CSO-Church-LGU-Business sectors initiate formalizing of a Samar Development Agenda

By EMY C. BONIFACIO, Samar News.com
January 23, 2011

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  “Samar continues to languish in the yoke of underemployment as it is currently rated the 7th poorest province in the country. Unemployment/underemployment rates remain high; economic activities are limited and productivity low; commerce and industry have actually declined over the years; natural resources (esp. the forest and the sea) have been degraded; the people, especially in the rural villages are unserved and governance is largely ineffective and most often mired in corruption. We all feel that Samar development has been downhill for decades…” are Mr. Rene Nachura’s exact words to justify the need to convene the Samar Development Agenda Conference.

Samar personalities, like Charo Cabardo, Fr. Cesar Aculan, Rhet Piczon, Nestor Nachura, Mayor Lu Astorga, Fr. Noel Labendia, Mr. Luisito Uy, DA Raul Repulda, Erlinda Uy, Evette Nachura, Joson Ocenar, Ojie Acaba and Emy C. Bonfacio were among those present during a draft-concept presentation of the project at STI, Tacloban City last January 20, 2011.

Past initiatives undertaken by the various sectors to remedy and jump-start the strategic and integrated development of Samar, where results have been observed to be meager and disappointing, were assessed.

“The new administration’s promise to forge a “matuwid na daan” in order to end poverty is an opportunity that is being offered to Samarnons to give development another try. However, at this point in time, Samarnons must take the initiative into their own hands…want it, plan it and work on it,” Nachura added.

Having considered the urgency of convening a multi-sector gathering, a Samar Development Agenda Conference has been set on February 28 to March 1, 2011. The two-day conference-workshop is intended to mobilize the different sectors of the Samar people – citizenry, church, government and business – to start taking charge of their own development and destiny.

The Samar Development Agenda conference will be a gathering of more or less 50 individuals who will draw up a coherent, concrete and viable development “agenda” for the next five years (2011-2016). The conference will commit to promote and implement the agenda and present it to the P-Noy administration for the support of the National Government.

It was agreed that the agenda will not be a comprehensive strategic plan. It will be a set of deliberately chosen priority activities which must be done and accomplished within a given time-frame. The proposed agenda is also expected to be do-able and concrete, having wide-reaching and longer-lasting results and within clear strategic development framework that will contribute to its eventual realization.

It was made clear that the object of the agenda is both integral and integrated.

“Genuine development is not simply economic growth. It should be multi-faceted: meaning economic growth should be integrated with the social, political, environmental, psycho-cultural, religious and other dimensions of human and community life” Fr. Cesar Aculan stressed.

The development agenda is supposed to cover various categories such as the following: SIPPAD/SSPADE concerns on poverty alleviation, social services to include infrastructure, environment, governance and peace; NEDA and RDC 8 issues on Job Creation, enhanced social development with direct poverty alleviating measures, improved infrastructure and logistic support and good governance; and the DILG Guide for Local Development Planning which includes sectors on Land Use, Economy and Financing, Agri-Industrial, Human Development, Infrastructure Development and Development Administration.

Furthermore, the consideration of a Cluster approach to Agro-Enterprise Development as a possible framework for the development agenda will also be presented in the conference.

Mr. Raul Repulda of the Department of Agriculture shared his expertise through a briefing orientation on the cluster approach during the STI forum.

Preparations for the conference are on-going. After a thorough briefing on the project, members committed to take responsibility of the respective tasks. A more updated and factual presentation of Samar’s situation will be prepared, as basis for the workshop planning.

“We really appreciate the efforts being made by these sectors. Hopefully, these initiatives will challenge our provincial administration and come up with a more comprehensive community based development plans and programs that will sustainably alleviate the plight of 70% poor families in Samar. We are lagging behind in all aspects of development. We need to regain our lost dignity due to too much poverty and corruption. Now is the time for both the public and private sectors to work together for fruitful results. Hopefully, this forum will bring out participatory discussions and solutions to these social concerns. Not unless we help ourselves, we cannot expect help from outside…” was a businessman’s appeal to everyone as he emphasized the all-out support of his sector.

On the other hand, MATA-Samar expressed its support by documenting all related activities as its secretariat. The anti-corruption group was appreciative of this move knowing that the provincial government has long been incapable and remiss in sincerely delivering the basic needs of its constituents.