Wednesday, December 27, 2006 Dinagat isle aims to be a 'Singapore' By Ben Serrano Caraga Correspondent
SURIGAO CITY -- Inspired by Singapore's first World status, the local leadership in Dinagat Island said it is aiming to transform their province into a little Singapore someday.
Surigao del Norte Provincial Board Member Elvis Dela Merced said this after being recommended as Interim Vice Governor by the Dinagat Island Association of Local Government Units (DIALGU) composed of seven municipal mayors and vice mayors, seventy municipal councilors and more than 1,000 barangay officials.
Other interim officials endorsed by DIALGU in their letter recommendation submitted to President Arroyo recently were; Geraldine Ecleo Villaroman, daughter of Surigao del Norte First District Representative Glenda Ecleo as interim Governor and eight interim Provincial Board Members most of them are current and former Dinagat local officials.
Dela Merced claimed they will tap the island's rich natural, marine and agricultural resources into sustainable development not only to liberate the island from poverty but to become one of the most progressive island province in the country.
She said the island has the biggest species of prawns or high value fishery products, a soon to be developed cassava plantation deemed the biggest in Mindanao and rich ore deposits of nickel and platinum.
Dela Merced claimed that aside from rich natural resources, Dinagat Island has also the rich manpower resources waiting to be tapped.
She said manpower development has been their priority program and they launched a project called "One Family, One OFW" for technical jobs.
"This means every family in Dinagat at least one family member or OFW working in various tech-voc jobs abroad," Dela Merced continued.
"This is to give them experience and bring home that knowledge from other countries for the benefit of the island through transfer technology," Dela Merced said.
Ongoing projects
The officials lauded President Arroyo for giving priority to Dinagat Island 's 94 kilometers P200-M nodal road concreting project, which will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Caraga Regional Office.
Dela Merced said the P200 million road concreting project will connect all seven in municipalities cutting across Dinagat Island from end to end, which has a total distance of 94 kilometers and is expected to be finished by 2009.
Caraga DPWH Regional Director Romeo Momo confirmed to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that the project will be implemented by first quarter next year 2007.
Other Official Development Assistance (ODA) foreign funded projects on-going for Dinagat island are the P200 million Mega Port Project, the Waha Port in Basilisa town to be implemented by the Department of Transportation and Communications and funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
"The port if finished will help Dinagat farmers, fisherfolk, fishpond growers for Baghak Banagan which look like giant shrimps shipped their products to other ports in the country", Dela Merced said.
Also in the pipeline are the P400 million Solar Power Technology Project funded by the Agencia Española Cooperacion Internacional or the Spanish Government Agency for International Cooperation.
President Arroyo has also included Dinagat Island as priority project recipient in the P3 billion Agrarian Reform Community Development Program.
The P500-million project includes development of different integrated ports within Dinagat, Farm to Market Roads, construction of School Buildings, Health Centers and Agri-Enterprises.
The project is being implemented by MINSSAD and funded by JBIC, Dela Merced said.
"President Arroyo even visited the island last June 17, 2005 during the 14th CARP Anniversary to see to it MINSSAD projects will be implemented accordingly," Dela Merced said.
