Davao Oriental: The Road to Transformation

The Provincial Capitol of Davao Oriental | Albert Egot Jr.

by Albert Egot, Jr

The celebration of the  48th founding anniversary of Davao provinces gives the people an opportunity to to see the growth of their province. One of the rising provinces is Davao Oriental.

Under the political influence of the provincial mother, Governor Cora Malanyaon, the province has improved drastically by addressing basic necessities such as in health, agricultural, tourism , livelihood, and peace and order despite of  natural phenomenon challenges like Pablo.

Killing poverty

According to the data form the National Statistics and Coordination Board ( NSCB) Davao Oriental got the lowest drop in poverty incidence in the entire Davao Region from 42.7 percent in 2007 to 37.8 percent in 2012.

In the entire region also, Davao Oriental got the lowest reduction of malnutrition pravalence rate from the highest level of 17 percent in 2007 to only 4 percent in 2011 which earned the provincial government a Pag Asa Award given by the National Nutrition Council XI in 2009 and in 2010.

In 2011, Davao Oriental has maintained its effort in fighting against malnutrition for 3 consecutive years which made the province a Golden Agila Awardee and Pag Asa awardee in 2012 and 2013.

Malanyaon has been true to her mission in providing an excellent health care services through a condusive and a tidy provincial hospital. In 2008, she renovated the old hospital in Mati City and created an Out-patient department. She then added two more buildings in the Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center turning the 100 to 200-bed capacity hospital.

Bringing the province to life

Who would have thought that a supertyphoon could cause such damage in the province when Pablo struck Cateel, Caraga and Bagangga leaving hundreds of death and homeless families? Malanyaon found ways to get these municipalities back to life through her program the Building Back Better Program.

In partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to fund the housing project of Malanyaon, there are already 17,000 permanent houses have been constructed and have turned over to the typhoon victims. The housing program aims not just to aid the typhoon victims but also to generate employment .. Almost 8,000 workers were employed during the construction period.

The seed of success

Davao Oriental is known for its consistency on agricultural productivity. No doubt, it can sustain the needs of the people and earned from exporting its products. With this strong capability of the province, it has earned the Gawad Saka Regional Champion in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. For being excellent in  rice production, the province brought home the Agri Pinoy Rice Achiever Awardee (APRAA 2015)  as one of the top 10 provinces.

Happy Home

Malanyaon has also established a temporary shed for all the rebels who surrendered and willing to embrace new life through spiritual and psychosocial counseling and livelihood training called "Happy Home"

This is her effort to implement the Peace and Development Outreach Program along with the Arm Forces of the Philippines to maintain peace and order in the province. Consequently, AFP awarded her the Gawad sa Kaunlaran Award for her persistence in achieving peace.

Reducing Risk

The province has improved in disaster risk reduction management. As a result, the province still holds the title as Regional Gawad Kalasag Champion for six consecutive years from 2009 to 2014. Its capability in responding was tested and applauded during Pablo times until the rehabilitation of the affected municipalities.

The local governance

Yearly, the local governance has continued to reap more awards as recognition for the improvement  the provincial government has done to its province. (2012 Regional Gawad Pamana Ng Lahi, Seal of Good Local Governance in 2013, in 2014 and in 2015;  and the 2015 Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping.)

On Tourism

Just in 2014, Gov. Cora Malanyaon installed an interactive state-of-the-art museum called Subangan in Mati City, Davao Oriental showcasing the natural beauty of the province. Today, it has become one of the most visited spots in Mati. One will surely be captivated by the province features. These include, the white sand beaches of Mati, the Aliwagwag Falls, and the old church in Caraga.

The tourism charisma in the province has enticed more and more tourists, especially when the world finally recognized Mt. Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary  as UNESCO World Heritage Site. The property showcases terrestrial and aquatic habitats at different elevations, and includes threatened and endemic flora and fauna species, eight of which are found only at Mount Hamiguitan. These include critically endangered trees, plants and the iconic Philippine eagle and Philippine cockatoo.

Gov. Cora Malanyaon is one of the eco-warriors who flew to Doha, Qatar to present and defend Mt.Hamiguitan before the panelists from UNESCO.

Each year, Davao Oriental has strengthened its capability towards sustainable development making it as one of the most progressive provinces not just in Davao region but in the entire archipelago.

Data Src: Davao Oriental Province | PIA | DSWD |