TODAY Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano delivered his 9th and last State of the Province Address (Sopa), dubbed “Taho Namo sa Katawhan,” highlighting his achievements in the last nine years in an hour and 48-minute speech.
During his administration, Emano said they have built a training center in the capitol grounds which will be used for conferences hosted by the province. He also cited the repair of the Legal Training Office which he said was dilapidated when he assumed office.
His administration has also built the Provincial Tourism that has become the official department of the capitol under Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance 1402-2017. Emano mentioned the building of Misamis Oriental Provincial Information Office.
In his nine years, Emano has regularized over 1,700 employees and has delivered on his promise to pay the employees’ Government Service Insurance System and Pag-Ibig remittances in advance.
Emano proudly announced that the entire province has been declared by the Department of Health as free of Filariasis and Malaria.
He said his administration’s Misamis Oriental Care System has served some 1.6 million of the province’s constituents and has released over P64 million in financial assistance.
Emano beamed that the province has been the very first to get ready for the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As early as January 15, he said that they already have checkpoints in the boundaries of Misamis Orienta. They have also made Covid-19 facility as initiated by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Jerie Calingasan
He announced that the capitol has been spending over P400 million for Covid-19 response every day.
The capitol has now inoculated 600 thousand Misamisnons and herd immunity of 82 percent has already been reached.
For infrastructure, Emano said he gives emphasis on the road development of the very famous Route 955 ― the Claveria-Gingoog road.
For transportation, they have acquired over 25 motorcycles for Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), purchased two buses for frontliners, and 24 ambulances for each municipality, among others.
In agriculture, Emano said the capitol has given assistance to some 30 thousand farmers and developed 17 thousand hectares of farmlands.
He thanked Phillip Morris Inc. for donating the P500 million worth facility to become Misamis Oriental Agriculture Complex in Claveria.
In cooperative development, Emano said they have organized 86 cooperatives across the province and were given over P25 million in financial assistance.
In education, 20,000 have benefited from the Iskolar ko ni Bambi program. Some P3 billion has been released for education in the province.
In terms of tourism, Emano cited Cindy Obeñita’s win as Miss Intercontinental 2021 in Egypt.
It is also his legacy that he will leave the province to have a Kuyamis Festival as the official festival of the province under Sangguniang Panlalawigan Ordinance 1332-2014.
He also said that 200 resorts have been built across the province as an effect of his tourism program and employed over 7,000. Emano added that the capitol now has a thriving tourism industry raking in P387 million annually.
Emano has 171 days left in serving as the governor of the province and one of the last projects he is about to finish is the brand new provincial jail in the Municipality of Initao.
“We (have) done much but we’re very far from where we want to go,” Emano said. But through cooperation, he added, he is pretty certain what they’ve started will continue through the leadership of the Padayon Pilipino gubernatorial bet Gingoog Vice Mayor Peter Unabia.
