CABAYUGAN, Calape – The seven puroks in this hinterland barangay of Calape were the recent beneficiaries of healthy female carabaos which the farmer-beneficiaries greatly welcomed to support their livelihood thru farming.
The carabao dispersal was made possible thru the Countryside Development Program-Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM) of the provincial government of Bohol. Gov. Edgar Chatto personally turned over the seven carabaos to the barangay officials then to the purok leaders-beneficiaries during the recent mini agri-HEAT caravan, medical and dental outreach at said barangay.
Brgy Capt. Juanita Carajay was profuse in her thanks to the governor for the PPM’s presence in her barangay saying that a lot has improved in their area since the PPM came. And this caravan and outreach is just one tangible proof of the promise of the provincial government that services and development will be brought to the front yard of every barangay to help the constituents achieve the socio-economic development, which is also the main thrust of the CDP-PPM.
But one long-term support the PPM brought to the barangay are the capacity development for its constituents down to the purok and sitios that empowers them to be better leaders through the purok sectoral working committees (SWCs).
Gov. Chatto, in his message said that one clear proof that a purok or sitio is capacitated and empowered and is united is just by looking at its purok centers. The structure may be modest but if it is strong and not reclining or tilting, clean and not unkempt and with bulletin or information boards present, it means the people in the purok gets to meet often and discuss about programs, even at their own level, that would improve their life. That the purok may not necessarily depend or wait for the barangay or the municipal officials to provide for all its needs. This is the essence of the CDP-PPM.
Though the governor admitted that unlike the rain that pours down from the heavens simultaneously, the implementation of the PPM in the barangays in the province is done by batches since the Prosperity Team (ProTeam) that will go and stay with the barangays will still have to capacitate the community through the capacity development trainings and creation of purok SWCs.
Aside from the carabaos, the residents also received 30 heads of native chicken, 100 bags of organic fertilizers, assorted vegetable seeds, rice seeds, coconut seedlings, free haircut and tuli from the 302nd Brigade and 47th Infantry Battalion, free dental services from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), free animal consultation and medicines from Office of Provincial Veterinarian (OPV), free consultation and medicines from the Medical Outreach Unit of the Office of the Governor.
Liza Quirog, chair of the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the CDP-PPM is grateful that the barangay officials and residents alike of Cabayugan appreciated and have benefited from the programs of the provincial government particularly the CDP-PPM.
CDP-PPM is a multi-sectoral socio-economic development program of the province being implemented in about 85 barangays in the province and is growing with the numerous requests from other barangays hoping CDP-PPM will also be implemented in their barangays. Being multi-sectoral, other government agencies that are members of the TWG handles the response of the request of the barangays depending on where the program is being anchored. For instance, for request on agricultural and livelihood assistance, the OPA handles this request and the OPV for the request on native chicken and carabaos.
When asked whether she is ready to be the subject of another issue due to the procurement of these carabaos and native chicken, Quirog said that she has always been confident in all procurements of the provincial government, such as that of the PPM since all procurements of the Capitol, including that of the carabaos are aboveboard since it underwent the usual bidding and procurement processes as required by law. Besides, it is the office concerned who handles the procurement processes of these.
For the carabao procurement, Quirog said that Johnny Samson of the OPV, who is also the provincial artificial insemination coordinator of the province, validated the capacity of the procured carabaos specifically for breeding purposes. Samson said that taken into consideration upon inspection were “the physical characteristic/external features such as body confirmation, structural soundness, health, hereditary defects, good mammary teats and no crooked tails. I also give importance to appearance, temperament, utero-genital and mammary system, feeding capacity and vigor. Besides, the physical characteristics, to check the reproductive system of animals, I conducted rectal palpation which is the most accurate examination of the utero-reproductive organ. For the animals I inspected, I even rejected three carabaos, there were either smaller and bigger in size, which I considered unfit for breeding,” Samson said. Those rejected by Samson were then replaced by the supplier with carabaos that passed the scrutinizing eyes of Samson based on national and international standards.
The procurements were done by the PGBh to respond to the requests of the barangays like the carabaos by virtue of resolutions it submitted to the province thru the PPM. (tltb)
TIARA BULILAN
Communicators Group