DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio issued an EO directing bi-monthly clean ups of all coastlines every first and third Saturdays. There must be clean-ups in the barangays near the coastlines. About 30 percent of the city's 182 barangays are near the seas and rivers.
The Mayor has also programs for the "bantay dagat" complementary to the city's "bantay bukid" operation. This includes the protection of the environment in the hinterlands like agricultural water supply problems. The government will provide all the equipment to collect garbage from the seas and land. Workers will be given food for the cleaning task every Saturday. City solid waste disposal management is managed also by scheduled collections by garbage trucks throughout the designated areas to bring these to the city dump site.
The city's human development and poverty reduction programs were launched with Davao and Cebu cities as prototypes. This is called "Kilos Sambayanan ". It works on the regions of "Sampung Batayang Pangangailangan" namely food, land reform, water, shelter, health, education, work, social protection, healthy environment, peace, and active participation. The program is initiated by then the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO). This is intended to help the rural poor, especially the farmers to improve their income and improve their living conditions.
Under DAR, support farmers organizations and agrarian reforms provisions are to obtain modern farm machines as threshers and heavy tractors. Infrastructure projects are undertaken as bridges, farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, and irrigation systems.
These movements result in people's advancements politically and economically. The empowered farmers have their farms upgraded and houses are built resulting in well-established communities.
Construction of fish cages in Manay, Davao Oriental was made possible by the "Sangbayanang Livelihood Program" (SLP) and DSWD. They got a P200,000 seed capital. The fish cages are filled with tilapia fingerlings. They expect a harvest with proper care of millions adult tilapias. The caretakers are the members of the 4Ps who take turns in feeding the fish at regulated times, cleaning and clearing the water of polluting objects . They are given the earnings as their micro-enterprises.
The Scholarship Program of SM. Applicants come from the K to 12 graduates for a College Scholarship for the School Year 2018- 2019. Applicants must have an average of 88 percent and above. Courses are Accounting, Information Technology, Engineering and Education. They enjoy free tuition, monetary allowances for daily practical needs and part-time jobs during semestral and Christmas vacations.
Contributions to the rehabilitation of the Marawi City destructions and the "bakwits" sustenance inside their evacuation shelters were provided. The Philippine Business Social Progress (PBSP), the World Wide Logistics, Cebu Pacific, Jollibee and other philanthropic groups gave 1,047 non-food items as cooking utensils, health kits, students kits, clothings for adults and children.
For education, there were books and learning aids. Some 50 sewing machines were also donated to start a livelihood business for mothers.
The progress in housing is undertaken by the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (Creba). In the next 20 years to be able to solve the issue of housing backlog; it has a five-point agenda for legislation for the implementation with the joint effort of both the government and business community.
Fisherfolks in Davao will be given 4,000 fiber glass boats by the government according to The Bureau of Fishers and Aquatic Resources (Bfar). Two fishermen can share one boat for their use. Everything is free.
The last but not the least is the law on the total ban of non-biodegradable plastic. The biodegradable plastic is on sale. Mercury Drug Store uses this as an example. We have so many damages in the environment due to plastics.
I hope all items which I researched on in this column are put to good use.
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