MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte

1Philippines Fourth Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals using CBMS Data - Province of Province of Marinduque

Province of AGUSAN DEL NORTE

Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs)Using CBMS Data

Province of Agusan Del Norte

2Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Agusan Del Norte

Province of Agusan del Norte

The continuous struggle to wipe out poverty from the face of the earth started, so to speak, when man lost his place in Eden. The disparity between the rich and the poor has continued to widen; the vicious cycle of poverty goes on. Poverty is as much a psychological and spiritual problem as it is an economic one. Is there a way out?

Several programs and philosophies have been advanced primarily to address the problem. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) program is one. While success is elusive, we must persevere in fi ghting the good fi ght.

If our fellowmen can at least meet their minimum basic needs and sustain that standard, our quest for a life of prosperity for all is already a dream come true.

Maybe not today, but the journey out of poverty has begun…

GLORIA L. PABILLORE Anti-Poverty Focal Person Agusan del Norte

Foreword


Preface

This report was prepared primarily to assess the extent by which the various players of the MDG program have accomplished their respective targets.

Owing to the unavailability of data, the report utilized data generated through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) using the Stata Software provided by the PEP-CBMS Network Team and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Similarly, the goals, indicators, and targets of the MDG and CBMS were manipulated in order to make both methodologies compliant with each other.

It is hoped that the result of the report will persuade leaders as well as other key players and stakeholders to consider achieving the targets of the MDG top priority.


Acknowledgments

This report is a collaborative product of institutions and individuals whose hearts go out to the plight of the vulnerable and the poor.

We specially thank the UNDP and PEP-CBMS team headed by Dr. Celia Reyes who provided invaluable assistance and constant mentoring to the provincial team, while meticulously helping us hone the MDG Report of Agusan del Norte.

We also acknowledge with deep gratitude the role played by the local government units (LGUs) under the leadership of the mayors, the full support of the barangay offi cials, and the active cooperation of the different technical working groups (TWGs) headed by the local planning and development coordinators for their untiring involvement in completing the CBMS surveys of their respective LGUs. The results of the surveys form a signifi cant part of the MDG report.

In the fi nal consultation, the Department of Education (DepEd), Provincial Social Welfare and Development Offi ce (PSWDO), Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), Provincial Veterinary (PVet), Public Attorney’s Offi ce (PAO), Provincial Planning and Develop-ment Offi ce (PPDO), and the Municipal/City Planning and Development Offi ce (M/CPDO) were instrumental in further enhancing the report. Thank you for your support.

Finally, we extend our sincerest appreciation to Provincial Governor Erlpe John M. Amante. His strong support and positive outlook inspired the writers to document the fi ndings of the MDG/CBMS report.

Above all, we thank the Almighty God for without Him nothing is possible.


The preparation of provincial MDGs reports is a critical step that Local Govern-ment Units (LGUs) have taken in the overall effort to localize the MDGs. As it is often said, the MDGs will be ‘won or lost’ at the local level given the conditions of uneven progress and disparities across regions and provinces in the country.

Beyond the national averages, one can see wide disparities on the gains in poverty reduction, universal education, child mortality and maternal health. This situation reinforces the notion that the progress of each province is just as important as the achievements of the country as a whole. After all, the Philippines’ progress towards the MDGs, is the sum of the efforts and gains of all LGUs.

By preparing provincial reports, LGUs are provided vital information on the status of the MDGs in their areas of infl uence. These reports are important

sources of information for planning, resource allocation and priority setting that LGUs are tasked under their mandate of effective local governance. Likewise, in the course of the preparation of the reports, the capacity of LGUs to collect, monitor and use data for decision making has been greatly enhanced. The reports also show how far the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) that UNDP has supported can go in terms of its use.

Against the backdrop of renewed optimism emanating from the new political leadership, this fi rst set of nine Provincial Reports on the MDGs is a timely and important milestone. The reports provide crucial insights on how to overcome the constraints in achieving the MDGs locally as the country gears towards the last stretch to attain the eight goals by 2015. They also emphasize the important role of active collaboration of political leaders, stakeholders, and donors in achieving the MDGs.

I wish to commend the nine Provincial Governments that prepared their reports – the Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Biliran, Camarines Norte, Eastern Samar, Marinduque, Romblon, Saran-gani and Siquijor Province – the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for working together in bringing about this important accomplishment.

With this initiative, it is hoped that other provinces will follow suit to attain nationwide support for the need to accelerate the pace of the achievement of the MDGs by 2015.

Dr. Jacqueline BadcockUN Resident Coordinator and

UNDP Resident Representative

s by 2015.

Dr Jacqueline Badcock

Message


Getting to where we want to go in our quest for a world free from poverty was what we dreamed of a decade ago when we embraced the purpose of the Millennium Development Goals. Leaders, communities, and nations continue to hold to that dream and hoped and believed that by 2015, we all would see a better tomorrow.

Reality, however, presents more challenges because many are still in want. Nations are still in dire need.

As a nation, how can we respond? Do we resign to hopelessness?The people of this province see a different picture, the picture of truth, the picture of oppor-

tunity, the picture of bounty and hope.The Millennium Development Goals, as enhanced by the Community-Based Monitoring

System, is a means to an end. It frames strategies that serve as our roadmap to where we want to go.

I take great pride of being an Agusanon and a Filipino. Despite the odds, we have always seen the better part of things. We have always emerged victorious.

The timeline of the MDG maybe drawing near yet we cannot be constrained by timelines. The work goes on…the challenge goes on. Let’s all run the race until no man is left in want.

The call is clear in the wisdom of the Creator who said: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that’s what you do unto me.” Let’s start from here and see that the future holds more promises and fulfi llment.

ERLPE JOHN M. AMANTE Governor

Message

Republic of the PhilippinesPROVINCE OF AGUSAN DEL NORTE

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR


Foreword Anti-Poverty Focal Person Gloria L. Pabillore .......................................

Preface ..................................................................................................................

Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................

Messages UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock ...............................

Agusan Del Norte Governor Erlpe John M. Amante ..............................

Table of Contents .................................................................................................List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................List of Tables .......................................................................................................List of Figures ......................................................................................................

Executive Summary ......................................................................................

Part 1. Provincial Profile 1. History ........................................................................................

2. Geo-physical Environment ............................................................. 3. Population and Social Environment ................................................ 4. Infrastructure/Utilities/Facilities ....................................................... 5. Economic Structure ....................................................................... 6. Local Institutional Capability ...........................................................

Part 2. Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Goal 1 - Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger ....................................................

Goal 2 - Achieve Universal Primary Education .......................................................

Goal 3 - Promote Gender Equality .......................................................................

2

3

4

5

6

791214

16

212223242629

33

46

54

Table of Contents


Goal 4 - Reduce Child Mortality ..........................................................................

Goal 5 - Improve Maternal Health ...........................................................................

Goal 6 - Combat HIV / AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases .......................................

Goal 7 - Ensure Environmental Sustainability ........................................................

Goal 8 - Develop a Global Partnership for Development .......................................

Part 3. Meeting the 2015 Challenge

Priority Programs and Policy Responses ...................................................... Financing the MDGs ................................................................................ Recommendations and Conclusions ..............................................................

Explanatory Text ..........................................................................................

Table of Contents

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76

81

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4Ps Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino ProgramAGUKAKABA Agusanong Kahugpungan sa Kababayen-anADN Agusan Del NorteAIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeAPI Annual Parasitic IncidenceBCG Bacille Calmette GuerinCBMS Community Based Monitoring SystemCDR Case Detection RateCEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against WomenCEDC Children in Especially Difficult CircumstancesCARI Control of Accute Respiratory InfectionDBP Development Bank of the PhilippinesDepEd Deparment of EducationDOLE Department of Labor and EmploymentDENR Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesDSWD Department of Social Welfare and DevelopmentDOH Department of HealthDOTS Directly Observed Treatment StrategyDPT Diphtheria, Pertussis and TetanusECCD Early Childhood Care and Development ProjectEU European UnionEVS Education Voucher SystemFHSIS Field Health Service Information SystemFIC Fully Immunized ChildrenGAD Gender and DevelopmentGASTPE Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private EducationHIV Human immunodeficiency virusHSRAG Health Sector Reform AgendaICARE - Invigorating Constituents and Reinforcing EmploymentICT Information and Communication TechnologiesIP Indigenous PeopleILO International Labor OrganizationKALAHI-CIDSS Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social ServicesKKPB Kooperatiba sa Kababayen-an sa Puting Bato

List of Acronyms


LASBUENASCAR Las Nieves, Buenavista, Nasipit and CarmenLBP Landbank of the PhilippinesLGU Local Government UnitLGPMS Local Governance Performance Management SystemMCP Maternal Care PackageMDG Millenium Development GoalM/CPDO Municipal/City Planning and Development OfficeMRDP Mindanao Rural Development ProgramMTDP Medium Term Development PlanNGO Non-Governmental Organization NPKC Nagkahiusang Pundok sa Kababyen-an sa CabadbaranNAPC National Anti-poverty CommissionNDHS National Demographic and Health SurveyNFA National Food AuthorityNSCB National Statistics Coordination BoardNTP Natiinal Tuberculosis ProgramODA Official Development AssistanceOFW Overseas Filipino WorkerOPV Oral Polio VaccinePEEDMO Provincial Economic Enterprise Development and Management OfficePGAN Provincial Govenrment of Agusan del NortePGMA President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo PHO Provincial Health OfficePIPH Province-Wide Investment Plan for HealthPPDO Provincial Planning and Development Office PPFP Provincial Physical Framework PlanPPMD Public-Private Mix DotsPTCA Parent-Teacher Community AssociationPSWDO Provincial Social Welfare and Development OfficePVet Provincial VeterinarySEA-K Self Employment Assistance – KaunlaranSEF Special Education FundSEZ Special Economic ZoneSIKAT School for Indigenous Knowledge and TraditionSPES Special Program for Employment of Students

List of Acronyms


SPISP Southern Philippines Irrigation Sector ProjectROI Return of InvestmentRHU Rural Health UnitTB TuberculosisTESDA Technical Education and Skills Development AuthorityTWG Technical Working Group UNDP United Nations Development ProgramUN-IFAD UN-International Fund for Agricultural DevelopmentUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentWHO World Health OrganizationWHSMP-PC WomenÊs Health and Safe Motherhood Project-Partnership Component

List of Acronyms


Table 1. Summary of Findings of MDG Indicator, Province of Agusan del Norte, 2007 Table 2. Land Area by MunicipalityTable 3. Provincial Offices and PersonnelTable 4. Revenue and ExpenditureTable 5. Expenditure by Service AreaTable 6. Inventory of General Categories of facilitiesTable 7. Magnitude and proportion of households and population living below poverty threshold, 2007Table 8. Magnitude and proportion of households and population living below food threshold, 2007Table 9. Poverty Gap Ratio, by, municipality, 2007Table 10. Employment Rate, municipality, 2007Table 11. Magnitude and proportion of population, who experienced food shortage, by municipality, 2007Table 12. Prevalence of underweight children 0-5 years of age, by municipality, 2007Table 13. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 6-12 years old enrolled in elementary, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 14. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 13-16 years enrolled in high school, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 15. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 6-16 years old enrolled in school, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 16. Literacy rate of 15-24 years old, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 17. Ratio of girls to boys in primary education, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 18. Ratio of girls to boys in secondary education, by municipality, 2007Table 19. Ratio of girls to boys in tertiary education, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 20. Ratio of literate females to males aged 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007Table 21. Magnitude and proportion children aged 0 to less than 5 years old who died, by sex, urbanity and municipality, 2007Table 22. Magnitude and proportion of Infants who died, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 23. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 1 to less than 5 years old who died, by sex, urbanity and municipality, 2007Table 24. Magnitude and proportion of infants who received at least one immunization, by urbanity and municipality, 2007

List of Tables


List of Tables

Table 25. Magnitude and proportion of women deaths due to pregnancy-related causes, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 26. The leading causes of maternal mortality in Agusan del Norte, 2008Table 27. Magnitude and proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 28. Maternal care services provided, by municipality, 2008Table 29. Magnitude and Proportion of couples who use contraception, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 30. Magnitude and proportion of couples using condoms among those who are practicing contraception, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 31. Death rates associated with malaria, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 32. Death rates associated with tuberculosis, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 33. Forestland Use, 2004Table 34. Proportion of terrestrial and protected, marine areas yearTable 35. Magnitude and proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipality, 2007Table 36. Magnitude and proportion of population with access to sanitary toilet facilities, by municipality, 2007Table 37. Magnitude and proportion of population who are informal settlers, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 38. Magnitude and proportion of population living in makeshift housing, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 39. Magnitude and proportion of population living in inadequate livingconditions, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 40. Number of Botika ng Barangay Outlets, by municipality, 2007Table 41. Magnitude and Proportion of households with landlines/telephone lines, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 42. Magnitude and proportion of households with cellphones, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 43. Magnitude and proportion of households with computers, by municipality and urbanity, 2007Table 44. The CBMS-MDG Indicators and their DefinitionTable 45. Poverty and Food Threshold


List of Figures

Figure 1. Location Map of Agusan del NorteFigure 2. Proportion of households with income below poverty threshold, by urbanityFigure 3. Map on proportion of households with income below poverty thresholdFigure 4. Proportion of households with income below food threshold, by urbanityFigure 5. Map on proportion of households with income below food thresholdFigure 6. Map on Poverty Gap RatioFigure 7. Employment Rate by sexFigure 8. Map on employment RateFigure 9. Proportion of households who experiences food shortage, by urbanityFigure 10. Map on Proportion of households who experienced food shortageFigure 11. Map on Prevalence of underweight children under 5 years oldFigure 12. Map on Proportion of children 6-12 years old enrolled in elementaryFigure 13. Map on Proportion of children 13-16 years old enrolled in secondaryFigure 14. Proportion of children 6-16 years old enrolled in school, by urbanityFigure 15. Map on Proportion of children 6-16 years old enrolled in schoolFigure 16. Map on Literacy rate of 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007Figure 17. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in primary education Figure 18. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in secondary educationFigure 19. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in tertiary educationFigure 20. Map on Ratio of literate females to males (15-24 years old)Figure 21. Proportion of seats held by women Figure 22. Map on Proportion of seats held by womenFigure 23. Map on Proportion of children 0 to less 5 years who diedFigure 24. Map on Proportion of infants who diedFigure 25. Map on Proportion of children 1 to less than 5 years old who diedFigure 26. Map on Proportion of infants given at least one immunizationFigure 27. Map on Proportion of women who died with pregnancy related causesFigure 28. Trend in Place of Deliveries, Agusan Del Norte, 2001-2008Figure 29 Trend in attendance at deliveries (by category of attendance) Agusan del Norte 2001-2008Figure 30. Map on proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel


List of Figures

Figure 31. Map on proportion of couples who are using contraceptionFigure 32. Map on deaths associated with TuberculosisFigure 33. Map on deaths associated with MalariaFigure 34. Map on proportion of couples using condom among those who are practicing contraceptionFigure 35. Map on proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipalityFigure 36. Map on proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipalityFigure 37. Map on proportion of population with access to sanitary toilet facilities, by urbanityFigure 38. Map on proportion of population who are informal settelersFigure 39. Map on proportion of population living in makeshift housingFigure 40. Map on proportion of population living in inadequate living conditionsFigure 41. Map on proportion of households with landlines/telephonesFigure 42. Map on proportion of households with cellphonesFigure 43. Map on proportion of households with computers Figure 44. CBMS Coverage in the Philippines (as of May 12, 2010)


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

Since the Philippines fi rst resolved to adopt the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it has made encouraging strides, particularly towards the attainment of targets on reducing extreme poverty; child mortality; the incidence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; on improving gender equality in education, households’ dietary intake, and access to safe drinking water.

Underpinning these gains are two facts. First, the MDGs have been tightly integrated into the Medium-Term Philippine Develop-ment Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010, thus allowing government strategies, policies, and action plans to simultaneously address national and MDG targets. Second, the government has continually closely monitored its own rate of progress in MDG indicators and used this information to fi ne-tune its planning and implementation, especially to ensure effective implementation at the local level.

Nevertheless, serious challenges and threats remain with regard to targets on maternal health, access to reproductive health services, nutrition, primary education, and environ-mental sustainability. Also, glaring disparities across regions persist as do severe funding constraints.

The overall probability of attaining the targets remains high, though dependent largely on the confl uence of several factors, among them: scaling up of current efforts in all target areas; more effi cient synchronization and allocation of available limited resources, including mobilization of additional resources; and stronger advocacy for MDG implemen-tation and enhanced capability to actually implement the MDGs at the local level. (UNDP MDG Report)

The MDG report of Agusan del Norte is a combination of the results drawn from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) survey conducted in 2007 as well as data from agencies and other stakeholders at various levels.

Part I of this report presents the profi le of the province including its natural and physical endowments. It also describes the status as well as the capacities of its human resources. The information in the provincial profi le was used in analyzing the gaps that needed to be fi lled in order to attain the objectives of the MDG.

Part II discusses the status and trends of each goal and presents current programs and policies that the local governments have been pursuing


in order to attain the goals of the MDG. In this part, various challenges confronting the program are also discussed in order to guide implementers and stakeholders in strategizing how the program goals can best be attained. Finally, the discussion presented good practices that reinforce goal attainment.

Finally, Part III of this report presents strate-gies and suggests programs, projects, and activities that the province believes can bridge

the gap between actual accomplishment and the targeted goal.

The results suggest that there are some encouraging accomplishments and some areas posing great challenge for the remaining fi ve years. There is a clear need for political leaders and stakeholders, with the help of donors, to take urgent and concerted action to realize the basic promises of the MDGs in the lives of the people in the province, specifi cally the poor.


Good News:• Employment rate was high at 95.9 percent

with only 4.1 percent of the labor force not employed. Employment as defined in this survey did not take into account underem-ployment. This could be one of the reasons why many of the municipalities with high employment rates still have high poverty incidence. Farming and agricultural labor, as well as other unskilled labor, are among the most common sources of income of low-paid laborers.

• Among children aged 0-5 years old, only 3.7 percent were underweight. This fi gure is way lower than the 2015 national target of 17.25 percent.

• About 97.6 percent of the population aged 15-24 years old were literate or able to read and write simple messages in any language or dialect.

• Mortality rate for children aged 1 to less than 5 years old is only 0.4 percent while infant mortality rate registered at 3.4 percent.

• Majority (83.2%) of infants (0-1 year old) have received at least one immunization out of the usual package provided by the province, which include: BCG; DPT 1, 2, and 3; OPV 1, 2, and 3; Hepa 1, 2, and 3; and measles. The low infant mortality rate may also be attributed to the high proportion of immunized infants.

• Proportion of informal settlers and those living in makeshift housing was low at only 3.1 percent of the province’s total population.

• Proportion of women who held elective seats in the province for the elective term 2007-2010 was 32.5 percent. This is a good sign that more women are elected for baran-gay, municipal, and provincial positions.

Not-So-Good-News:• Ratio of girls to boys in primary education is

0.9. The girls’ advantage over the boys slightly widened with the ratio of 1.1 in the secondary

and tertiary levels. A slight difference between girls and boys, in favour of boys, is also noted in terms of literacy rate among population aged 15-24 years old at 0.9.

• Maternal health is improving in view of the fact that only 0.4 percent of women died due to pregnancy- related causes. However, previous data show erratic changes, which remain an area concern for the province.

• In 2007, about 34.8 percent of the total households in the province had cell phones. This percentage has been expected to increase in the future primarily due to the presence of additional cellular sites covering almost all areas in the province. Such development is likely to boost the number of cellular phone subscribers.

Posing great challenge:

• About 62 percent of the total population is living below the poverty threshold, set at PhP13,059 per person per year for rural areas and PhP14,964 for urban areas. Moreover, proportion of rural households living below the poverty threshold is relatively higher (58%) than the proportion of urban households (48%).

• Almost half of the population (48.7%) is living below the subsistence threshold. These are individuals whose income did not meet the required minimum annual food basket amounting to PhP9,208 for rural areas and PhP10,258 for urban areas. In terms of urban/rural classification, similar trend can be observed where proportion of rural households living below the food threshold (at 45%) is relatively higher than that of urban households (at 33%).

• Achieving universal primary education has been a great challenge because almost 22 percent of children aged 6-12 years old were not enrolled in elementary school. This


resulted in a higher proportion (almost 43%) of children aged 13-16 who were not enrolled in high school. However, among children aged 6-16, only 15.1 percent were not attending elementary or high school. The reason for this is that some children were enrolled but not in the specifi ed level for their age.

• Proportion of population engaged in family planning methods was only 34 percent.

• Results showed that proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel was only 43 percent

• Proportion of couples using condoms among those practicing contraception was low at only 1.7%.

• In 2007, death rates associated with malaria was reported to be 1.8 per 100,000 population. Death rates associated with tuberculosis was also high at 20.6 per 100,000 population.

• Fifteen percent of the total population had no access to safe drinking water, and nearly 16 percent of the total population had no access to sanitary toilets.

• In 2007, the province was still lagging in terms of ownership of landlines/telephone lines and computers, with only 5.4 percent of households having telephone lines or landlines while only 5.1 percent of them have computers.

To operationalize the initiatives of the province, local funding has to include the activities of the MDG in budgeting. Other fi nancial institutions could also be considered as sources of funds while grants from Offi cial Development Assistance (ODA) should be tapped.

The private sector can also fund the programs and projects of the MDG. Budget linkages among stakeholders can also enhance further

implementation of the interventions stipulated in the MDG.

If the 2015 MDG targets were to make a signif-icant impact in the lives of the poor, the challenge lies in how formal institutions will harness human, physical, and fi nancial resources.

Poverty is a societal ill that deprives humans of dignity. It is a problem not only of the poor but of all.

The province of Agusan del Norte will maintain and sustain the course with added thrust in doable areas and more strategic approaches in difficult areas. All good practices will be continued and replicated. The universal coverage of PhilHealth Insur-ance will be expanded. Skills training thru TESDA will also be programmed to cover more of the workforce. Global competition will be viewed as a challenge to improve productivity and to institute more effective safety nets. Problems in peace and order will be given comprehensive solutions attuned to development efforts. The integrity of the environment will be given proper and equal importance in the implementation of poverty-alleviation measures.

A moral recovery program will also be revived as a component of development.

As a showcase of good governance, cost effectiveness, transparency, and accountability will be guiding principles in the construction of much-needed physical facilities.

Finally, the central focus in meeting the MDG challenge is never unattainable for as the Good Book says, “With God, nothing is impossible.”


Part 1. Provincial Profile

1. Location and History

1.1. Location Agusan del Norte is located 9 degrees north

latitude and 125 degrees and 30 minutes east longitude on the northeastern part of Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by Butuan Bay and Surigao del Norte; on the east by Surigao del Sur; on the south by Agusan del Sur and on the west by Misamis Oriental. It is one of the four provinces of northeastern Mindanao (Region 13).

1.2. Historical Development The province was created on June 17, 1967

by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 4979, a legisla-tive action authored by the late Congressman Jose C. Aquino.

The place was carved out of what was then just one Agusan province. The territory was split into two and Agusan del Sur was also created as Agusan del Norte rose as one of the provinces of the country.

Butuan City, which used to be a component city of Agusan del Norte, was designated as capital and seat of government of Agusan del Sur. When Republic Act 8811 was enacted in 2000, Cabadbaran became the new capital and administrative center of the province.

Until 1911, Agusan, then named Butuan, was under the jurisdiction of Surigao. It was

Figure 1. Location map of Agusan Del Norte


separated from Surigao with the passage of RA 1693. That separation gave birth to Agusan as a province.

Agasan (where water fl ows), an allusion to the mighty river, the Agusan River, that cuts through the area is widely believed to be the origin of the name Agusan.

The ances tors o f the presen t -day Mamanwas were the aborigines of the place. The first wave of Malay immigrants from Borneo and the Celebes drove them to the hinterlands.

The Spaniards, the Americans, and the Japanese occupied the province in the histori-cal wars that also saw the rising up in arms by the Agusanons.

Gumersindo Flores led the Agusanons in the war against the Spaniards at the turn of the 19th century. Victory was attained but it was cut short by the invading Americans.

The province was under direct American military control until 1913. In 1914, the fi rst Filipino governor under the Commonwealth government was appointed in the person of Teofi sto Guingona.

In 1923, an election was held and Apolonio D. Curato became the fi rst elected governor. He served a three-year term. Jose Rosales was elected next for two terms. In 1936, Mariano Atega got elected and governed the province. Agustin Casinas succeeded Atega but his term was cut short by the Japanese occupation. A certain General Aguirre took the post.

When liberation came, Curato once again got the governorship for a year. Servando

Jongko won in the election that was held in 1947.

Felixberto Dagani served as governor from 1950-59, then Democrito Plaza in 1960-63. Jose Aquino got the post in 1964 but gave up the position in 1966 when he ran for Congress. His vice governor, Consuelo V. Calo, took over and got elected in 1967. Calo held the position through the martial law years until 1986 when the revolutionary government of President Corazon Aquino that booted out then President Ferdinand Marcos through people power took over. Jose T. Gonzales served as OIC governor of the province as the country reconstituted the foundations of democracy following years of martial rule. Death, however, limited his stewardship to only a year. Jesus Delfi n fi nished Gonzales’ watch. Eduardo L. Rama won in the fi rst elections conducted after the ouster of Marcos. He held the position for two terms. Maria Angelica Rosedell M. Amante got elected as governor in 1995 and served until June 2004.

Erlpe John M. Amante got the post in the 2004 elections and now steers the province to i ts desired development.

2. Topography and Climate

2.1. Topography of Agusan del Norte The province is made up predominantly of

fl at and rolling lands (0-18% slope) bounded by mountain ranges on its eastern and western parts, and Lake Mainit in the northeastern part. The eastern mountain range, composed of Mt. Mabaho (1,823 m asl) and Mt. Hilong-hilong (2,012 m asl), straddle the Agusan del Norte-Surigao del Sur-Agusan del Sur boundary. Another mountain range serves as the boundary with the province of Misamis


Oriental on the west. The most prominent peaks in this mountain range are Mt. Indocay (1,243 m asl), Mt. Piglagahan (810 m asl) and Mt. Camagong (576 m asl). Found between the municipality of Buenavista and Butuan City is Mt. Mayapay which has an elevation of 675 m asl.

These mountain ranges are estimated to cover 16,140.14 hectares, some slopes on which are very steep (i.e., >50% slope). Lake Mainit, which Agusan del Norte shares with Surigao del Norte, is one of the largest lakes in Mindanao and is the country’s third largest lake.

The 105 km coastline is generally rocky with occasional stretches of sandy or gravel beaches. Several embayments are gradually being fi lled up with alluvial materials, which tend to produce small tracts of coastal plains (ADN-Environmental Management Plan).

2.2. Land Area by Municipality The total land area of the province is

273,024 hectares. Las Nieves has the largest land proportion at 58,269 hectares, which is 21.34% of the total land area of the province.

This is followed by Buenavista, which covers 47,561 hectares, or 17.42% of the total land area of the province.

The municipality of Magallanes has the smallest land area at 4,431 hectares, or 1.62% of the land area of the province.

2.3. Climate Type The province has Type II climate, which

means that it does not have a defi nite dry season. Instead, it has a very pronounced rainy season that typically lasts from November to February. The average annual temperature is 26.5°C, and the average annual humidity is 84.6%.

3. Population and Social Development

3.1. Population DensityThe province has a population density of 1

person per hectare or around 101 per square kilometer. The municipality of Magallanes has the highest population density at 393 persons per square kilometer, while the agricultural municipality of Las Nieves is the least densely populated at 37 persons per square kilometer, or 1 person per 2.5 hectares.

3.2. Population Growth TrendPopulat ion growth showed a

decreasing trend within a fi ve-year period from 1990 to 2005. The 2.44% growth rate in 1990 declined to 1.42% in 2005 and further to 1.11% in 2007. However, there was a continuous increase in population size from 285,570 in 2000 (49% of which were females and 51% of which were males) to 306,429 in 2005. The projected population of the province for 2015 is 337,898.


3.3. Ethnicity, Languages and Dialects, Religion Out of the 285,065 individuals in the popula-

tion who acknowledged religious affi liation in 2000, a total of 214,640 or 75.30% were Roman Catholics. Nine hundred ninety-nine individuals had no known religious affi liation. It is worth noting that 99% of the total popula-tion of the province is diversely affi liated with certain religions.

4. Infrastructure, Utilities and Support Facilities

4.1. Hospitals and Clinics It is standard for all the municipalities in the

province to have health stations distributed to the barangays, or what are commonly called Barangay Health Stations (BHSs). There are 104 BHSs throughout the province.

Regarding secondary and tertiary health facilities, the Jabonga and the Kitcharao District Hospitals serve the medical needs of the easternmost municipalities of the province while the Cabadbaran District Hospital serves the central towns. The Nasipit District Hospital serves the populace of the western towns and the Las Nieves Municipal Hospital caters to health needs of the residents in this interior area. The provincial hospital located in Butuan City serves as the tertiary health facility of the province.

These public hospitals are complemented by a number of private hospitals. Some private clinics also serve the populations of the municipalities where they are located. These private clinics include Ramirez, Udarbe’s, and Rodriguez Clinics in Cabadbaran; St. Joseph Medical Clinic in Nasipit; and Clinica Nazaret in Magallanes. These geographi-cally dispersed hospital units have adequate

equipment and facilities to serve the provincial population while the hospitals in Butuan City serve as complement, especially for emergency cases or those cases that need specialized care and immediate treatment (PPFP, 2003-2012).

The provincial health offi ce reported that there were 405 medical and paramedical personnel in the province in 2005, of which 45% were employed by the government while the rest worked in private establishments and in fi eld service.

4.2. Fire Stations There are a total of eight fi re stations located

in the municipalities of Buenavista, Cabadba-ran, Jabonga, Kitcharao, Magallanes, and Nasipit. Butuan City has two fi re stations and Ampayon, one.

4.3. WaterA total of 56,262 or 85.23% of the house-

holds have access to safe drinking water. The dominant sources of drinking water are shared community water systems (29.75%); shared deep wells (23.95%); and owned community water systems (13.25%). Shared and owned artesian wells, shared and owned shallow wells, bottled water, tankers, and truck/peddlers are the other sources of potable drinking water. The two water districts operat-ing in the province are Buenavista Water District and Nasipit Water District, which serve 3,693 households and 5,260 households, respectively.

Only 3,239 hectares, or 14.82%, of the 21,868 hectares devoted to rice farms are covered by the irrigation system. In reality, the coverage is actually much smaller since only 1,743 hectares of those covered by irrigation are operational.


4.4. PowerThe sole major power substation in the

province is operated by the Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO), the District IV Northeastern Mindanao Area, which is located in Lawis, Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte. Its capacity is 1x50MVA. The province has also four substations; namely, Soriano substation, Santiago substation, Manapa substation, and Kinabjangan substation. The capacity of each substation is 5MVA. The Santiago substation has the highest service area coverage of four municipalities--Kitcharao, Jabonga, Santiago, and Tubay.

Data from 2005 show that 100% of the barangays (166 in all) were served by power facilities, but only 42,281 households, or 74.65%, had electric connections. Cabad-baran had the most number of household connections at 96.71%, while Tubay had the lowest at 50.31%.

4.5. Environmental Support FacilitiesThe dike system of the province secures

several coastal zones, rivers, and some portion of the Lake Mainit area. The areas they cover, however, are generally short compared to the expanse of settlements uncontrollably mushrooming in danger zones. Vast agricul-tural areas in the Lake Mainit town also need protection from outfl ows both from the lake and its tributaries.

4.6. TelecommunicationsAll the municipalities and roughly 50%

of the barangays in the province have access to telecommunication services. Ten municipalities and one city have cell sites. Only eight of the municipalities have landline telephone systems, but all have public calling offi ces. There are four telephone companies serving Agusan del Norte; namely, BAYAN

Telecommunications, Philcom, Cruz Telephone Company, and Department of Transportation and Communication. BAYAN Telecommunica-tion has the most lines.

Aside from telephone facilities, all munici-palities also have postal and telecom services and radio communication networks. Eight have telegraph/telex services.

Cabadbaran and the municipality of Kitcharao have radio stations while the rest of the municipalities receive broadcast signals from radio stations in Butuan and Cebu. All the municipalities also have television signals and at least six have cable television services.

None of the municipalities is host to a publishing entity, but local and national newspapers and magazines are circulated in all these places.

4.7. TransportationThe province is adequately linked to neigh-

boring provinces and other entry points in Mindanao by land. It is also within a few minutes from the regional airport in Butuan City for travel to Manila and other destinations in the country. By sea, it is billed as the premier entry and exit point to and from the island of Mindanao due to its being host to the Nasipit Port, a facility of international standard.

4.8. Land Transport The 1,090-kilometer road system of the

province is still short by 167 kilometers when compared to the standards of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). The shortage is about 36 kilometers in the rural areas and 131 kilometers in the urban areas.

The road-adequacy level of Agusan del Norte is 86.71%. The agricultural areas have


96.45% adequacy in road length, while the urban areas have only 45.64%. Las Nieves lacks rural roads; Nasipit and Magallanes, urban roads. Based on the materials these roads are made of, the reliability level of the system is 26%. Only 281 kilometers of the roads are cemented.

Sixty-seven bridges with a total length of 2,734 lineal meters connect the national and provincial roads. These bridges are made of reinforced concrete girder, steel, bailey, and footbridge.

4.9. Marine Transport The province has a seaport of international

standard. It has facilities that are more than adequate to cope with current passenger and cargo volumes. It is now embarking on a major expansion program to meet future demands. Needing attention is the river transport system for the municipalities of Las Nieves and Magallanes, which still have substandard wharves. At least 37 pump boats and other forms of river transport are serving the Magallanes area. River transport is not available for the Las Nieves route at the moment. Instead, it can be reached by two road links whose conditions badly need improvement.

4.10. Air Transport A regional airport is serving the province

through Butuan City. Two air transport outfi ts—Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacifi c—serve the place with two daily fl ights each to Manila and fi ve fl ights a week to Cebu.

4.11. Banking InstitutionsBanking institutions operating in Agusan

del Norte include the Land Bank of the Philippines (LPB), Enterprise Bank, Coopera-tive Bank, which also have satellite offi ces

in Cabadbaran; Green Bank of Caraga, which has satellite offi ces in Cabadbaran, Kitcharao, and Nasipit; Development Bank of the Philippines; Banco Buenavista; United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB); and Butuan City Rural Bank, Inc.

These banking institutions offer, through their satellite offi ces, savings and loans (among other services) to community-based organiza-tions and cooperatives, client calls or agents, and walk-in clients.

5. Economic StructureAgusan del Norte is well-endowed physi-

cally and naturally which could be an envy to other places. The province is ideally located outside the typhoon path, having its own natural mountain barriers. The area has balance terrain of mountains, valleys, shore-lines, and large fresh bodies of water. The province is blessed to have the great Agusan River traversing from the hinterland town of Las Nieves down to coastal town of Magallanes. The place is also home to Lake Mainit, the 3rd largest lake of the country. One thing you would like in the place is its being accessible easily by sea, land, or air.

Basically, the province’ economy is still agricultural, as evidenced by its being the top rice producer in Caraga Region. The province has competitive advantage in banana, abaca and mango. It is also open to investments in cassava, oil palm, and sugar cane, abaca, and other high value crops.

But aside from agriculture, there are other industries present or with huge potential for growth in the province such as: commercial tree plantation, stonecraft, lime production, mining, and tourism. The province also has its two economic zones, the Tubay Agro-


processing Center in Tubay and Nasipit, Agusan del Norte Industrial Estate.

In mining, two large companies are operat-ing in the province. They are : 1) SR Metals fully operating in Tubay and 2) MRL Corp. , who is on exploratory and pre-operating activities.

In terms of tourism, the province of Agusan del Norte have many beautiful and generally unspoiled beaches such as in the town of Carmen, Buenavista, Nasipit, Cabadbaran City and all other towns in the province. It also has the majestic Mount Hilong-Hilong in Cabadbaran, one of the tallest in Agusan del Norte. You will also fi nd in Magallanes the one and only 500 year old plus Bitaug tree also known as the “Philippine Centen-nial Tree”. And of course, there are the magnifi cent Agusan River and Lake Mainit that beckons you.

The province is also actively implementing the One Town One Product (OTOP) Program identifying abaca as its priority product. Aside from abaca, it is also supporting other OTOP priority products/services from its component city and towns such as mango, cassava, virgin coco oil, organic rice, and tourism services.

5.1. Agricultural Crops Production The province has a total agricultural land

of 64,374.01 hectares planted to a variety of crops majority with rice, corn, coconut, abaca, banana and mango. Classified as other agricultural crops include cassava, durian, pineapple, coffee, vegetables and rootcrops.

Major agricultural crops planted occupies an aggregate 60,818.56 hectares or 94.47% of the total agricultural land. The remaining 3,555.45 hectares or 5.53% of the land are planted to other agricultural crops.

Coconut covers the largest area and production with 36,093.36 hectares and 81,444.98 metric tons respectively.

Banana comes in second with 7,207.50 hectares with a corresponding production of 43,924.92 metric tons.

Rice is third with 6,393.75 hectares planted. Its production of 23,492.53 metric tons is slightly surpassed by mango which has a production of 26,151.81 metric tons.

As for other crops, coffee covers the largest area with 1,632 hectares or equivalent to more than 45% of the total area in Other Agricultural Crops. The rest of the crops are distributed unevenly accross areas in the province with Pineapple getting the least area at 47 hectares planted equivalent to a mere 1.32 % of the total other agricultural area of 3,555.45 hectares.

5.2. Employment, By Type of Business/Industry, 2007

The employment is divided into 3 major sectors: the Agri-Fishery & Forestry Sector, the Industry Sector and the Services Sector.

The entire share of employment per munici-pality and business or industry in the province of Agusan del Norte clearly shows the total provincial employment at 77,316.

The large sector in Services with its various sub-sectors obviously has the highest share in total provincial employment at 42.54%. It employs a total 33,882 from the total provincial employment of 77,315.

The basic sector in Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry ranks a close second in the employment industry of the province of Agusan del Norte


accounting for 39.11% of the total provincial employment or 30,239 individuals employed.

The industry sector in Mining & Quarrying, Manufacturing, Utilities and Construction shared the least contribution in employment at 18.35 % or 14,194 individuals employed.

Although the sector in Services ranks fi rst in the share of provincial employment, it is viewed as so by the sheer number of its sub-sectors and does not practically drive the economy of the province. The main thrust of the province now is the promotion and development of the basic sector in Agricul-ture, Fishery & Forestry which contributes a signifi cant near 40% of the total provincial employment.

The sub-sector Construction leads the Industry Sector with 5,433 employed or 7.02% of the total provincial employment followed by Mining & Quarrying with 3,312 employed.

Wholesale, Retail and Trade leads the Services Sector with 8,902 employed or 11.51% of the total provincial employment. Transportation, Storage & Communication with 5,351 or 6.92% followed.

Contributing the least share of employment is the Hotel & Restaurant Services.

The municipality of Buenavista shares the largest employment in the Agro-Fishery-Forestry Sector with 5,367 followed by Las Nieves with 4,695 and Cabadbaran with 4,200.

Cabadbaran shares the highest employ-ment in Mining & Quarrying with 1,428.

The relatively small but industrial town of

the province, Magallanes, has the largest employment in Manufacturing with 2,026

5.3. Patterns of Industries Concentration and Specialization

The Agro-Forestry and Fishery sector is dominated by Buenavista, Cabadbaran, Carmen and Tubay. All with access to municipal marine resources.

Mining and Quarrying industry is dominat-ed by Cabadbaran, Tubay and Santiago.

Manufacturing industry is concentrated in Magallanes, Cabadbaran and Buenavista.

Electric, Water and Gas industry is compet-itively shared by Nasipit and Cabadbaran.

Construction industry is most active in Buenavista, Nasipit and Cabadbaran.

Wholesale, Retail and Trade is closely contend-ed by Cabadbaran, Buenavista and Nasipit.

Hotel, and Restaurant business is most engaged in Cabadbaran, Buenavista, Nasipit and Carmen.

Transportation, Communication and Storage servces is prominent in Buenavista, Cabadbaran and Nasipit.

Financial Intermediaries and all the other remaining services is paced by the city of Cabadbaran with Buenavista and Nasipit following second and third.

The towns of Buenavista and Las Nieves are the top two employment contributors in the Agriculture & Forestry Sector in the province contributing 17.62% and 17.12%


respectively. The city of Cabadbaran ranks third with 13.63% share and Jabonga, fourth, with 10.14%.

Buenavista consistently shares the biggest in the Fishing Sector with 18.76% followed by Cabadbaran City and the lakeside town of Jabonga with 15.95% and 15.74% respectively.

Magallanes, being the industrial town of the province, naturally shares the least employ-ment contribution in that sector with 1.32%.

Cabadbaran dominates the Mining and Quarrying with a 43.12% share in the provin-cial industry.

Buenavista, Nasipit and Cabadbaran City are closely competitive by combinely acquiring more than half (51.83%) of the Construction industry.

Magallanes accounts for 44.50% share in the total Manufacturing industry in the province.

Nasipit got the largest share in the Electricity, Gas and Water Supply industry with 26.45% paced by Cabadbaran city with 25%.

Cabadbaran obtained the largest share in the Wholesale & Retail, Trade and Vehicle Repair industry at 29.70% and the Hotel and Restaurant services with 33.46%. However, Buenavista edges Cabadbaran in the Trans-portation, Storage and Communication with 27.55%.

The rest of the remaining Services Sector are competitively dominated by Cabadbaran City and Buenavista.

6. Local Institutional CapabilityThe Provincial Government attends to its

role as called for by its obligations in the country’s administrative structure. But due to pressing demands the focus of its interven-tions has been spread so thinly resulting to limitations in its drive to attain the desired provincial development settings.

6.1. ServicesBy its offi ces and programs, the provincial

administration has devoted much of its resources to social services, a primary respon-sibility of the municipalities.

Also more visible is its support for adminis-trative facilities, specifi cally transport.

It has worked on some environmental services, mainly in supporting the planning activities of municipalities.

Economic services are generally confi ned to agriculture, infrastructure and economic enterprise. Its support for other economic activities was high but waned in the years that followed, leaving the economic sector with commitments for partnership in areas where the hands of the provincial government is most needed.

6.2. OfficesAll the mandatory provincial off ices

under the Local Government Code are functioning in the province. But provinces have their own peculiarities and going beyond what is set in the code is one remarkable thing to do.

The agriculture offi ce for instance, specifi -cally attends to the needs of the other sectors of the economy. The Provincial Economic Enterprise Development and Management Offi ce (PEEDMO) on the other hand attends to the effort at generating more revenues.


6.3. PersonnelThe province is adequately manned by a

total of 839 personnel. Of this number, 544 or 64.83% are running the direct services (social, 328 and economic, 216). A total of 210 or 25.03% are manning the operational, fi scal and administrative support functions. The other 85 or 10.13% are handling policy-making task.

By their qualifi cations, most of the provincial personnel are competent in attending to their functions. A total of 675 or 80.45% of them have college education, 634 or 75.56% are civil service eligible.

The province’s Human Resource Develop-ment Program, however, needs to be insti-tutionalized. Fortunately, capability-building activities like training, specialized studies, including study tours and scholarships in foreign countries have been occasionally offered especially for key personnel. Such initiatives can further be aligned in the context of knowledge and skills build up required along the strategic development direction of the province.

6.4. Financial ResourcesGenerating a modest local revenue and

largely dependent on national aid to fi nance its operations, the province has opted to avail of loans to augment funding for provincial operations.

A second class province, Agusan del Norte generated a little over Php77,464,951.32 in local income in 2000 which included a Php55 million loan. This fi gure represented 1.36% of its GDP of Php5.77 billion. Such revenue generation performance refl ects an erratic trend that grew by 23% in the 1996-1997 period, dropped to 13.96% in 1997-1998 and drastically increased to 40.35% on year 2000.

At 2% of its GDP, a benchmark some provinces are pursuing, Agusan del Norte is supposed to be already generating around Php115,352,659 in local revenues by now.

That local revenue level makes the province 91.54% dependent on Internal Revenue Allot-ment (IRA) which amounted to Php224,664,311 in the last year of the previous planning horizon. The national aid has so far been consistently increasing by an average of 19.27% since 1996.

A loan of Php55,000,000 was availed by the province in 2000 (a loan of Php6,881,757.69 was also availed in 1998) to augment provin-cial funds. That makes the province managing Php302,129,262.32 in funds during the period, 40.35% bigger than the Php215 million that it had in 1999.

6.5. Administrative FacilitiesThe provincial facility center for the province

is the Provincial Capitol in Butuan City. When the city became highly urbanized in the early 1980’s it started operating as an independent city. This made the provin-cial capitol operating “an embassy of Agusan del Norte in Butuan City”. In 2000, a law was passed transferring the provincial capitol and seat of the provin-cial government to the Municipality of Cabadbaran. The move realized for the province the priming of the municipality as the administrative and commercial


Table 3. The Provincial Offices and Personnel, 2002


center of the province. The actual transfer of its capitol building, however, has yet to be realized.

The province has adequate facilities that

could support its delivery of services. It has communication facilities, a mix of radio transmitters, landline and cellular phones. It is already “wired” and connected to the world. It has hardwares capable of handling and processing the complex information traffi c. Improving the connectivity of data between the province and the municipalities may have remained a concern but it is coping with it and the municipalities also catching up with a digitizing world.

Mobility-wise, vehicles adequately serve the province. Roads also link the municipali-ties to the seat of the operation of provincial government.

All the municipalities and barangays are also generally equipped with the required basic facilities for governance – Municipal Government Center, Barangay Halls and Multi-Purpose Centers and communication

facilities. At least 100 have multi-cabs for transport.

The province is not also wanting in tools for sound management. It has the aid of all the required plans and other documents called for in administrative standards. It has been assessing its annual performance through the LGPMS.


3333Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data PPrroovviinnccee ooff AAgguussaann DDeell NNoorrttee

Target 1.A: Halve between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.

A. Status and TrendsIn the early part of 2000, Agusan del Norte

was one of the members of Club 20 or the group of 20 poorest provinces in the country.

It “graduated” from this club in 2009, as indicated by data from the Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). In fact, Agusan del Norte even leapfrogged over the bottom 40 provinces.

In 2007, the province implemented a province-wide Community-Based Monitor-ing System (CBMS) with technical support

PART 2: Status Report on

the Millennium Development Goals

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger


from the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and PEP-CBMS. The following data and discussion of the poverty situation of the province are based on the CBMS results.

Proportion of Population Living Below Poverty Threshold

The fi rst round of the survey, the 2007 CBMS, conducted province-wide in Agusan del Norte showed that of the 56,262 households covered in the survey 31,516 (56.35%) had income below the poverty threshold which was set at P13,059 per person per year for rural areas and P14,964 for urban areas. In terms of population, 62% were living below the poverty threshold. Among the 11 municipalities, the highest incidence of poverty (84.6%) was in the lakeside town of Jabonga, while the lowest (51.9%) was in Cabadbaran. Jabon-

ga is a 3rd class municipality and the second farthest municipality to the north of Butuan City. As a lakeside town, Jabonga is dependent on fi shing as the source of income for most households. On the other hand, Cabadbaran City is a fi rst class municipality, and as the capital of the province, diverse economic activities and opportunities are available. Four of the 11 municipalities had household poverty incidence below the provin-cial average of 56.3%. These were Buenavista, Magallanes, Cabadbaran, and Nasipit. Barangay Lawan-lawan in Las Nieves, the farthest barangay

Source: CBMS Survey 2007

Figure 2. Proportion of households with income below poverty threshold, by municipality, by urbanity, 2007


and an indigenous community, had the highest poverty incidence where almost 99% of the population is poor. The ten poorest baran-

gays in the province are gener-ally located far from the towns’ commercial centers. All are rural and agricultural areas; hence, they are very hard to reach because of poor roads and the high cost of transportation. Many of these poor barangays are also communities of indigenous peoples (IP).

The number of poor house-holds is generally high in the rural areas except for the municipality of Santiago where the number of poor households in the poblacion barangay exceeded the number of poor households in the rural baran-gays. This is so because the

poblacion barangays of Santiago have many puroks located in remote areas and inhabited by indigenous peoples. The extremely high

Figure 3. Proportion of population living with income below poverty threshold (by municipality), 2007


incidence of rural poor households was reported in Las Nieves and Remedios T. Romualdez (RTR). Unlike Las Nieves, RTR is situated near the national highway but most of the farm families are tenants and lowly paid agricultural workers.

Proportion of Population Living Below Food Threshold

The 2007 CBMS survey showed that the proportion of households living below the food threshold is 42.9%. In terms of popula-

tion, 48.7% were living below the required annual income to meet t h e r e c o m -mended food basket of P9,208 per person for r u r a l a r e a s a n d P 10 , 15 8 per person for u rban areas.

Same results as with poverty incidence were observed for subsistence incidence. Again, the municipality of Jabonga had the highest proportion (77.2%) of population living below the food threshold followed by RTR (64.2%) and Kitcharao (63.2%). These three municipalities are consistently high in both poverty and subsistence incidence. RTR is a 5th class municipality and Kitcharao is a 4th class municipality. Both municipalities are dependent on agriculture as a source of income. Furthermore, Kitcharao is the north-


Figure 4. Proportion of households with income below food threshold, by municipality and urbanity, 2007


ernmost municipality of Agusan del Norte with relatively more IP communities thus, economic and social development seems to be a struggle. Municipalities with poverty incidence below the provincial average are also reported to have relatively low subsistence incidence. These are Cabadbaran (37.6%), with the lowest proportion among municipali-ties, followed by Nasipit (38.7%), Buenavista (40.0%), and Magallanes (42.5%).

Again, in most municipalities, more house-holds in rural areas compared to urban areas are living below the food threshold except for Kitcharao where more households living below the food threshold are found in the poblacion. The poblacion barangay of Kitcharao have puroks that are rural in characteristic and are populated by IPs.

Poverty gap ratioPoverty gap ratio is def ined as the

mean distance separating the popula-t ion f rom the pover ty l ine (wi th the non-poor being given a distance of zero),

Figure 5. Proportion of population living below food threshold (by municipality), 2007

Figure 6. Poverty gap ratio, by municipality, 2007


expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. The province posted a poverty gap of 0.3. This implies that for the poor to be non-poor, one needs to increase his/her annual income by at least 30% of the poverty threshold. For rural areas, an income poor person must increase his income by at least P3,918 per year for h im to be cons idered non-poor. Moreover, for urban areas, at least an increase of P4,489 per year is needed by an income poor person to be non-poor.

Buenavista had the lowest poverty gap of 0.2 and highest was Jabonga which was 0.6. Taking into consideration the urban-ity classification, for most municipalities, poverty gap ratio is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Four municipali-ties such as Buenavista, Cabadbaran, Santiago and Kitcharao have the same poverty gap rat io for both rural and urban areas. However, municipality of Tubay has a higher poverty gap ratio in urban areas than in rural areas.


Target 1.B: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

Employment rateThe province posted an overall employment

rate of 95.9%, with more men (96.6%) holding jobs than women (94.1%). Low employment rates were registered in Santiago (89.1%), Buenavista (91.2%), Nasipit (95%), Jabonga (95.8%). While data showed that Nasipit was in the bottom three in terms of employ-ment rate, it is actually one of the better-off municipalities when poverty-incidence data is considered due to the presence of many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in this municipality. Kitcharao posted the highest employment rate of 99.8%. However, it is also one of the towns with poverty incidence higher than the provincial poverty incidence Results also showed that rural areas have higher employment rate than urban areas. This is most evident in Santiago where the difference

in employment rate in urban and rural areas is almost 32%. Considering the poverty and subsistence incidence and employment rate, results imply that there is no direct relationship among the mentioned indicators. However, employment as defined in this survey did not take into account underemployment. This could be one of the reasons why many of the municipalities with high employment rates still

Figure 7. Employment rate (by sex and municipality), 2007



had high poverty incidence. Farming, agricul-tural labor, and other unskilled occupations are the common sources of income, and these jobs do not pay well. Hired laborers can work an average of only three days per week due to

the seasonal nature of jobs in the agriculture, construction, and other services sectors.

Proportion of Population who Experienced Food Shortage

Food shortage is experienced by 5.4% of the households and 5.8% of the population of the province. This percentage is lower compared to other provinces’ percentage. In fact, in terms of the implementation of the country’s Acceler-ated Hunger Mitigation Program, Agusan del Norte is only the third priority. The provinces of Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Sur are the fi rst and second priorities. To be classifi ed as the fi rst priority, a province has to be a member of the 20 poorest provinces of the Philippines (Club 20). In terms of poverty incidence, the province of Agusan del Norte ranked 42nd.

Results showed that only 1% of the popula-tion in Kitcharao and Santiago experienced food shortage. On the other hand, four municipalities had food shortage higher than the provincial average. These are Las Nieves

Figure 8. Employment rate, by municipality, 2007


(15.4%), Jabonga (12.9%), RTR (12.8%) and Cabadbaran (6.7%). Only the municipality of Las Nieves has higher incidence of food shortage in urban areas than in rural areas. With these results, incidence of food shortage could not be directly attributed to poverty and subsistence incidence. Since, Kitcharao and Santiago are consistently in the top fi ve among the 11 municipalities in the province with high poverty and subsistence incidence,

and Cabadbaran i s consistently has the lowest proportion on the said indicators. However, on further analysis, Kitcharao and Santiago are agricul-tural areas with vast tracts of farmlands, rice fields and coconut plantation and their main products are root crops. Though relatively higher propor-tion of the population of

the said municipalities is income poor yet they always have food to eat such as root crops thus reduce the incidence of food shortage or hunger.

Prevalence of Underweight Children 0-5 Years of Age

Of the 32,324 children aged 0-5 years old during the survey period, 1,199 or 3.7% are classi-fi ed as below normal in weight, considered as below normal are those children who are moderate and severely underweight. The province of Agusan del Norte in terms of malnourished children at 3.07% is way above the national average of 27.6% and regional average of 32.1%. Best

performing municipality is Santiago with below 1% malnourished children. Then again, four municipalities have proportion higher than the provincial average. These are Magallanes (13.1%), Tubay (7.3%), Buenavista (5.9%), and RTR (4.7%). The highest incidence of malnourished children is in Magallanes, which may be due to the nonfunctionality of the Municipal Nutrition Committee during this period. Slightly more female children

Figure 9. Proportion of population who experienced food shortage, by urbanity, 2007


Figure 10. Proportion of population who experienced food shortage, by municipality, 2007


Figure 11. Prevalence of underweight children 0- 5 years of age, by municipality, 2007


(4%) were malnourished than boys (3.5%). Relatively higher proportion of 0-5 years old children in rural areas are malnourished than in urban areas. Fortunately, the results of Operation Timbang show that there has been a decreasing trend in the prevalence of malnutrition in the province over the last three years, according to the Provincial Nutrition Committee.

B. Current policies and programs

Agusan del Norte’s programs and projects related to the delivery of social services and human development services are consistent with the national government’s pro-poor policies and services. In fact, at the onset of Governor Erlpe John M. Amante’s administra-tion in July 2004, poverty reduction was at the forefront of his six-point agenda. This was to be achieved through the effi cient and effective delivery of basic services. His six-point agenda was as follows:

- Poverty reduction through effi cient and effective basic service delivery system

- Economic growth- Peace and order- Fiscal capability and self-reliance- Environmental protection and rehabilitation- Dynamic and responsive administrative

mechanism

Programs and Projects:

1.KALAHIKALAHI, the overarching poverty alleviation

program of the Arroyo administration and spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), was implemented in selected priority municipalities in the province. KALAHI-CIDSS (shorthand for Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Compre-hensive and Integrated Delivery of Social

Services) was implemented in 2005-2007 in the municipalities of Jabonga, Las Nieves, and Carmen. Makamasamang Tugon, a sequel to KALAHI-CIDSS, was implemented in 2008-2009 in Jabonga and Las Nieves. The project menu included the construction of public infrastructure such as farm-to-market roads, school buildings, daycare centers, health centers, training centers, and water systems, among others.

In 2008-2009, KALAHI KALAYAAN was implemented in eight barangays in confl ict areas. The construction work was undertaken by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Engineering Brigade, which built farm-to-market roads, water systems, school buildings, and other social infrastructure projects.

These projects have, in some ways, allevi-ated the plight of the poor in some barangays through improved road networks, availability of water at the community and household level, and access to basic education and health services.

2. Self Employment Assistance–Kaunlaran (SEA-K)The DSWD, in close partnership with

the provincial LGU, implemented the Self-Employment Assistance–Kaunlaran (SEA-K) to enhance the socioeconomic skills of poor families through the organization of commu-nity-based associations for entrepreneurial development. For every P500,000 allocated by the DSWD, the provincial LGU put up an equivalent amount to enable more associa-tions of poor families to avail themselves of the program and implement their own livelihood activities with a capital assistance of P5,000 per family.

The province replicated SEA-K with a total fund of P2,125,000, which 16 SEA-K associa-tions have availed of. A total of P1,835,275


has already been repaid and deposited in a trust account. The high recovery rate of 93% is attributed to the adequate social preparation conducted before the release of the loan, which can range from P100,000 to P150,000 per association composed of 20 to 25 families. As of December 2009, P3,045,550 has been made available to other groups ready with their entrepreneurial initiatives. Two SEA Kabayan groups from the municipality of Jabonga, the poorest municipality, have availed themselves of a loan of P675,000. SEA Kabayan is composed of members of SEA-K associations with good repayment track records. This qualifi es them to take out bigger loans.

This program has boost the local economy and generated local jobs by engaging with entrepreneurial activities.

3. Tindahan Natin Project Affordable rice at P18.25 per kilo was made

accessible to poor families even in the hard-to-reach barangays through the Tindahan Natin Project. As of 2008, there were 140 Tindahan Natin outlets in the 167 barangays of the province serving an estimated 28,000 households.

4. Food-for-School ProgramAs a response to the challenge of decreas-

ing hunger incidence, the national govern-ment, through the Department of Education (DepEd), the National Food Authority (NFA), and other stakeholders, implemented the Food-for-School Program in Priority 1, 2, and 3, provinces. The program was implemented in Agusan del Norte, a Priority 3 area, in 2008. As of 2009, the three poorest municipalities in the province (Las Nieves, Jabonga, and Kitcharao) were benefi ting from the program, which served 55 schools with 7,903 pupil

benefi ciaries and 58 daycare centers with 1,825 enrollees.

5. Training-for-Work Scholarship ProgramThe provincial government implemented

Training-for-Work Scholarship Program in addition to TESDA’s regular scholarship program. This was part of the provincial government’s response to the Economic Sustainability Plan of the national government. The plan aims to reduce unemployment and underemployment in the face of the fi nancial crisis gripping the global economy and to assist poor but deserving Filipinos in enrolling in job-directed training programs that will help them earn the corresponding qualifi cation. Such qualifi cation is expected to enhance the scholars’ employability at no additional cost to them. The program included the full training fee, training support fund, and free assessment and certifi cation. Congressman Edelmiro A. Amante also invested a total of P4.5 million for his I-CARE Program (Invigorating Constituents and Reinforcing Employment), a component of the Training-for-Work Scholarship Program.

The expansion of scholarship services provided access to technical-vocational education and training in the province. This will ensure a steady supply of qualifi ed, globally competent, and job-ready workforce from Agusan del Norte.

6. MINDANAO RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – Community Fund for Agricultural Development

To address the issue of low productivity and low income of farmers, this national initiative spearheaded by Department of Agriculture (DA) and implemented in priority provinces like Agusan del Norte funds projects like mango production, cassava production, livestock and fi shery, and agro-forestry development. Devel-opment of infrastructure like irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, potable water systems,


and warehouses are also a major component of the project. The infrastructure development component requires a 50% counterpart from the LGU. The total project cost for 2008-2009 was P67,832,893. These projects were imple-mented in the poor municipalities of Jabonga, Las Nieves, and Kitcharao.

7. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)The 4Ps program provides conditional cash

transfer to extremely poor households to allow household members to meet certain human development goals set by the government. DSWD designed it as a poverty-reduction measure and is implementing it in coordination with the LGU. Identifi cation of poor house-holds was done through the proxy means test. The actual release of cash assistance began in May 2009 in the municipalities of Jabonga where 1,898 family-beneficiaries received cash assistance amounting to P5,247,800 and Las Nieves where 2,199 family–benefi ciaries received cash assistance reaching P8,679,600 as of August 2009.

8. Nutrition InterventionsNutrition is the basic component of human

life, thus, it is inherent to the attainment and maintenance of good health status. The province has specifi c activities and services designed at promoting desirable nutrition practices, preventing and controlling nutri-tional deficiencies and rehabilitating the malnourished.

i. Micronutrient SupplementationPreventive and curative doses of iron and

vitamin A were given to target population

groups, usually following the Garantisadong Pambata schedule. In 2009, there were 4,209 infants, 41,494 preschool children, and 8,649 pregnant or lactating women who are benefi -ciaries of Vitamin A supplementation. There were 4,118 infants, 7,985 preschool children and 8,721/10,174 pregnant/lactating women who were able to receive iron supplements.

ii. Supplementary FeedingA total of 572 priority benefi ciaries, preschool

children with weights in the below-normal and very low categories, were given food to provide additional calories and protein. Another 467 children enrolled in daycare centers were given hot meals for 120 days through the Early Childhood Care and Devel-opment (ECCD) Funds.

C. ChallengesAmong the indicators discussed above,

the least likely to be met is increasing family income and the most likely to be met is reduc-ing prevalence of malnourished children.

Increasing agricultural productivity of poor farmers in an agricultural area like Agusan del Norte poses a major challenge to the leadership of the province. Providing access to education and accelerating transfer of technology to the farming communities should be prioritized to raise economic productivity. Availability and accessibility of agricultural technicians, enhancement of road networks and irrigation systems, and establishment of marketing linkages should also be given consideration.



Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

Target 2.A: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

A. Status and TrendsThe province of Agusan del Norte strongly

believes that every child has the right to education-a free and quality education. Thus, the province strongly supports the MDG target to ensure that every child will be able to complete not only elementary education but until tertiary education. Based on the performance of the province for the past years, the target to enable children to complete a

full course of primary schooling by 2015 is on track, except that the 25-year time frame needs to be adjusted.

Proportion of Children Aged 6-12 Years Old in Elementary

The 2007 CBMS report revealed that out of the total population of children aged 6-12 years old, 37,797 are enrolled in elementary with more females (79.2%) are enrolled than males (77.2%). More children in rural areas than urban areas are enrolled in elementary but only 1% difference. The province Cabad-baran had the highest proportion (81.2%) of children aged 6-12 years old enrolled in


elementary. It is followed by the municipal-ity of Buenavista (80%). Nasipit has the lowest percentage (73.7%), and followed by Kitcharao (74.2%). Three other municipalities have proportion below the provincial average. Education in all levels can be influenced by factors like availability and access to educational facilities and fi nancial capac-ity of parents to fully support their children’s education. In the case of Cabadbaran and Buenavista, proportion of children aged 6-12 years old in enrolled in elementary is high since for school year 2006-2007, DepEd in Agusan Del Norte reported that the said municipalities have the most number of private and public elementary schools in the area. Also, based on income, these municipalities have low incidence of poverty thus most likely there is a high capacity to fi nancially support the education of children.

Figure 12. Proportion of children aged 6-12 years old enrolled in elementary, by municipality, 2007


Proportion of Children Aged 13-16 Years Enrolled in High School

The provincial average for children aged 13-16 years old enrolled in high school was 57.3% where the females outnumbered the males by almost 10%. The high disparity, more than 10% in favor of female is noted in the municipalities of Buenavista, RTR, Tubay, Las Nieves and Jabonga. The possible explana-tion to this trend is the participation of young boys in farming activities since these are poor farming communities. It can also be surmised that females were able to sustain their inter-est in finishing higher education than the males. For this indicator, Magallanes is the best performing municipality at 58.6% while Kitcharao has the lowest proportion of 52.2%. On average, more students from urban areas were enrolled in high school, with Cabadba-ran posting the highest number.

Agusan del Norte’s achievement in educa-tion as reported in the Annual Accomplishment Report of the DepEd, Division of Agusan del Norte, for 2005-2007 has been consis-

Figure 13. Proportion of children aged 13-16 years enrolled in high school, by municipality, 2007


tently improving at an average growth rate of 2.76% for the 6-to-12-year-old age level. It is projected that the same growth rate will be sustained up to 2010. The same report stated that the 13-to-16-year-old age level posted a growth rate of 9.3% per annum in terms of enrollment in high school, a trend that is projected to continue in 2010. Despite a low participation rate of 48.67% in 2005, signifi cant improvement can still be gained in this age level as it is estimated to post 76.58% enrollment rate in 2010.

These signifi cant gains may be attributed to the cancellation of all school fees in public schools and the various fi nancial and material assistance given by the DepEd to attract youths to school. Some of these incentives include the following: (1) Education Voucher System (EVS) grant, a fi nancial package for indigents enrolling in private schools; (2) special education assistance of Children in Especially Diffi cult Circumstances (CEDC) at a maximum amount of P5000; (3) tuition fee

high school scholarship program; (4) college fi nancial education assistance for the poor at P5,000 per semester; and (5) Project LEAP or Las Nieves Educational Assistance Program, an intervention program designed to respond to the needs of the eastern and western districts of Las Nieves.

Proportion of Children Aged 6-16 Years Old Enrolled in School

This indicator measures the proportion of children aged 6-16 years old enrolled in school regardless of age and level. This also best indicates the 6-16 years old that are out of school youth (OSY). Of the 6-16 years old population, almost 85% are in school. This percentage shows that many children in school age are actually in school. However, earlier indicators do not refl ect this. One reason could be that children who are enrolled in school are not in the specifi ed level for their age. Among the municipalities in the province, Magallanes had the highest proportion at 87.9% and


Tubay had the lowest proportion at 82.8%. Provincial data showed that more females (86.9%) were enrolled in school than males (83%). Also, consistently, more females are enrolled in school than males in all municipalities. Except for Carmen, Kitcharao, Santiago, and Tubay, urban areas generally fare better in attracting children to attend school. Cabadbaran, RTR and Las Nieves had more than 90% of 6-16 years old children enrolled in school.

Figure 14. Proportion of children 6-16 years old enrolled in school, by municipality and urbanity, 2007


Figure 15. Proportion of children aged 6-16 years old enrolled in school, by municipality, 2007


Literacy Rate of 15-24 Years OldLiteracy in this survey is defi ned as ability

to read and write simple messages in any language or dialect. In 2007, the province had a high literacy rate at 97.6%. Results also showed that literacy rate for both males and females were almost the same at 97.3% and 97.8%, respectively. Again, Magallanes ranked fi rst in this indicator at 99% while Kitcharao had the lowest propor-tion at 94%. High Literacy for municipality of Magallanes could be attributed to its high proportion of children 13-16 enrolled in high school and high proportion of 6-16 years old enrolled in school. Kitcharao, on the other hand, is consistent to be in the bottom rank among municipalities in the earlier education-related indicators. Kitcharao is the northernmost town of Agusan del Norte with many IP communities. Also this munici-pality has hinterland sitios and barangays which could not be easily accessed by the usual public transport. Thus, hinders the people’s access to education.

Figure 16. Literacy rate of 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007


B. Current Policies and Programs

Agusan del Norte is committed to the goal of providing education for all by embarking on applicable programs and projects as well as providing legislative support to promote the quick attainment of the universal target for primary education.

Among other measures, the province is devoting a large portion of its Special Education Fund (SEF) to pay for the salaries of teachers assigned to far-fl ung areas. In 2005, 105 teachers were paid from the fund. This number increased to 117 in 2007. The average outlay for teachers from 2005 to 2007 taken from the SEF is 55% or about P6 million per year. Scholarship for poor but deserving students has been institutionalized through the implementation of the Provincial Scholarship Program, a school subsidy program providing P7,500 per student per semester. The provincial government allocated P525,000 to fund 35 students (30 females and 5 males) enrolled in vocational and technical courses. In order to further make the program responsive to the needy, it was adjusted by linking it to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) programs and offerings. The scholars are enrolled in schools accredited by TESDA to ensure that they will acquire vocational-technical skills that are in high demand in the employment market. Fifty benefi ciaries per year have already benefi ted from the program since it was started in 2005. In 2009, 200 students (94 males and 106 females) availed themselves of scholarships worth a total of P554,400 as part of the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES), which was

implemented in coordination with the Depart-ment of Labor (DoLE). The primary requirement to become part of the program is low family income. The scholars come from the different municipalities of the province.

This provincial scholarship is also replicated in some municipalities. The national government also provides complementary programs, such as the P3-million peso Presidential Training for Employment Scholarship program, through congressional funds. This program aims to provide additional funds for students enrolling in vocational-technical courses and the Govern-ment Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE). As of 2008, 5,931 students from 14 schools have already received fi nancial assistance from GASTPE.

C. Challenges

Achieving the universal target of education is a herculean task. Adding a year to elementary education and a year to high school education is seen to signifi cantly improve the quality of education in the Philippines. This measure, however, poses a challenge to the national leadership. It will also highlight related challenges that need to be comprehensively addressed such as the competencies of teach-ers; the low salaries of teaching and nonteach-ing staff; teacher-pupil ratio; classroom-pupil ratio; and textbook-pupil ratio. These issues need to be resolved in order to improve student participation and completion rates. These challenges are but bits of entire require-ments that need to be dealt with vigorously so that the target for achieving universal primary education is quickly attained.


553

Despite the many challenges and gaps in the sector, Agusan del Norte was able to consistently post a high literacy rate among 15-to-24-year-olds, as con-tained in the DepEd report in 2009.Th is achievement is attributed to multi-stakeholder cooperative eff orts like the Parent-Teacher Community Association (PTCA); the signifi cant increase in the per capita cost for students, especially for health; and the province-wide distribution of books which helped steadily close the gap in basic learning resources.

One leap of faith the sector has been doing is addressing the areas where the gap is prevalent, and that is with the indigenous peoples and other ethnic mi-norities. According to the DepEd, the full implementation of the School for Indigenous Knowledge and Tradition (SI-KAT) among indigenous peoples in areas covered and not covered by Certifi cates of Ancestral Domain Claims (CADC) and the use of teaching methodologies typically employed in madrasahs are cre-ating an impact on the lives of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities.

A holistic approach to education includes allowing grade-school children to appreci-ate their culture by including modules that promote the beauty and bounty of the prov-ince. Th e modules include, among others, topics on the history of the province, the municipalities, and the communities as well as cultural and historical destinations.

Cabadbaran has an existing special program granting educational assistance for Children (below 18 years old) in Especially Diffi cult Cir-cumstances in the amount of P5,000 per school year. Th is is to help the disadvantaged and less in life to earn their diploma especially those children in CEDC or Children with disabilities, victims of abuse, orphans, and children in confl ict with the law. As part of their educational assistance, recipients shall attend trainings and seminars from the city government and other govern-ment agencies concerned according to his/her interests and inclinations for enhancement of their skills, talents and abilities. In 2009, there were 20 children granted with assistance, 7 of which were children who are deaf and 5 were poor but deserving children. For this year, there are 11 benefi ciaries. Mostly are children who are in confl ict with law.



Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality

Target 3. A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

A. Status and TrendsThe objective of promoting gender equality

is to provide equal access to opportunities and the benefi ts of development to both men and women. Since one of the main objectives

under this goal is to monitor equal access to education, indicators such us ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary level did not take into account age specifi cation on each level.

Ratio of Girls to Boys in Primary EducationCBMS results of the province showed that at

the primary level, slightly more boys than girls were enrolled at a ratio of 0.9. In fact, this trend is evident in all municipalities in the province


and in all rural barangays. The difference on the ratio is evident in urban barangays. In the case of Kitcharao, Camen, and Jabonga, relatively more boys than girls are enrolled in elementary at 0.8. Magallanes, Nasipit and RTR had almost equal number of boys and girls. Only Las Nieves had more girls than boys enrolled in elementary.

Ratio of Girls to Boys in Secondary EducationIn the secondary level, there are more girls

enrolled at ratio of 1.1. In RTR, relatively more girls than boys are enrolled in secondary education while Nasipit is the only municipal-ity with more boys than girls. This indicator verifi es the observed trend in Goal 2 that more girls aged 13-16 are enrolled than boys. Again, possible explanation to this trend is the participation of young boys in farming activi-ties. Also, some boys at this age bracket opt to work to help their families than go to school. This can be supported by the results in rural

Figure 17. Ratio of girls to boys in primary education, by municipality, 2007


Figure 18. Ratio of girls to boys in secondary education, by municipality, 2007

areas, where 8 municipalities have relatively higher ratio of girls to boys.

The observed pattern on ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education is also supported by the report of DepEd-Agusan del Norte in 2009. According to the report, female participation was higher in both the elementary and secondary but the difference was more signifi cant at the secondary level (41.5% for females and 49.3% for males). Female completion rate was also higher than male in both levels. As to cohort survival, the marked difference was in the elementary level, 62.3% and 72.7% secondary. More males (12.0%) drop out of school than females (8.0%) and that was more pronounced in the secondary level. Among those enrolled in the elementary and high school, more females were promoted to the next level than males. Again, this is more marked in the second-ary level. It is interesting to note that while female pupils/students perform better in many indicators, the gradu-ation rate in the elementary and secondary was almost equal for male and female.


Ratio of Girls to Boys in Tertiary Education

In tertiary level, same trend in secondary level is observed that more girls than boys are enrolled. However, in this level, the disparity in number of boys and girls is more pronounced. The highest ratio is reported in Las Nieves at 1.3. In urban barangays of RTR, more girls than boys(ratio is 1.4) are enrolled in tertiary education. Also, same ratio is reported in rural areas of Santiago. Since in high school, more boys are not able to go to school or have dropped out of school thus more boys were not able to continue college or even reached college. With these CBMS results and based on the preceding data from the Department of Education, there is a high probability that in the next decade more female will have higher education than male.

Figure 19. Ratio of girls to boys in tertiary education, by municipality, 2007


Ratio of Literate Females to MalesAged 15-24 Years Old

CBMS results showed that in almost all municipalities, among the 15-24 years old population, there were more literate males than females. Same result was observed in urban and rural barangays of the province. However, for Kitcharao and Santiago the number of literate females to males is equal. It is interesting to note results on earlier indicators that there are more girls than boys in enrolled in primary, secondary and tertiary level do not directly suggest that there are more literate girls than boys aged 15-24 years old. This could be due to more boys than girls in the 15-24 age bracket. In fact, of the 54,906 15-24 years old, 28,933 are male and 25,973 are female.

Figure 20. Ratio of literate females to males aged 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007


Proportion of Seats Held by Women in the Municipality and Province

While the ideal representation in decision making is 50-50 for men and women, the proportion of elective seats held by women is 32.5%, representing the participation of women in local governance. The bulk of the 32.5% is in the barangay level, while the percentage of women holding elective positions decreases as one goes up the provincial level. Among the eleven munici-palities, those with proportions of women in elective positions higher than provincial average are Santiago and Kitcharao, Carmen, Cabadbaran and Jabonga-RTR. Lowest proportion is posted by Jabonga.

There is currently only one female Sanggu-nian Panlalawagin member. In the executive department, 9 of the 16 department heads in the provincial government are women. The 2010 election represents another opportunity for women to participate in governance.

Figure 21. Proportion of seats held by women in the municipality and province, 2007


Figure 22. Proportion of seats held by women in the municipality and province, 2007



The province has a newly approved Gender and Development (GAD) Code which embod-ies gender-responsive development policies and programs and measures to protect and promote the rights of women. The governor recently signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the GAD Code.

At the city and municipal levels, all LGUs have a functional GAD team that serves as the technical adviser of the local chief executive on GAD matters. A number of LGUs have implemented major GAD initia-tives in support of national and international policies, including R.A. 7192 or Women in Development and Nation Building Act; R.A. 9262 or Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act; R.A. 9208 or Anti Traffi cking against Persons Act; and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

There is currently strong advocacy for more investments for women’s programs at the local level. All LGUs have dedicated funds for GAD but not the required minimum of 5% of the total budget. Furthermore, many of the groups that availed themselves of the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program of the DSWD and the provincial government are women’s groups such as the SEA-K women’s groups, Vendors Association, Mabungahong Kababayen-an sa Puting Bato, etc. These groups have been proven to have better repayment track records.

The 4Ps or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a conditional cash transfer program of DSWD, has made it a policy to register the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) accounts to

be used for the program under the mothers in poor families.

C. Challenges

1. Compliance with the 5% GAD BudgetWhile all LGUs have GAD budgets, these are

much below the minimum amount required. If the required budget was strictly allocated, it could be used to support more comprehensive and meaningful programs for women in the areas of education, health, livelihood, and social welfare and development.

Stricter compliance with the 5% GAD budget as mandated in RA 7192 or the Women in Nation Building Act still remains a challenge.

2. Mainstreaming GAD Mainstreaming the GAD component and

perspective in development programs is still a major challenge. The involvement of stake-holders in gender gaps and issues identifi ed as bases for interventions (with corresponding budget allocations) has to be strongly pursued so that women will have more access to education, health care, and other services and more control over resources.

3. Other Challenges• Strengthen databases at the different levels and

agencies and conduct sex disaggregation of data.• Increase participation of women and

women’s groups in politics and governance and their representation in planning bodies and development councils.

• Install appropriate structures and mecha-nisms to monitor and provide services on prevailing issues such as violence against women and their children (VAWC), traffi cking, and women OFWs and their children.


Barangay Puting Bato is located 8 kilometers away from the town center of Cabadbaran and 40 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Agusan del Norte. It can be reached by a jeepney plying the route to the barangay once a day for a fare of P20 or by a single motorcycle (habal-habal) for a fare of P25 (P80 for pakyaw rides, which is when one passenger hires the habal-habal for his sole use).

Th e average level of education among women is elementary; an estimated 10% of the womenfolk are illiterate. Th e people in the barangay are small farmers producing corn and root crops. Th ose liv-ing in the center of the barangay are engaged in small businesses, such as fi sh vending and opera-tion of sari-sari stores.

To uplift the socioeconomic status of the ba-rangay, the city of Cabadbaran and various NGOs sponsored development projects aimed at raising awareness of the importance of women’s partici-pation in social causes and activities.

In January 2001, the women’s organization of Nagkahiusang Pundok sa Kababayen-an sa Put-ing Bato, offi cially registered its cooperative with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) under the name Kooperatiba sa Kababayen-an sa Puting Bato (KKPB). Th e KKPB, which started with a capital of P22,000, was able to release P139,198.07 interest on share capital and P137,384.59 for patronage refund in 2004. KKPB assets also grew from P312,447.94 in 2004 to P409,849.59 in 2005.

Th e project started as a sari-sari and now it has expanded its business. Th e cooperative has now a copra buying station and sells agricultural products.

With this expansion, women within the barangay were hired to become saleslady and even supervisor/manager. It has also increase maternal health awareness since the KKPB sponsors seminars and training to improve maternal health in the barangay. Also, with its support and lobbying, a health center in the barangay was ac-credited as birthing center.

KKPB’s remarkable performance garnered recognition from Nagkahiusang Pundok sa Kababayen-an sa Cabadbaran (NPKC) when the cooperative won for three consecutive years (2004, 2005, and 2006) the NPKC Search for the Best Livelihood Project. Furthermore, the president of KKPB, Ms. Cheryl Oyo-a, was unanimously elected as president of the Agusanong Kahug-pungan sa Kababayen-an (AGUKAKABA). AGUKAKABA is a federation of women’s orga-nizations in Agusan del Norte, which has received a European Union (EU) grant aid project called the “Women’s Health and Safe Motherhood Project– Partnership Component (WHSMP-PC).” Th e EU ambassador and his party visited Puting Bato and commended the KKPB for its sound and sustainable management of health and livelihood projects, among others.

Th e experience of the Puting Bato women’s organization has inspired other women’s organi-zation in Agusan del Norte to persevere and to fully commit themselves to the sustainable im-plementation of health programs and livelihood projects for women empowerment and family well-being. Th e Puting Bato experience not only contributes to the achievement of MDG’s third goal of promoting gender equality but also ad-dresses MDG’s fi rst goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

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The Puting Bato WomenÊs Organization Entrepreneurial Experience: A Success Story



Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality

Target 4.A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality ratio

A. Status and Trends

Children should be at the center of all devel-opment efforts and their rights should always be protected. Survival rights are among the basic rights of children, and their survival depends largely on planners, decision makers, and implementers and the quality of the programs and services they deliver. Children aged 0-5 years old are the most vulnerable; thus, more services aimed at ensuring survival are expected for this age group.

Children 0 to Less than 5 Years Old who diedCBMS data showed that there were 32,324

children aged 0 to 5 years old in Agusan del Norte in 2007. This represents 17.5% of the population of the province. Most of these children were residing in Cabadbaran, Buenavista, Nasipit, and Las Nieves. Among the 0 -4 years old children, 283 had died (0.9% of the age group population). Most of the children who died lived in the rural areas. In fact, the highest proportion of deaths occurred in Las Nieves, the most rural municipality, followed by Jabonga, the poorest municipality. Kitcharao and Tubay had the least deaths of children in the 0-to-less-than-5-year-old age group.


According to Provincial Health report, most common causes of death among children 0-5 years old are preventable such as pneumo-nia and diarrhea. Deliveries that are not performed in a health facility are also likely the cause in the increase of infant deaths like respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis (or infection acquired during delivery).

Based on Annual Accomplishment Report of the province, a decreasing trend is observed with Under Five Mortality Rate. This was posted at 20/1000 in the year 2000 then 6.01 in 2005. In 2008, Regional Center for Health Development CARAGA fi eld service health information system (FSHIS) reported that among the under-fi ve children, 40 deaths were reported with an under-fi ve mortality rate of 5.4 per 1,000 children. This was also the lowest in the region with an average of 9.6%. With these results, the MDG target on Under Five Mortality Rate will most likely be achieved.

Figure 23. Proportion children aged 0 to less than 5 years old who died


Proportion of Infants Who DiedThe survey further showed that of 5,185

infants (0 to less than 1 year old), 167 had died. Kitcharao has the lowest mortality rate among under-fi ve children, but it is the third-highest in infant deaths. Of the 167 infants who died, 148 lived in rural barangays. Las Nieves and Jabonga consistently had the highest rate of infant mortality. These munici-palities have many barangays that are hard to reach because of bad roads and inadequate transportation facilities.

In 2007, it was reported by PIPH Agusan del Norte that the top 3 causes of infant mortal-ity were Pneumonia, Sepsis and Congenital Defi ciency. Of these causes, Sepsis (or infec-tion acquired during delivery) can be avoided if only there are adequate health facilities. Also, lack of health personnel like midwives can be a factor like in some municipalities; only one midwife is serving three barangays which are usually geographically far from one

Figure 24. Proportion of Infants who died, by municipality, 2007


another. The number of midwives may not only be the factor but also the inadequate knowledge of midwives on the management and care of newborn babies.

The province has also sustained a reduction in infant mortality rate over the years. In 1991, the province’s infant mortality rate was 9.8 per 1,000 live births. In 2005, the rate went down to 3.4. The most recent year for which fi gures are available was 2008. The Regional Center for Health Development CARAGA fi eld service health information system (FSHIS) reported 22 deaths among the 7,409 live births in Agusan del Norte in 2008. This translates to an infant mortality rate of 2.97 per 1,000 live births. The infant mortality rate in the province is the lowest in the region, which has an average of 6.5.

Given the abovementioned data, the probability is high that the MDG targets on infant mortality rate will be achieved in 2015.

Proportion of Children Aged 1 to Less than 5 Years Old who Died

Among children aged 1 to less than 5 years old, 0.4% died. These deaths occurred in Magallanes (0.9%), Buenavista (0.7%), and

Figure 25. Proportion of children aged 1 to less than 5 years old who died, by municipality, 2007


Las Nieves and Carmen (0.6%). Of the 116 deaths posted, 104 were in rural barangays. Again, access to services and facilities could be the reasons behind these fi gures.

Proportion of Infants that haveAt Least One Immunization

An average of 83.2% of infants was immunized in 2007 with at least one of the following: BCG; DPT 1, 2, and 3; OPV 1, 2, and 3; Hepa 1, 2, and 3; and measles. Cabadbaran had the highest immunization rate at 89.2% while Magallanes had the lowest at 71.7%. Other municipalities with less than 80% immunization rate were Tubay, RTR, Jabonga, and Las Nieves. The high cover-age was attributed to the implementation of Garantisadong Pambata twice a year during which every municipal government unit exerted effort to maximize the reach of immunizations.

Figure 26. Proportion of Infants given at least one immunization, by municipality, 2007



The Expanded Program of Immunization or EPI is one of the major health programs in the Maternal and Child Health Care package. Under this program, the number of fully immunized children (FIC) in 2008 reached 6,816 or 100% of infants. This was a marked increase over the past five years during which the percentage of FICs was below the benchmark of 95%. The municipalities with a high percentage of coverage (100%) were Magallanes, Carmen, and Tubay.

The province has also determined that to lessen the under-fi ve mortality rates, it is essen-tial to combat the more common diseases that usually affect children. One of these is diarrhea, the second leading cause of morbid-ity and the seventh leading cause of death among under-fi ve children in the province. Santiago, Magallanes, and Kitcharao posted more cases than the other municipalities as per the 2008 annual report of the provincial health offi ce. The LGUs continue to provide Oresol to diarrhea cases to avert dehydration and other complications which can lead to death. More LGUs are encouraged to procure additional buffer stock of Oresol.

Control of Acute Respiratory Infections (CARI) is another program strongly pursued by the provincial health offi ce and rural health units (RHUs). Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of illness affecting children under five years old in the province and pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality. The incidence rate in 2008 was lower than during the preceding years, which indicates that there was better access to health-care services and correct management of pneumo-nia with early detection, treatment, and avail-ability of antibiotics. These were reinforced with

educational campaigns at the point-of-service facilities; weekly monitoring of pneumonia cases seen at the hospitals; and relaying of information to the RHUs for follow-up after discharge. More cases of pneumonia were reported in Nasipit, Carmen, Cabadbaran, and Jabonga.

Other health initiatives that contributed to the improved health status of children include:

• Expanded coverage of families protected with health insurance through the multipayer scheme implemented by the provincial govern-ment together with PhilHealth. This involved the partnership of different stakeholders (e.g., provincial government, congressional offi ce, municipal government, barangay, the family to be insured, and, in some cases, private entities and NGOs) in the payment of annual premiums for family coverage. Universal coverage was achieved in 2009, which means all poor families in the province were enrolled in the program. The provincial budget for this purpose was almost P7 million. The capitation fund released by PhilHealth was a reliable fund source for the improvement of health services at the municipal level. The implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development Project in the province was another oppor-tunity to allocate more health resources and services for preschool-age children. Of the total project cost of P4,656,391, 70% came from the national government and 30% from the local government. The municipalities and barangays undertook the following projects to meet the standard in providing basic facilities and amenities for promoting preventive and curative care:

• Provision of basic medical equipment, such as dressing trolleys, sterilizers, Doppler, and weighing scales; A total of P1,424,014 was used to purchase medical equipment for 33 barangays.


• Rehabilitation/upgrading and expansion of dilapidated barangay health centers; A total of P2,068,037 was spent to either upgrade or expand 18 barangay health stations province-wide.

• Purchase of drugs and medicines amount-ing to P481,720 and distributed to 50 baran-gay health stations

• Supplemental feeding in 36 barangays and provision of livelihood seed capital for two groups at a total cost of P662,620

C. Challenges

The big challenge in ensuring child survival and well-being is strengthening the delivery of child health services by public health personnel and volunteer health workers. There is a need to increase the capac-ity of health providers by training them on

Integrated Management of Child-hood Illnesses. There is an existing approved project proposal for this purpose; however, the central offi ce of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council has

withheld the release of funds for reasons the proponent does not know. It is strongly recommended that said funds be released immediately.

Increasing the budget for maternal and child care should be given priority. The following should be factored into the budget: hiring of additional midwives to serve remote rural barangays; construction of more barangay health stations; provision of basic medical equipment; and procurement of syringes, needles, and other immunization supplies. The facilities of the provincial, district, and municipal hospitals and RHUs also need further upgrading, which will require an increased budget.

The active participation of civil society in health programs and in monitoring existing gaps in health services should be promoted. Maximize the participation of NGOs in the different levels of the local health board to promote complementation of services and raise the standards for health service delivery.

68

PhilHealth Indigency Program – Universal coverage through the multipayer scheme

The provincial government through the provincial Social Welfare and Development Offi ce and in partnership with the congres-sional offi ce, the municipal government, the barangays, families to be insured, and, in some cases, private entities and NGOs, provided social health insurance to indigent families through the multipayer scheme.

The implementation of the PhilHealth Insurance Program aims to alleviate the health situation in the province. One of the objectives is to attain universal coverage of health insurance, thereby providing acces-sible, affordable, and quality health care and medical services to all.

As of 2009, the program has achieved the target of 100% coverage of indigents in Agusan del Norte. All the indigent families in the province are now enrolled in PhilHealth.



Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health

Target 5.A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio

A. Status and TrendsWomen empowerment includes giving

women the right over their bodies, yet many rural women have no control over their pregnancies. As in many areas of the country, maternal health is a pressing concern in Agusan del Norte.

Proportion of women deaths due to pregnancy-related causes

In 2007, 19 pregnancy-related deaths were reported as shown in CBMS results. Of these, 17 (89.5%) were in rural barangays and only 2 cases (10.5%) in urban barangays. In fact, only the urban barangays in Buenavista has reported to have maternal deaths. This

indicated the vulnerability of rural women, especially pregnant women. The highest proportion was in Buenavista (0.9%) followed by Jabonga (0.5%).

The trend in maternal mortality in the province is very erratic. In 2000, it was 0.7 maternal deaths per 1,000 live births. In 2002, it was 0.88 per 1,000 live births. There was zero maternal mortality in 2003, and then in 2005, it was 0.57 for every 1,000 live births. The latest report from the regional FHSIS was 0.81 maternal deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2008. The province has the second-lowest maternal mortality rate in the region, where the regional average is 1.37 maternal deaths for every 1,000 live births.

The regional Center for Health Development estimates that given this erratic trend, the probability of attaining the target of reducing maternal mortality by 2015 is low.


Figure 27. Proportion of women deaths due to pregnancy-related causes, by municipality, 2007

As reported by PIPH and DOH-Caraga, the primary cause of maternal deaths from 2002-2008 was post partum hemor-rhage with a total number of 15 cases. However, several factors and the interrelatedness of these factors contribute to the incidence of maternal deaths. Among these are the places of deliveries; persons attending the deliveries; pre-, natal, and postnatal care; timeli-ness of referral; high-risk pregnancies; and access to health facilities.


As observed and reported by commu-nity-based health-service providers, delay in deciding when to refer, delay in transporting to the next health facility and delay in providing medicines were three usual causes of maternal death during emergency cases.

Proportion of Births Attended by Skilled Health Personnel

CBMS results showed that 43% of births in 2007 were attended by skilled health personnel. Nasipit had the highest proportion at 71.5% while Tubay had only 22.9%. More births in urban barangays were attended by skilled health personnel than in rural barangays with almost 19% difference. However, for Tubay, Jabonga, Carmen, and Kitcharao, proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel do not differ that much. In fact difference is less than 5%. In remote barangays where


there is limited access to hospitals and birthing centers, traditional hilots are still common attendant at deliveries.

Figure 28. Trend in Place of Deliveries, Agusan Del Norte, 2001-2008

Figure 29. Trend in attendance at deliveries (by category of attendance), Agusan del Norte 2001-2008

As to attendants at births, there is an increasing trend in favor of health professionals over traditional hilots.


Figure 31. Proportion of couples who use contraception, by municipality, 2007Target 5.B: Achieve by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

Proportion of Couples who Use ContraceptionOf the 46,538 couples surveyed, 34%

reported using either natural or artificial contraception. The highest contraceptive prevalence rate was in Santiago at 46.6%, followed by Cabadbaran at 43.6%. The lowest contraceptive prevalence rates were in Kitcharao (17.1%), Las Nieves (25.0%), and Magallanes (27.7%).


Consistent with Administrative Order (AO) 79 of the Department of Health (DOH), the province implemented the Safe Motherhood Program, which mandates the provision of a package of services for pregnant and lactat-ing women and the newborn babies. This package of services includes prenatal care, delivery assisted by a skilled health worker or


professional and postnatal care for both the mother and the newborn.

The province has a new structure—the Health Sector Reform Agenda (HSRAG)—that serves as technical working group to the governor and the health board. The HSRAG, in coordination with PhilHealth, is strongly pushing for more Maternal Care Package (MCP)-accredited RHUs. As of now, there are two RHUs (located in Magallanes and Kitcharao) that are accredited to handle deliveries in their facilities on a 24-hour basis. The other facilities have yet to qualify in the standards set by the DOH.

The two-way referral system and local health zones were also launched.

C. Challenges

1. Upgrading Health Care FacilitiesMost of the hospitals and RHUs need

upgrading and rehabilitation considering that most of these are decades-old and dilapidated. In areas where the buildings are newly constructed, there is need for medical equipment and laboratory facilities—a lack that makes them ineligible for accreditation according to the standards set by the DOH and the PhilHealth.

The reduction in maternal deaths depends largely on the quality of maternal health care; thus, the need to meet the requirements for basic and comprehensive emergency obstetrics and neonatal care (BEMONC/CEMONC) services.

Meeting these requirements requires additional and suffi cient budget and resources for health care.

2. Passage of Local Legislation Supporting Issues Related to Maternal and Child Health

The essence of autonomy as expressed in the LGC (RA 7160) has yet to be maximized by many LGUs. There is a need for more innovative and locally responsive legisla-tion and issuances on health. Priority issues that need to be addressed include the deployment/hiring of more midwives to serve hard-to-reach barangays and actually reside in the area of assignment. Benefi ts and incentives also need to be provided to ensure that deliveries are attended to by skilled health personnel, especially those in far-fl ung communities, which constitute a large percentage in current statistics on maternal mortality rates.

3. Strengthening Program SupportEffective supervision through improved

monitoring and evaluation is an important component of all programs, like the regular monitoring of maternal care activities to include maternal death investigation and review, strategies for pregnancy tracking, and postnatal monitoring. Reports and records of data have to be updated, accurate, and timely, which could be achieved if computers are available and their utilization, maximized.

• There is also a need to intensify advocacy as well as information, education, and commu-nication (IEC) activities on safe motherhood and to improve the health-seeking behavior of mothers and would-be mothers.

• Capability-building programs should be designed and opportunities for health personnel, with focus on midwives, should be provided.

• Strengthen and improve existing local health zones and referral system


RHU–24-hour lying-in services

The are two accredited RHU lying-ins in the province of Agusan del Norte are located in Magallanes and Kitcharao. These lying-in centers operate 24-hours hence this program is very helpful in addressing maternal mortality issues since RHUs are more accessible than hospitals. Also, mothers insured under the Philhealth indigency program are covered in the expanded Maternal Care Package up to the fourth normal spontaneous delivery. Philhealth pays P6, 500 for each delivery, , of which 60% goes to the LGU to augment its health budget and 40% goes to the personnel attending the delivery.



Goal 6: Combat HIV and AIDS, Malaria and Other DiseasesTarget 6. : Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS


Proportion of Couples Using Condoms Among Those who are Practicing Contraception

Regional data pertaining to HIV/AIDS has remained very limited. Awareness of the illness is, however, very high. In a 2003 survey of the National Statistics Offi ce (NSO), 99% of the male respondents and 98.2% of the female respondents had heard about AIDS and believed that there was a way to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. Limiting sex to one uninfected partner was the most effective preventive method cited by most interviewees.

Using condoms regularly and correctly was the second choice. It was noted, however, that the proportion of couples using condoms among those practicing contraception significantly decreased after the program involving the distribution of free condoms was discontinued in October 2002. The program had been a part of the assistance package of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since 1993 (The Private Sector Mobilization for Family Health Project- HealthGov report, Sept. 2007).

The CBMS 2007 report also indicated that only 1.74% of couples practicing contracep-tion used condoms. Among the 11 municipali-ties in the province, Nasipit and Magallanes had the highest proportion of couples who used condoms as a means of contracep-


tion. Kitcharao had the lowest number and proportion of couples using condoms. CBMS data showed that only one couple out of 410 couples practicing contraception in Kitcharao had ever used condoms.

Deaths Associated with Malaria

In 2007, DOH declassified Agusan del Norte as a Malarious A area, area with 1,000 or more confirmed malaria cases. Many of the alarming cases, upon investigation, were found to have originated outside the province. While there were fi ve deaths from malaria reported during the 2007 CBMS survey, there were zero deaths in the years preceding the survey. The reduction measured in terms of Annual Parasitic Incidence (API) rate showed that malaria infection went up in 2005 but has since then steadily declined as reported in PHO-ADN 2008 accomplishment report. The same report indicated that the

Table 33. Death rates associated with malaria, by municipality, 2007


aggressive implementation of malaria control measures like the distribution of 27,786 insecticide-treated bed nets starting in 2005, establish-ment of screening centers in strategic locations, train-ing of health workers on disease management, and treatment of diagnosed patients, contributed to the reduction of malaria cases in the province.

The proportion of deaths associated with malaria was 2 per 100,000 populations with Buenavista posting the

highest at 8, followed by Nasipit at 3. The rest of the LGUs in Agusan del Norte posted 0%, as shown in the CBMS survey results.

Deaths Associated with TuberculosisControl efforts for tuberculosis (TB) refl ect

the continued struggle to curb the spread of a highly infectious but curable disease, a disease with great implications on the productivity of the province. TB is one of the deadliest diseases in history. It kills nearly 8 million people yearly and is the eighth leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

For TB, the case detection rate (CDR) for infection was 95% in 2008, during which year there were 548 cases recorded, according to the accomplishment report of the ADN-PHO. The CBMS report that came out in 2007 revealed that there were 21 deaths associated with TB per 100,000 people. Most of these deaths occurred in the rural areas. Tubay had the most number of cases at 36 per 100,000, followed by Buenavista at 29. Santiago posted the lowest incidence at per 100,000.

Figure 34. Death rates associated with tuberculosis, by municipality, 2007


Overall , there was a decline in the incidence of TB as a leading cause of death due to the successful implementation of the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP), which began in early 2003. This observed improvement may also be attributed to the use of quality diagnostics facilities at the level of LGUs.

However, the number of newly diagnosed TB patients (with a positivity rate of 15%) still necessitates vigorous case detection and enrollment of those diagnosed in the Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) program.

B. Current Policies and ProgramsPrevention and cure (where and when

possible) are the twin strategies of the province in combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases.

As presented earlier, Agusan del Norte has

continued to collaborate with the national government in implementing the NTP. The program uses sputum microscopy and X-rays to diagnose TB patients. The DOTS is an ongoing program aimed at providing comprehensive attention and treatment for TB. The establishment of Public-Private Mix DOTS (PPMD) clinics enables the province to remain within the national benchmark.

The successful implementation of programs to combat malaria that led to the decline of incidence was helped by early detection and prompt treatment; the distribution of bed nets impregnated with insecticides; and partner-ship with private institutions and community organizations.

To enable the health sector to quickly respond to the needs of the poor, a petty cash mechanism was established in the provincial and district hospitals. This mechanism helps reduce the cost of medicines.


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An innovative scheme applied by Tubay and worthy of replication in other municipalities is the provision of two kilos of rice as an incentive to people suspected of having TB to undergo medical consultation.

Finally, the provincial government has been setting aside more than 23% of its annual budget for hospitals for more than fi ve years now. The amount is spent mostly for personal services and capital outlay (e.g., purchase of hospital equipment, repair and rehabilitation of buildings and facilities).

C. Challenges

The availabil i ty of cheap medicines continues to pose a challenge in the health care delivery system. This challenge is further aggravated by the purchasing methods stipulated in RA 9502.

Another challenge of great significance is the unavailability of medical health practit ioners. This is attr ibuted to the preference of doctors and nurses to work overseas for higher pay. In 2005, there were only 405 medical and paramedi-

cal health workers serving the province as reflected in the ADN socioeconomic prof i le. Whi le the current number of health personnel is still within the bench-mark, cont inuous migrat ion poses a threat to the health care delivery system in the province.

The need to upgrade facilities to meet na t iona l benchmarks a l so poses a challenge. Notwithstanding these multifac-eted challenges, the province still posted signif icant accomplishments in health services. The challenge to improve further is a herculean task.

The province boasts of PhilHealth universal coverage for indigents through a multipayer scheme where the provin-cial, city, and munici-pal governments share the cost of covering the

premiums of all indigent families in the province.

To enable the sector to expand service, a mobile hospital was commissioned to serve far-fl ung barangays in 11 municipalities. The mobile hospital has helped people in remote areas by getting their health concerns and medical needs attended to more quickly than before. New ambulances were also acquired and distributed to the district hospitals.

Another program of the provincial govern-ment was the distribution of kits fi lled with various kinds of medicines to barangay health workers. This enabled the health workers to respond quickly during emergencies.



Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.


Proportion of Land Area Covered by Forest

The enactment of the Environmental Code of the province spelled a great difference in the effort towards environment sustainability. In it, a comprehensive approach for sustainability (e.g., rational use of resources with legislation) is institutionalized. In Agusan del Norte, 60% of the total land area is covered by forest. The Forest Land Use Plan of the province shows that 64% of the total forestlands is devoted to

production while the remaining 36% consists of protected forestlands (FLUP, 2004-2014). The irrational use of forestlands threatens to tilt the balance.

While typhoons are not a regular occurrence in the province, fl ooding is often experienced in fl ood-prone areas. Such weather disturbances as the one that hit the province on November 24, 2009, which completely damaged 76 houses, bring severe damage to lives and property.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability


Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss and achieve a significant reduction in the rate of loss by 2010.

Proportion of Terrestrial and Marine Areas Protected

The 273,024-hectare land area of Agusan del Norte is generally classifi ed as agricultural land and forestland. The forest area covers 211,086 hectares. Of this forestland, 30,225 hectares are either proposed or declared protected areas home to various species and part of the key biodiversity spots of the

Philippines. Efforts to conserve the biodiversity of these protected areas are safekeeping measures meant to preserve the physical and living characteristics of the forestlands.

The magnitude of the rate of recogniz-ing protected areas correlates with the proportion of reducing biodiversity loss. The 30,225-hectare protected area demonstrates the desire of the province to place conserva-tion and protection above utilization.

Target 7.C : Halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

Proportion of Population with Access to Safe Drinking Water

Of the 11 municipalities, Magallanes had a very pronounced need for water since only 32% of its population had access to safe


drinking water. This can be attributed largely to the land forms and classifi cation of the town, which is marshy. In fact, it is 2 feet below sea level. Morever, it is located along the convergence of the Agusan River and Butuan Bay. In 2008, some initiatives like tapping water from the nearby town of Cabadbaran were adopted to decrease the gap. Due to its abundant water supply and healthy

watershed, Cabadbaran had the most number of people with access to safe drinking water (about 96% of the population). Overall, however, only 85% of the total population of the province had access to safe drinking water. Taking into account the urbanity of barangays in each municipality, it was observed that urban areas

had greater access to safe drinking water than rural areas. It is interesting to note that in the Santiago and Magallanes, rural barangays had greater access to safe drinking water than urban barangays. As to sources of drinking water, 7,454 households had their own community water system while 16,737 households sourced their water from shared community water systems. Another 13,473

Figure 35. Proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipality and urbanity,

Figure 36. Proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipality, 2007


households got safe drinking water from shared deep wells; 2,184 households, from their own deep well; and 8,102 households, from artesian wells and bottled water. A total of 8,193 households got their drinking water from unsafe sources.

Proportion of Population with Access to Sanitary Toilet Facilities

The proportion of households with access to sanitary toilet facilities stood at 84.3%, a fi gure considered low because Agusan del Norte was supposed to lead the other provinces in the CARAGA region in sound environmental practices. Cabadbaran had the highest number and proportion of people with access to sanitary toilet facilities, while Carmen had the least number and, at the same time, the lowest proportion of people with access to sanitary toilet facilities at 71.2%. The high number of households with access to sanitary toilet facilities in Cabadba-

Figure 37. Proportion of population with access to sanitary toilet facilities, by municipality, 2007


ran was attributed to its high level of urbanity. Conversely, the people in the remote area of Carmen, a predominantly rural municipality, had the least access to sanitary toilet facilities.

The lack of access to sanitary toilet facilities of households in some areas can be traced to various reasons, including prevailing cultural practices, type of dwelling, and inadequate appreciation for proper sanitation.

Target 7.D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

Proportion of Population who are Informal Settlers

Informal settlers are among the most vulnerable to environmental risks. They are usually found along fl ood- and erosion-prone areas. Agusan del Norte has 8,418 informal settlers, many of whom are male. Most of these informal settlers are found in the rural areas although Cabadbaran, due to its large

Figure 38. Proportion of population who are informal settlers, by municipality, 2007


population and its drawing capacity, has the largest number of informal settlers at 1,577. It was followed by Buenavista (1,140) and Nasipit (1,089). The presence of informal settlers in Nasipit may be attributed to the economic slump in this area, which used to be the home of the most modern plywood/lawanit plant. Las Nieves had the lowest number of informal settlers apparently due to the vastness of its land area, which allowed people to actually own lands. The urban-izing LGUs of Cabadbaran, Buenavista, and Nasipit had the highest numbers of informal settlers.

Proportion of Population Living in Makeshift Housing

The CBMS survey indicated that Buenavista had the highest number of people living in makeshift houses, followed by Santiago. RTR had the least number of people living in makeshift houses. However, in terms of proportion, Santiago ranked fi rst with 11.2%

Figure 39. Proportion of population living in makeshift housing, by municipality, 2007


of its population living in makeshift houses. Jabonga and RTR have only 2.3% of their population living in makeshift housing. The relative affl uence and the cultural norms of the people in RTR are just some of the reasons why only a few households live in makeshift houses in this municipality.

Proportion of Population Living in Inadequate Living Conditions

The indicator proportion of population living in inadequate living conditions takes into account the earlier indicators on safe drinking water, sanitary toilet facility, makeshift housing and security of tenure. One is considered living in inadequate housing conditions if at least one of the mentioned indicators is not satisfi ed. Results for this indicator showed that 31.2% of the total population is living in inadequate housing conditions. Among the municipalities in the province, Magallanes, has the highest proportion where 75.5 percent

Figure 40. Proportion of population living in inadequate housing conditions, by municipality, 2007


of the population are living in inadequate housing conditions. This may be due to high proportion of population without access to safe drinking water and informal settlers. On the other hand, the municipality of Cabadba-ran has the lowest proportion. This is expected since Cabadbaran has consistently been the municipality with the highest proportion of population with access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilet facilities.


The province has made it a policy to contrib-ute to the preservation and sustainability of its environment. It continues to cooperate with the environment sector in the protection of 110,805 hectares of its forest through agro-forestry development and other sustainable activi-ties, such as the comanagement agreement with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The mobilization of the wildlife enforcement team added teeth to environmental-preservation efforts. A vulner-ability assessment of watersheds covering 16,920 hectares was also completed.

Water-sampling stations were also estab-lished in strategic areas to monitor water quality, especially along the Agusan River.

In 2008, the province established the imple-menting and institutional mechanism for solid waste management.

For two generations of leaders, the province placed prime consideration in providing water to the populace by strengthening its Provincial Water Works Program. The same thrust has also been pursued in housing development and land use planning. Specifically, the province has purchased resettlement areas as well as vigorously implemented the Gawad Kalinga partnership for housing.

C. Challenges

Ensuring environmental sustainability poses a big challenge, especially in engaging the cooperation of the populace. A return to the time-honored principle of “cleanliness is next to godliness” is the order of the day.

Economic growth also exerts pressure on the environment. The tempo of growth in Agusan del Norte is upbeat, especially in the larger towns. Moreover, the categorization of mining as a priority industry has a signifi cant impact on the environment. Tourism also needs to be clearly defi ned, considering that it relies on the use of the ecology.

Although it has abundant water sources, the province still has to upgrade its water facilities from Level I to Level III. This is one of its urgent challenges. Sustainability of these facilities is another pressing concern. On the other hand, blight in informal settlements compounds the challenges in housing.



Th e passage of the Environmental Code of Agusan del Norte captures it all. Th e code clearly stipulates the proper utilization and preserva-tion of land and water resources, among others. It also outlines regulations and penalties. Th e implementation of the Forest Land Use Plan, especially the characterization of the forest, can be considered a best practice. Th e plan indicates correct land classifi cation and use of the forest. Settlements inside the forestland, while indicated as stressors, are also recognized as contributors to its preservation.

A one-of-a-kind, unifi ed ordinance is being drawn among the radiation areas LGUs of Lake Mainit. Th is ordinance will harmonize the areas’ utilization of the lake’s resources. Institutionally,

the endeavor is strengthened by the operationalization of the Lake Mainit Development Alliance.

Th e LASBUENASCAR devel-opment program, a co-management undertaking between the province, DENR, municipalities, and aff ected stakeholders, (e.g., IPs) is also a model forest-management program that seeks to ensure sustainability of the environment.

Another attempt at harmonizing “confl icting uses of land” is the Tubay Mining-cum-Tourism Master Development Plan. Th is document will meld the confl icting uses of the forest into a sus-tainable and compatible mixed use of the area.

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Target 8.A: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries


Botika ng Barangays Outlets EstablishedAs of 2007, the province had 46 Botika

ng Barangays or BnBs (v i l lage-level

pharmacies) providing easily accessible and cheap medicines at the grassroots levels. In the municipalities of Carmen, Santiago, and RTR, the benchmark of one Botika ng Barangay for every two barangays has already been reached. Data show that medicines are already easily accessible in certain areas and that other areas, like Kitcharao, Jabonga, and Las Nieves, are catching up.

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development


Target 8.F: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefit of new technologies, especially information and communication

The Internet paved the way for people to become more aware of developments around the globe. In the same way, mobile phones and the spread of landline phones made communication a lot easier. The Philippines is considered the “text capital” of the world, and Agusan del Norte is part of that phenomenon.

Proportion of Households with Landlines/Telephone Lines

Telephone lines, provided by 4 companies such as BAYAN Telecommunications, Philcom, Cruz Telephone Company and Department of Trans-portation and Communication, are present in the province. These companies serve 9 municipalities. Only Kitcharao and Santiago had no land line telephone system but these municipalities have

Figure 41. Proportion of households with landlines/telephone lines, by municipality, 2007


public calling offi ces. BAYAN Telecommunication has the most numbered connected lines.

In 2007, CBMS results showed that only 5.4% of the total households have access to telephone lines. Among the municipali-ties with telephone system, Nasipit had the highest proportion which is 13% of the total households. However, Tubay had only 1.1% households with access to telephone lines. Also, results showed a big disparity in propor-tion of households with access to land lines in urban (10.3%) and rural households (4.2%).

Proportion of Households with Cellphones

Cellular phone services in the province of Agusan del Norte were made available by telecommunication companies such as Globe and Smart. Although all municipalities in the province have cell sites, but only 50% of the barangays in the province are covered

Figure 42. Proportion of households with cellphones, by municipality, 2007


by these services. As of 2007, CBMS results showed that only 34% of the households in the province had access to cellphones. More households in urban barangays (47.9%) had access to cellphones than households in rural barangays (31.8%). Highest proportion of households with cellphone access was observed in City of Cabadbaran at 48.9% and Municipality of Kitcharao with only 17.8% had the lowest proportion. The City of Cabadbaran is already developed in terms of communication while Kitcharao, a 4th class municipality, is way behind in terms of development. The location of this municipality may also be one of the factors that hamper the construction of telecommunication facilities such as cell sites in the area.

Proportion of Households with ComputersComputers and internet had since been

factors to measure global development. In the province of Agusan Del Norte, ownership

Figure 43. Proportion of households with computers, by municipality, 2007


of computers at the household level is still low at 5.1%. This only 2,885 households out of 56,262 households. The 2007 CBMS results also showed that households in the urban areas had more access to computer at 9.23% than 4.15% in the rural areas. Among the 11 municipalities in the provinces, Municipality of Nasipit had the highest proportion and Las Nieves had the lowest proportion at 8.6% and 1.5%, respectively.

B. Current Policies and ProgramsThe province has adopted a multipronged

approach to development in partnership with the private sector and academic institutions with domestic or international operations. This approach relates to the policy of the province to leverage local capacities and resources with external opportunities.

As of 2008, the province has established global partnerships with ODA (Official Development Assistance) organizations like the International Labor Organization (ILO),

the UN-International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN-IFAD), and two national fi nancial institutions—the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Agusan del Norte has trained its sights on the global arena by passing investor-friendly policies and measures, such as the establish-ment of two Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and the passing of the Investment Code.

C. ChallengesThe pressure to keep pace with the global

economy has had an effect on local entrepre-neurs. While the government has established safety nets to cushion local entrepreneurs from any adverse effects of global partnerships, the effectiveness of such safety nets has yet to be felt.

• The province also needs to upgrade entre-preneurial capacity to make such capacity attuned to world standards.

• Services also need to be upgraded.


99666

Th e program started in November 2006 with project cost of 70M and 22 offi ces benefi ciaries from province and the municipalities of Buenavista, Jabonga, Magallanes, Nasipit, Tubay and Cabadbaran City.

Th e provincial Government of Agusan del Norte aims to enhance the administrative ca-pability of the provincial and municipal gov-ernment units by establishing an effi cient and eff ective Information System to strengthen the operations and ensure the availability and acces-sibility of timely, accurate and comprehensive information. One of the solutions identifi ed is to design and adopt an information infrastructure with the end view of coming up with a system or to use an Information Technology (I.T.) as a tool for development. Th is tool shall improve the internal control management operations to provide appropriate and relevant decision making

encompasses transparency in government service.Some of the implementation strategies are

link-up to the 6 pilot LGUs, enhancement of hte Tax Mapping and Zoning System, Development of Project Monitoring System, Acquisition and installation of infrastructure facilities for inter and intra network communication of computers in the offi ces concerned to institute its network backbone, and computer application systems to systematize the government operations such as Treasury Operations and Income Monitor-ing System; Real Property Tax administration System; Business Permits, Licensing and Tax Administration System; Personnel Management Information and Payroll System; Budget Moni-toring and Management System; Government Appropriations and Accounting Management System; General Services Operations and Moni-toring System; Legislative Information System; Executive Information System and LGU Website and Documentary Tracking System.

J

Subsequently, the Provincial Govenrment of Agusan del Norte (PGAN) is embarking an in-novative approach towards fast tracking economic recovery. PGAN identifi es and acquires the ICT solution by inviting the private sector to provide and implement a total solution package--the Computerization Project for the province and to its pilot component city and municipalities. Th e most advantageous methodology in this acqui-sition of I.T. solutions, as in-house development will entail more time and resources to accomplish on time.

Th e project is expected to have a resulting Re-turn of Investment (ROI) of 324% in 2010. Th is is a result on the collection effi ciency of 95% in the real property taxes and increase revenue from general income accounts and other taxes. Dis-tributed Data Processing System improves and increases the capabilities of LGU administration and operation of government activities on the following aspects such as Establishment of One Stop Shop Processing in public service delivery, Improved Decision Making, Optimized Staff and

Provincial Computerization Project

Time Saving Benefi ts, Greater Accuracy, Up-to-date Data Files and Convenient Operation.

Th is will arm the province with the modern technology tool, a technology advancement amidst the increasing climate competition in wrestling opportunities that could generate the badly needed growth and development akin to employee empowerment, excellence public ser-vice, promotion of transparency in government, records management, internal control manage-ment and eff ectiveness in revenue collection.

GILAS Project in partnership with Ayala foun-dation and DepEd- 23 schools in 9 municipali-ties/city(Buenavista, Cabadbaran, Carmen, Las Nieves, Nasipit, Santiago, Kitcharao, Jabonga and Tubay). Cost Sharing amount of 1,600,000 (9 Municipalities/city - 800,000; Provincial Govt - 800,000) this covers the cost of computer provision and internet connection of schools and 1,700,000 from Gilas to cover the cost of provid-ing server, printer and other LAN peripherals to 17 high schools. Gilas project started this year only with total project cost of Php3,300,000.

Information and Communication Technology In Governance


1. Priority programs and policy responses

The goal of reducing poverty incidence poses a great challenge to the leadership of the province. It is envisioned that the following programs and projects will complement existing and recommended short-term projects in achieving the elusive goal of poverty reduction.

- Annual support for 2 million marginalized farmers starting in 2010

- Improvement of road networks- Expansion and rehabilitation of irrigation

systems- Establishment of agro-industrial processing

facilities

Education is a state function in the Philip-pines as provided for in the Constitution. Yet, despite the DepEd directive to LGUs to cover all expenses attendant to it, the cost of getting an education remains a major challenge in achieving universal primary education. This concern is very true in Agusan del Norte.

Costs not directly attributed to tuition fees contribute to the gap in the cost require-ments. These costs include, among other

things, transportation, various contributions, “baon,” school supplies, and even meals. The socioeconomic status of the family, therefore, and not just the capability of the government to cover the cost of tuition fees and textbooks, also determines whether children can actually be sent to school. In the lower socioeconomic strata, education is often placed on the lowest rung of the priority ladder.

A comprehensive capability-building program for health workers, with appropriate funds and in coordination with DOH, needs to be drawn up and implemented. This program should cover newborn care and protocol for all health workers and integrated management of newborn illness for nurses and midwives.

The province will develop and fund a scholarship program for a midwifery course for students in indigenous communities. The program, which is envisioned to improve maternal and child health, will stipulate mandatory service in the students’ place of origin. Midwives assigned to far-flung barangays will also be made to undergo a life-saving skills course at a cost of P20,000 per midwife. A start-up fund of P300,000 for

PART 3: Status Report on the

Millenium Development Goals


the school year 2011-2012 and thereafter will be prepared.

All types of utilization of natural resources have an impact on the environment, whether favorable or adverse. These impacts can have a lasting effect on the sustainability of the already fragile ecosystem of the province. A number of national and local laws have been enacted to insure environmental sustainability. Success in the enforcement of these measures largely relies on the political will of leaders to strictly enforce existing environmental laws.

2. Financing the MDGs

To operationalize these initiatives, MDG activities have to be factored into the provin-cial budget. Other fi nancial institutions as well as ODA grants may also be tapped as fund sources. The private sector can also help fund MDG programs and projects as can budget linkages among the stakeholders.

3. Institutional mechanism

The challenge of making the 2015 MDG targets have a signifi cant impact in the lives of the poor depend largely on how institu-tions harness human, physical, and fi nancial resources for the attainment of those goals.

Poverty deprives humans of dignity and is a societal ill. It is a problem not only of the poor but of everyone.

The basic challenge boils down to elimi-nating poverty not only in economics but in all aspects of life, including emotional and spiritual.

Agusan del Norte will maintain and sustain the course with added thrust in doable areas and more strategic approaches in diffi cult areas. The universal coverage of PhilHealth Insurance will be expanded. Skills trainings through TESDA will also be programmed to cover more of the workforce. Global competi-tion will be viewed as a challenge to improve productivity and institute more effective safety nets. Peace and order issues will be given comprehensive solutions. The integrity of the environment will take primary place in the pursuit of poverty-alleviation measures.

A moral recovery program will also be revived as a component of development.

Cost effectiveness, transparency, and accountability will be guiding principles in building much-needed physical facilities for effective governance.

Finally, the central focus in meeting the MDG challenge is never unattainable for as the Good Book says, “With God, nothing is impossible.


4. Recommendations and Conclusions

To address the issue of hunger, low income, and unemployment, the following measures are recommended:

• Strengthen administrative support to the local agriculture offi ce, such as hiring addition-al technicians and giving them adequate travel allowance to enable them to extend assistance to farmers even in remote areas.

• Provide technical support to farmers and poor families with strong focus on productiv-ity, profi tability, and enhancement of agri-technology.

• Design a livelihood and savings-mobili-zation program for the very poor as well as a practical skills capability-building and entrepreneurial development program.

• Organize more groups or associations to undergo SEA-K trainings and avail themselves of funds for capitalization.

• Draw up and implement a comprehensive program for skills and alternative- livelihood development.

In order to sufficiently provide for the educational needs of the target benefi cia-ries, ample budget has to be set aside to meet the most urgent needs of students. DepEd must consider increasing the per capita cost of students by realigning the budget of some items of expenses. Travel and social functions, for instance, can be reduced in favor of books. Education, on the one hand, can have a larger share in the national budget over that of defense. It is also recommended that fees in public schools be rationalized. While it has always been a stated policy that no unauthorized fees are to be collected in public schools, in actual practice, fees are still being collected.

If this is the case, then the collection of fees needs to be uniform, affordable, and rationalized.

Reduce the classroom–student ratio to 1:30 from 1:45 and the teacher-student ratio to 1:30 from its present ratio of 1:45 in order to improve the learning environment. Stricter implementation and enforcement of the STATE responsibility and policy of insuring education for all will insure greater participation. This measure can be reinforced at the local level where LGUs may adopt localized enforcement measures of incen-tives and penalties.

Homeschooling, on the other hand, and accreditation of indigenous learnings can help expand the reach of education. These strategies can lighten the costs of educating children.

To decrease the incidence of infant mortal-ity and child death, legislation or ordinance has to be passed on (1) the implementation of newborn screening in all hospitals, RHUs, and birthing facilities, and (2) the adoption of baby-friendly policies in offices and establishments.

Train all rural midwives and nurses on maternal care protocol. Make available at the municipal and barangay health stations assistance and advice on natural and artifi cial family planning methods. Organize health teams in all barangays to respond to maternal emergencies and perform pregnancy tracking and birth planning.

The ful l implementat ion of relevant environmental laws could spell the differ-ence between a sustained environment and a degraded environment. The cooperation


of the populace is an important factor in the implementation of these laws.

While protection is imperative in sustain-ability, rationale utilization should also be recognized as a factor of sustainability; hence, granting of production and utiliza-tion permits has to be carefully considered. This includes the use of foreshore areas where urban blight is usually observed.

Similarly, urban ecological management has to observe the same framework of rationale use.

Climate change has already exerted its effect in the province, especially in the farming and fishing areas. Thus, a policy regarding climate change readiness and adaptation has to be incorporated in LGU plans, programs, and projects.


110011Statatus Rus eport on thee Mil Millennlen ium Development Goals Using CBBMS Data Province of Agusan Del Norte

A. Preparation of Provincial Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Report Using CBMS Data

1. Background and Justification

The availability of good statistics and the capacity of governments, donors

and international organizations to systematically measure, monitor and

report on progress in all social and economic spheres are at the heart of

development policy and the achievement of the MDGs.

The Millennium Development Goals Report 2007

While progress toward the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is systematically being measured, moni-tored and reported at the national level, clearly, there must be a parallel effort at the local level to bring the MDGs into the main-stream of the local development agenda.

This is especially called for under decen-tralized regimes where local government units (LGUs) are at the forefront of policy or program execution. Unfortunately, how-ever, national statistical systems have yet to respond adequately to the demand for mi-cro-level statistics that can aid LGUs in their poverty alleviation efforts, as noted in a joint World Bank and Asian Development Bank report, to wit: “the most comprehensive and consistent comparative subnational data (are) is at the regional level although this is simply an administrative level of govern-

ment that has no responsibilities for delivery of social services. More data (are) is gradu-ally becoming available at the provincial level, but not at lower levels which are at the frontline of efforts to reduce poverty1.”

In response, the Philippine Government has embarked on an initiative to localize the MDGs using the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). In 2005, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) issued Resolution No. 6 “recog-nizing and enjoining support to the CBMS as a tool for strengthening the statistical system at the local level that will generate statistics for monitoring and evaluation of development plans, including the progress of the local governments in attaining the Millennium Development Goals.”

Meanwhile, several approaches are be-ing carried out by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in capacitating LGUs to contribute to the at-tainment of the MDGs and uplifting the quality of life of their constituents. These interventions are particularly stated in DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2004-152 “Guide to Local Government Units in the Localization of the MDGs” dated Novem-ber 2004, which provides for the: (a) menu of Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) per MDG goal and target to guide LGUs in responding to the MDGs; (b) diagnosis

EXPLANATORY TEXT

1 Decentralization in the Philippines: Strengthening Local Government Financing and Resource Management in the Short-Term, 2005 (A Joint Document of the World Bank and

the Asian Development Bank)


of the local situation using existing local indicators and monitoring system; and (c) call for documentation and replication of good practices.

The CBMS that is being implemented in the Philippines is indeed well-positioned to track progress toward the attainment of the MDGs at the local level. For one, a number of indicators being monitored in the CBMS are included in the indicators for monitor-ing the progress in achieving the MDGs. Moreover, CBMS is intended to be done on a regular basis and can therefore be used for updating MDG indicators and facilitat-ing preparation of regular MDG reports. The CBMS can also be used as basis by national and local governments for costing and identifying appropriate interventions needed to achieve the MDGs as well as for resource allocation. Finally, given the large spatial disparities, the CBMS can help identify where focus has to be given to achieve the targets.

The CBMS’ role in localizing the MDGs was recognized during an Experts Group Meeting on Localizing the MDGs held on November 28, 2006 at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand. The Committee on Poverty Reduc-

tion composed of 24 nation-states agreed that the CBMS could complement the of-ficial data collection activities of national statistical offices and improve the availabil-ity of the MDG and other indicators at the local level. It also agreed that localizing the MDGs through CBMS would help integrate the goals into the national development strategies. It therefore urged other devel-oping countries to initiate and implement similar innovative systems that would help localize the MDGs.

As of May 12, 2010, CBMS is being implemented in 59 provinces (32 of which are province-wide), 687 municipalities and 43 cities in the Philippines, covering 17,848 barangays all over the country (see Figure 33). A good number of these LGUs have already consolidated their CBMS data-bases and are well-positioned to generate their own local MDG Reports. For one thing, CBMS collects information that reflects the multi-faceted nature of poverty. In addi-tion, data generated by the CBMS can be broken down by municipal, barangay, pu-rok and even down to the household level, thereby presenting meaningful information and enabling deeper analysis of the poverty situation. Moreover, the CBMS can gener-ate color-coded maps showing the poverty status at each geopolitical level.


Figure 44. CBMS Coverage in the Philippines (as of May 12, 2010)

2. Objectives

This project aims to capacitate ten provincial governments to systematically measure, monitor and report their status with respect to the MDGs. The operative word here is status since the provinces used their fi rst round of CBMS data in formulating this report. These provinces include Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Batangas, Biliran, Camarines Norte, Eastern Samar, Marinduque, Romblon, Sarangani and Siquijor. The abovementioned provinces were selected since they were among the first LGUs that were able to

consolidate their CBMS databases at the provincial level. The CBMS Census was conducted in these provinces between 2005 and 2007 (for detailed information on census years, see Table 45).

In particular, the project was carried out to meet the following objectives:

(i) to track the status on the attainment of the MDGs in the identifi ed provinces; (ii) to assist these provinces in preparing their Provincial MDG Reports; and (iii) to increase local awareness on how these reports can bridge local and national development strategies.


3. Expected Project Outputs

The project is expected to produce the following outputs: (i) mentored technical staff of the ten CBMS-partner provinces on how to prepare Provincial MDG Reports, and (ii) Provincial MDG Reports of the ten provinces

4. Capacity-Building

The capacity-building of the Provincial MDG Teams consists of three workshops and one-on-one mentoring process.

Workshop on Processing of CBMS Data to Generate MDG Indicators. This 2-day activity was designed to provide participants with: (i) a deeper appreciation of the importance of the CBMS in benchmarking/tracking local progress toward the attainment of the MDGs; (ii) a satisfactory level of knowledge in processing CBMS data to facilitate analyses of accomplishments versus targets; (iii) some basic skills on how to incorporate MDG targets in local development plans and facilitate corresponding increase in budget allocation for MDG-responsive PPAs; and (iv) tools and methodologies in formulating MDG reports.

Preparation of Provincial MDG Reports Using CBMS Data. This 2-day activity was designed to build on the gains of the fi rst workshop by providing technical assistance to the Project Teams in (i) processing CBMS data to generate the additional MDG indicators and consolidating their data at the provincial level, (ii) benchmarking/tracking their progress toward the attainment of the MDGs , (iii) reviewing partial provincial reports based on the indicators generated using the fi rst

workshop , and (iv) fi nalizing list of indicators to be included in the report.

Presentation and Critiquing of Provincial MDG Reports. This 3-day activity was designed to fi nalize the Provincial MDG Reports and at the same time provide an opportunity for an exchange of views and possible harmoniza-tion of approaches as well as for the provision of consistent guidance to all the Provincial MDG Teams. The expected output from this workshop was the complete manuscript of the MDG Report which already incorporates the comments/inputs of the assigned mentor and resource persons who were invited to share their expertise during the workshop.

Mentor/Mentee Relationship. In order to ensure a sustained and focused mentoring program, a mentor from the Research Team of the CBMS Network was matched to one Provincial MDG Team.

The assigned mentor was expected to set a specifi c time each week to interact with his/her Provincial MDG Team and discuss the following: (1) review progress in drafting the Provincial MDG Report, (2) set/identify targets for the coming weeks, and (3) draw up an action plan to achieve those targets. In addition, the mentor was expected to assist his/her assigned MDG Team in identifying and solving problem areas.

Meanwhile, Dr. Celia M. Reyes, Anne Bernadette E. Mandap and Marsmath A. Baris, Jr. reviewed all partial and final reports. The technical staff of the NEDA Social Development Staff headed by Director Erlinda Capones also reviewed and provided valuable comments on the reports.


B. CBMS-MDG Indicators

Unless otherwise indicated, all the statisti-cal tables, graphs, charts and poverty maps presented in this report were generated using the CBMS methodology.

The CBMS is an organized way of col-lecting data at the local level to be used by local governments, national government agencies, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and civil society for planning, budgeting, and implementing local devel-opment programs as well as for monitor-ing and evaluating their performance. It is a tool for improved local governance and democratic decision-making that promotes greater transparency and accountability in resource allocation.

It involves the following steps:Step 1 – Advocacy/organizationStep 2 – Data collection and fi eld editingStep 3 – Data encoding and map digitizationStep 4 – Data consolidation, database-building

& poverty mappingStep 5 – Data validation and community con-

sultationStep 6 – Knowledge (database) managementStep 7 – Plan formulationStep 8 – Dissemination, implementation, and

monitoring

The MDG Indicators, which were esti-mated using CBMS data, are presented in Table 44.

Box 1. Community-Based Monitoring System


Table 44. The CBMS-MDG Indicators and their Definition


Table 44. (Continued)


C.Poverty and Food Thresholds

Offi cial poverty thresholds computed by the NSCB were used and, in some cases, updated to the reference period for the CBMS data by infl ating these thresholds using the appropri-ate Consumer Price Index (CPI). The poverty and food thresholds used for each province are presented in Table 45.

D. Authority for the CBMS CensusThe NSCB has issued Resolution No. 6

(2005) which recognizes and enjoins support to the CBMS as a tool for strengthening the statistical system at the local level. It also directs the NSCB Technical Staff to initiate and coordinate an advocacy program for the adoption of the CBMS by the LGUs, through the Regional Statistical Coordination Commit-tees (RSCCs), the technical arm of the NSCB Executive Board in the regions.

The NSCB has also approved the CBMS Survey Instruments through NSCB Approval No. DILG-0903-01.

E. Survey OperationsAll survey operations were undertaken

under the supervision of the CBMS Technical Working Groups (TWGs) at the Provincial and Municipal Levels. They identifi ed the local personnel who were trained as enumerators and fi eld supervisors. Technical assistance was provided by the PEP-CBMS Network Coordi-nating Team, the Bureau of Local Government Development (BLGD) and Regional Offi ce IV-B of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Offi ce IV-B and the Institute for Democratic Participation in Governance (IDPG).

Training was mainly conducted at two levels. The fi rst level training (Training of Trainors) is conducted for members of the TWGs. This is usually conducted by members of the research staff of the CBMS Network and CBMS accredited trainors from the DILG, NAPC and NEDA. Meanwhile, a second level training (Training of Enumera-tors) is conducted for enumerators who are usually composed of barangay health


workers and students. The members of the TWG acted as trainors in this training.

F. Data Processing SystemThe data processing software used under

this project includes the CBMS Data Encod-ing System, the CBMS-Natural Resources Database and Stata.

The CBMS encoding system uses CSPro (Census and Survey Processing), a software developed by the United States Bureau of Census for entering, editing, tabulating, and disseminating data from censuses and surveys. The CSPro-based (Census and Survey Processing) Encoding System converts survey data into electronic data. It produces text fi les (ASCII) described by data dictionaries, which adds fl exibility to the output data. This feature facilitates the interface between the CBMS data and other database systems and statistical softwares.

The CBMS Mapping system employs the Natural Resources Database2(NRDB) for CBMS-based poverty mapping and for storing and displaying household- and individual- level information, The CBMS-NRDB is capable of creating and storing spatial (shapefi les) and non-spatial (texts and numbers) data as well as generating maps, reports and graphs ideal for presentation and analysis of poverty attri-butes in the community. This has signifi cantly addressed the need for a simple yet powerful and free geographically-oriented database.

Meanwhile, the CBMS data presented in this report through tables, graphs, charts and poverty maps were processed using Stata, a general-purpose statistical software package created in 1985 by StataCorp.

These softwares were provided for free to the 9 provinces which formulated their reports under this project.

G. CBMS Poverty MapsThe poverty map for each indicator shows

the provincial map disaggregated by munici-pality.

A simple color scheme is used (green, light green, pink and red) to represent the four ranges of data for each indicator. Each indica-tor, however, used a different range relative to the provincial data.

H. Limitations of the DataWhile observations are taken from the

entire population, the user of the data presented in this report should bear in mind that the municipalit ies in two provinces (Eastern Samar and Biliran) were not able to collect their data over the same period. For instance, CBMS was piloted in a number of municipalities in Eastern Samar and Biliran in 2005 and was imple-mented provincewide in 2006. Moreover, due to some difficulties, the CBMS census could not be carried out in 1 barangay in Romblon, and 2 barangays each in Camarines Norte and Eastern Samar.

Estimates on poverty and subsistence incidence may also be affected by under- and/or over-reporting of income or reluctance on the part of the respondents to reveal their true levels of income. As in other surveys, the CBMS enumerators may also have encountered interview non-response and item non-response.

2 The NRDB was developed by Mr. Richard Alexander, a British volunteer who spent three years working for the Bohol Environment Management Offi ce through the assistance

of the Voluntary Service Overseas (vso.org.uk).

Available in this series:

NATIONAL REPORT

• Philippines Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals 2010

PROVINCIAL REPORTS

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Agusan del Norte

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Agusan del Sur

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Biliran

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Camarines Norte

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Eastern Samar

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Marinduque

• Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Romblon

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Siquijor

•Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data Province of Sarangani

MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte

Documents

Transcript of MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte