DAVAO ORIENTAL, June 30 (PIA)---She bangs the gavel with definiteness.
Provincial Gov. Corazon Malanyaon opened the 47th founding anniversary celebration of the province last Thursday with certainty that the Dabawenyos of Davao Oriental indeed have more reasons to rejoice.
The recent UNESCO inscription of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary hauled the reasons for jubilation that Dadawenyos shared at the center of celebrating its 47th founding anniversary (on July 1) bannering the theme, “Kabilin, Atong Ampingan (Heritage, We Conserve)”.
The provincial government last Thursday organized a program welcoming the delegation who went to Doha, Qatar to show strong presence of local government and community support pinned on the application for the UNESCO inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan as a World Heritage Site.
Together with chief executives of the local government units (LGUs) surrounding Mt. Hamiguitan, provincial government officials led by Vice Gov. Mayo Almario and House Representative Danny Dayanghirang met the delegation at the Pintatagan Welcome Park (located in Banay-Banay at the boundary of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley).
Accompanied by Secretary Luwalhati Antonio of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and Environment Regional Director Marcus Joselin Fragada, the delegation headed by Provincial Gov. Corazon Malanyaon was welcomed by throngs of well-wishers from the municipalities of Governor Generoso, San Isidro and the City of Mati with drum and bugle corps and street-dancing performance of school-children.
After the speeches, the welcoming group took the delegation to a motorcade to the poblacion of Gov. Generoso and San Isidro before proceeding to the Subangan (meaning ‘east’) Davao Oriental Provincial Tourism Museum where the 47th Araw ng Davao Oriental opening program was held.
There, Malanyaon with wide smile told the crowd of her happiness. “Lipay kaayo ko. Nalipay ba mo? (I am truly happy. Are you?) she asked as she officially revealed that the delegation who went to Qatar “brought home the bacon”.
After five long and arduous years of waiting and complying with the UNESCO requirements, the Mt. Hamiguitan was finally inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site at about 5:20 p.m. (PH time) on June 23, 2014.
Malanyaon may not be able to climb its peak at more than 5,000 feet above sea level, but she said the rigors of going through the UNESCO application process was like a mountain-climb for her and for the Mt. Hamiguitan inscription team led by Provincial Tourism consultant Cynthia Rodriguez.
Hanging behind her story on the success of Mt. Hamiguitan inscription was her recollection of the December 2012 Typhoon Pablo devastation in the three east coast towns of the Davao Oriental.
She remembered herself then saying that the assistance and benefits poured into the east coast areas due to typhoon Pablo would spill over to all other areas in the province.
She pushed through the opening of the state-of-the- art Subangan Davao Oriental Provincial Museum on January 8, 2014, serving as a show-window of the eco-tourism, economic and socio-cultural strength of each of the 11 towns (including Mati City) in the province.
Aside from the fossilized remains of the 50-foot sperm whale which drifted along the coast of Governor Generoso, some artefacts, the fabrics used by Davao Oriental forefathers, the Subangan Museum puts together live object-video-and-photo presentations of significant sites such as the UNESCO-recognized Mt. Hamiguitan, the Aliwagwag Falls and Davao Oriental rivers categorized as cleanest among rivers in the Philippines.
The tourism strength of Davao Oriental catapulted by the UNESCO inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan as World Heritage Site also brought in infrastructure assistance from the national government.
MinDA Sec. Antonino assured that funding for national road repairs is sure to come this year.
Malanyaon also revealed that DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson expected Antonino to look into the infra needs of Davao Oriental following the inscription of Mt. Hamiguitan as a World Heritage Site.
Gov. Malanyaon sighed great relief and gratefulness of the overwhelming support she got leading to the UNESCO inscription of Hamiguitan. She gave thanks to the national lines agencies of MinDA, DENR as well as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), to the LGUs of Mt. Hamiguitan, among others.
Above all, she gave thanks to God for bestowing Davao Oriental immense gift of nature and for allowing the province to share such gift to mankind. (PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)
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