"Leads The Advocacy To Refocus Agriculture"
By Megs S. Lunn
Governor Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol was the keynote speaker during the first day of the Opening of the Aklan Media Summit on October 26, held at Gov. Corazon L. Cabagnot Training Center, Old Buswang, Kalibo, Aklan. Piñol before he joined politics was a radio sportscaster.
He was first elected Mayor of Makilala, North Cotabato and then Provincial Governor of North Cotabato in 1998. He was re-elected governor in the 2001 and 2004 local elections.
In his one-hour speech with powerpoint presentation, he related his style of governance as provincial governor of his province. He said, "Our nation is a nation of servants. We are the leading country not only as the no. 1 supplier of super bananas and mangoes, we likewise lead in the supply of super maids to the most affluent households abroad. The state of affairs in the Philippines and its political leaders cannot yet appreciate the gravity of the situation."
Gov. Piñol cited the ants which walk together as one to one direction, and work together to accomplish common goal. Whereas, Filipinos work toward different directions, with individual goals and pull each other to prevent realization of a common goal. However, he pointed out, "it is not too late for Filipinos to emulate the ants. There is always hope for the Filipino people."
He encouraged the participants to look at the bright side of the picture. Since everyone is a target of terrorism and not just North Cotabato, Piñol pointed to the "need to educate media on reliable and intelligent reporting about the government plans, projects, and activities. A free press as the pipeline of the government is not just a privilege but is organic necessity in a great society. Yes, criticism is an adequate way to let people know of what’s happening in the government, yet we need to be responsible news reporters and analysts, too. Media practitioners must report good things about the place and its local government. This will attract investors. We may not be perfect individuals just like the ants, yet we can set direction," he continued.
According to Governor Piñol, "North Cotabato flourished from the 10th among the poorest provinces in Mindanao to the 5th among the top 30 provinces of the region in 1998 and became the region’s number one province in job generation and investments."
As governor, Piñol was confronted with seemingly insurmountable problems which used to be waves of terror with the worst place of bombing on October 10, 2003; where all undesirables in the country were being brought to North Cotabato; where all the reports about North Cotabato were all negative especially on terrorism; when everytime he was interviewed by the tri-media, it was always the other side of the story. As responsible media men, "write a story only after both sides of the issue are available," Piñol advised.
Piñol presented the North Cotabato story, how he brought back the province to normalcy. They stood brave after so many nightmares. The province used to be the haven of undesirables but now "the haven of desirables" because of political will. According to him, he survived the fight. "The more he was pressured with crisis, the more he was shaped into a leader who is like a diamond in a rough," Piñol stressed.
"The situation in Mindanao is not a result of political blunders but rather of historical blunders by the past leaders. But now, many businessmen from some parts of the country dominate North Cotabato with only two Muslim mayors. All the rest are Christians. An Aklanon, Dr. Bonifacio Tejada dominated Makilala town as mayor for 27 years until Piñol came along who leads the advocacy for a refocused agriculture.
Governor Piñol, in his 3rd term totally eliminated all rebel camps in North Cotabato. The province is now peaceful without any influence from MILF. He did it thru the oplan manhunt of all criminals with pending arrest warrants. He provided rewards of various kinds to those persons who provided information which led to the arrest of the criminals. He invested in education, development of infrastructures, and refocused agriculture as the key to development. He invested more resources to achieve peace most of all.
He created Jobs for Economic Enhancement Program (JEEP) with the "Fly now Pay Later" scheme to provide loans for those who went abroad payable as soon as they receive their pay. The Cotabato Health Insurance Program (CHIP) besides PHILHEALTH to give the people higher insurance health coverage is made mandatory. Piñol created agricultural fund to finance the shift from agriculture romanticism to agriculture that offers plant now pay later of hybrid coconut, bananas, oil palm and rubber.
"The key to agriculture is the market, he stressed. North Cotabato must produce only what the market needs. So that the land mark policy is "No to Mining, no to logging, no to gambling and no to solicitation". The ordinance was passed because mining, logging, gambling and solicitation are never marketable. Instead, they destroy the forest and put the people to high risk of morbidity.
Piñol’s governance is simplified. He is the governor who does not yield to solicitation for fiesta expenses and other non-revenue investments. However, when people see him about barangay projects like repair of roads and construction of bridges, they will not go home empty-handed. He would rather support the peace process by giving each barangay a road, sending the barangay captains to some part of Asia like Malaysia to learn agriculture and bring home the knowledge for them to be able to apply to their municipalities and barangays. He invested in the Children of Peace, where children of rebels and refugees are given full scholarships and incentives to travel around the country to be able to learn more of its culture and keep the spirit of brotherhood among them. He believed that these children are the leaders of the future who need to live in harmony with each other.
In his 3rd term as Governor, North Cotabato is elevated to the 2nd top province in terms of investment destination in the region, 2nd to General Santos City with P397.49m worth of capital. North Cotabato is the 29th lowest poverty incidence in the region. It has now the fastest growing economy in Central Mindanao. According to Governor Piñol, the North Cotabato experience taught him the lessons as follows:
1. Local communities must be liberated from the directional control of the central government, Malacañang,
2. Continuing education for local leaders,
3. the best weapon against unrest and insurgency is effective governance and all-out development, and
4. there is hope for the Philippines.
In conclusion, he recommended that we emulate the habits of the ants – to work toward one direction, help each other and push each other to progress as one nation. There can never be peace without development and that the future belongs to the brave. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
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