns bringing 185 kilometer per hour (kph) sustained winds and 122 kph gustiness. It reduced the province’s three east coast towns of Baganga, Cateel and Boston to ground zero, bringing enormous damage while affecting nearby towns.
The ruins
There was sorrow, agony and mourning over lost of lives and injuries: 457 died, 3,020 injured and 64,032 families were affected. The local government calculated P5.846 billion damage to infrastructures, facilities and establishments, and private structures and properties.
Typhoon Pablo caused P8.5 Billion damage to agriculture, tourism, trade, industry, and services; ruined 30 percent coral resources and destroyed 132,105 hectares of forest lands.
It literally laid to waste what the people and the local governments were banking on to progress especially in the east coast towns of the province: their livelihood and income sources including the innumerable number of trees which were felled and laid rotten on the ground.
Nobody had ever projected the extent of damage such force of nature could bring. However, more lives would have been lost if not for the pro-active steps of the provincial government to set up the Central Incident Command Post before Typhoon Pablo made a landfall. Coordination was established and the necessary preparation was done. People from vulnerable areas were evacuated to designated centers then perceived as safe places to keep them from Typhoon Pablo’s harm’s way.
Initiative to rise
While relief operation was still ongoing a month after, the provincial government crafted a framework plan to build back the three severely-hit towns in three years from 2013 to 2016. The PLGU labelled such comprehensive rehabilitation and development framework plan as “Building Back Better Agenda”. Spiritual transformation, moral recovery and value formation were embedded in such development agenda, bringing a spark of inspiration to the provincial government’s advocacy to “Move on and Move Up”.
The development agenda were classified into Emergency Humanitarian Response done in seven months from Dec 2012 to June 2013; the Early Recovery stage undertaken from January 2013 to December 2013; and the Build-Back-Better stage rolled out from 2013 to 2016.
The third phase of realizing the rehab and development framework plan involves land use and sectoral re-planning, resettlement and permanent Housing, debris management, reconstruction, and livelihood and industry development.
The PLGU made headway in providing immediate needs of affected families in terms of shelter and housing, education and on health, sanitation and nutrition. It made use of convergence strategy to forge together government resources and private assistance.
A total of 6,729 affected families in the Baganga, Boston and Cateel areas were given emergency shelter kits from various local, national and international agencies. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) built bunk houses and distributed Emergency Shelter Assistance amounting to P158.7 million benefitting 15,881 families. Transition shelters were also provided to 5,359 families while waiting for the completion of permanent shelters
As of May 2015, more than 10,000 permanent shelters were completed and underway completion built under the Modified Shelter Assistance Program of DSWD in cooperation with the Provincial Government. Aside from DSWD, foundations and charitable institution helped provide permanent shelters.
Among them were PLDT-Smart Foundation under MVP Group of Companies, Gawad Kalinga and Tan Yan Kee Foundation.
In terms of health, the provincial government worked with the Department of Health and international aid agencies in providing immediate health needs and in habilitating barangay health stations and hospitals.
Continued rehab
On infra rehab, the Department of Public works and Highways took immediate actions in restoring and reconstructing bridges, connecting the three isolated east coast towns while telecommunications companies made corresponding efforts to immediately restore communication lines with people in ground zero areas.
The visit of President Benigno S. Aquino III in February 2014 pushed the restoration of power in all barangays affected, in town centers and along thoroughfares, tasking the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to do this. Some private companies contributed to efforts of bringing lighting up every home particularly in badly-hit areas plunged in darkness. Aboitiz Power, Davao Light and Power Co. (DLCP), and Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) sent their own crew to work with the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative (DORECO) to fast-track repairs of power lines.
Debris management was equally a tough task handled by LGUs of Davao Oriental. As of May 2015,265,772.5 cubic meters of debris were cleared in 42 barangays in the affected municipalities. Of the total disaster debris cleared, 257,554.50 cubic meters were from the uprooted/fallen coconut trees.
Absence of livelihood, the debris management has opened up opportunities to earn money among the typhoon-affected families. Livelihood projects such as Driftwood Processing , Rosary–making out of coco-beads, Carpentry Workshop and Material Recovery Facility and Fiber-board Processing Facility have continued to help some 11,000 affected individuals to earn a living.
Provincial governor Corazon is thankful for the Debris Management Fund assistance from the President given through the DILG. The provincial government is using it for continuing debris clearing activities and for climate change adaptive solid waste management.
Typhoon Pablo may have caused unimaginable damage to the east coast areas of Davao Oriental. However, it has pushed the provincial government to eventually fortified efforts to prepare for and to manage disaster. It has also further pushed the PLGU to pro-actively adapt to climate change. The PLGU has been revisiting its Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan. It is helping LGUs chart out their respective Municipal Comprehensive Land Use Plan while mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation measures in their respective development plans.
Giving livelihood
The provincial government made equal substantive efforts to bring its people back to engaging in decent livelihood through assistance from the Department of Agriculture. Among the assistance given during the early rehab stage, were 100% rice seed subsidy to more than 8,000 farmers in the three towns for total area of 9,876 hectares; provision of seeds for corn production benefitting more than 7,000 farmers; provision of seeds for vegetable production; distribution of cacao seedlings in the towns of Boston and Cateel benefiting almost 2,000 farmers; and distribution of seedlings for cassava production in affected towns to 5,742 farmers covering a total of 430 hectares.
Indeed, in every crisis, there is indeed an opportunity. Among the crops found to have stood out surviving after Pablo, was chili. The ‘Hot Pablo’ Livelihood Project is born out of the observed resiliency of hot chili plant that went well with the high demand of hot chili products. As of May 2015, 850 chili farmers and 86 processors were assisted by the Provincial Agriculture Office, the Department of Trade and Industry, among other agencies of the government in terms of production, skills and product development, and product branding. As of May this year, five new chili exporters were developed, supplying markets in Guam, among other market linkages.
Fisherfolks have also been given equal attention by the provincial government with the assistance of government agencies: 26 Fisherfolks’ associations or 897 fishermen across the four coastal towns hit by typhoon Pablo received new fishing boats; 2 groups of fisherfolks were provided with mud-crab catching implements; 2 groups were beneficiaries to seaweed planting materials. Livestock farmers also benefitted from distribution of livestock and draft animals such as carabao, cattle, goat and chicken.
More strides to rise
The provincial government was unfazed and remained resolute in pushing for development of its strength in agriculture and in culture and tourism industries. It has completed the construction of the Cateel Irrigation Project jointly funded by the World Bank and DA. Touted as the biggest irrigation system in Mindanao, the Cateel Irrigation Project serves new rice production areas of 2,000 hectares. In addition to the existing irrigated areas in Banaybanay and Lupon towns, the province is sure of a 100% rice sufficiency level in the fast coming years.
The province and its people found solace with the declaration of Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 23, 2014. The provincial government looked at it as a boost to local development. As the local and provincial governments sought to protect the mountain range, they forged coordinative efforts to develop the Mt. Hamiguitan Eco-Park in San Isidro Municipality.
Other tourism sites it is promoting are the Sunrise Boulevard in Baganga, Riverview Park and Aliwagwag Eco Park in Cateel, Pusan Point in Caraga, and Tourism Site in Boston.
Aside from keeping track on tourism development, the provincial government also works on developing the oil palm industry, replacing coconuts in some parts of the east coast towns. The provincial government is sure of keeping the right track of such industry development banking on the study of the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. It identified High Value Aquaculture and Crop Diversification Options for Davao Oriental. It named permanent crops suitable for propagation such as oil palm, rubber, cacao, coffee, fruit trees, bamboo, and, coconut intercropped with short-term duration crops.
The once barren mountains of Davao Oriental are now turning brown while its mud-sunken valleys are now coming alive with flowing clear waters. God may have its own art of transforming people and places. He does harsh as it may seem for the east coast towns of Davao Oriental. However, he is blessing local government officials of wisdom to think of ways to rise and stand strongly yet gracefully. He is sending them people and government agencies to aid them as they take stride in building back better from the ruins of nature’s wrath.
Governor Malanyaon knows that the “Building-Back-Better” agenda still has a long way to go. Banking on the support from the national government and other development collaborators, she is optimistic to harness more resources and partners to do more and to do better in the coming years
“Always with undaunted spirit ‘to Move on and to Move up’ as our mantra goes,” she said. (PIA 11, Jeanevive Duron-Abangan/ PIO Davao Oriental)
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