Insurgency-affected Negros Oriental villages benefit from government services

CEBU, Philippines — Sixteen barangays in Negros Oriental, which is threatened by insurgency, benefited from the country’s first ever “Dagyawan sa Barangay.”

The villages in four towns and two cities were the pilot areas for the implementation of the Dagyawan sa Barangay, which began on September 10, 2019 and concluded on November 22, 2019.

Dagyaw is a Hiligaynon word for “bayanihan” or togetherness.

Leocadio Trovela, director of the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas, said the department brought services closer to the insurgency-affected villages in an attempt to fight insurgency at the grassroots level.

He said Dagyawan is a solution seeking discussion or workshop to identify primary and secondary issues in the focused barangays.

“It is a tool for convergence for government agencies, local and national alike to demonstrate our commitment to the President’s call to end insurgency by the year 2022,” said Trovela.

DILG-7 partnered with the Negros Oriental Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for the project implementation in 16 villages.

Barangays Planas, Trinidad, Tacpao, Binobohan, Humay-Humay, Hinakpan, Imelda, and Sandayaom in Guihulngan City benefited from the Talakayan ng Mamamayan at Serbisyo Caravan from September 10 to 11.

On October 9, the caravan was held in Barangays Lumapao and Bayog in Canlaon City

This was followed by Barangay Tayak in Siaton on November 4; Barangays San Pedro and Talak in Santa Catalina town on November 5; Barangays Mayabon and Calango in Zamboanguita town on November 14, and Barangay Dobdon in Valencia on November 21-21.

The project, Trovela said, targets to bring good governance closer to the people through conducting one-stop shops for frontline services to remote villages.

The project also provides a venue for residents and members of the expanded Barangay Development Councils (BDCs) to thoroughly lay down through a solution-seeking workshop their concerns and recommendations on how to improve the delivery of basic services at the grassroots level, he added.

“It will not end there, we will complete the focus barangay development plan by January 2020 to mainstream in the plan and the priority issues and the suggested solutions,” he said.

Each BDC is required to submit a list of proposed programs and projects identifying priority plans.

“Mina-manage namin ang expectation ng community, baka akala nila mere dialogues lang, walang concrete actions so yung concrete actions will come in phases,” said Trovela.

Next year, DILG is also planning to hold a similar activity in Bohol province.  KQD (FREEMAN)