How has the use of data changed (and is changing) the development landscape of Loreto, Agusan del Sur?
Loreto, Agusan del Sur, Philippines is a Municipality located in the southern part of Mindanao. It is a landlocked town rich in culture, history, and biodiversity.
The story of Loreto started way before Spanish colonization. The original inhabitants of the Municipality were Manobo tribes. The elders told stories about how rich natural resources and diverse the creatures that lived here were.
Unfortunately, the lack of data made those stories a tale. The national government focused on the history of the capitals of the Philippines. The history of Loreto and the environment is difficult to find. Few data are available on the world wide web, and most of them are not what development sectors are looking for.
The current data about Loreto is available in the Municipal Development Office with CBMS 2018 (source of data in the charts below). The only website that has valuable data about the Municipality is PhilAtlas.
Data in rural areas must be timely collected to achieve inclusive development. This can only be done by providing a system, technology, and technical support (knowledge) to the far-flung communities.
The chart below shows the poverty incidence in each barangay in the Municipality of Loreto. Communities that need more development efforts were identified with that data.
Data Source: CBMS 2018
The data shows that Kapda has the highest proportion of households living below the food threshold. Based on some reports, this is a chaotic barangay because of the rebels roaming around the area. The uniformed men (especially the AFP) are doing their best to protect the people in the Municipality and end the control of the rebels in some barangays, but these leftists are hard to conquer.
Barangay Mabuhay is the only barangay with a proportion (10.39) of households living below the food threshold that is not greater than the target rural poverty incidence which is at 25.6 based on the Updated Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.
The poverty incidence in the Municipality is at 56.96% based on the 2018 CBMS survey. Aside from poverty incidence, 46.97% of households live below the food threshold (Php 16,013.00 per capita annually). The poverty threshold stated in the survey is Php 22,957 per capita annually. The total poverty incidence could be higher if we consider the international poverty line ($1.90 per day - updated from the previous poverty line of $1.25 to $1.90 in 2015) set under Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG1) of the United Nations. If we divide it by the number of days in a year (365 days in 2015) each household lives below Php 62.90 per day. Considering the average household size of 4, a person in a household has a budget of only Php 15.72 per day if it is equally divided.
The proportion of unemployed persons in the labor force is also high (49.40% of the total labor force population of 25,513). Female has the highest proportion at 57.70%, based on the 2018 CBMS survey.
Data Source: CBMS 2018
In 2018, the total population in Loreto was 40,593, a decrease of 1,908 or 4.49% of the population (42,351) in 2015. The majority of the total population in 2018 is male with 52.43%, while the female population has 47.57% only. In the 2020 census, the total population changed to 43,880. It grew by around 8%. The increase was probably due to the pandemic and the government's program, "Balik Probinsya".
The total number of households continuously increased based on the five years (2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018) CBMS survey. There were 9,334 households in 2018, with a total of 9,907 families. The average number of family members in a household is 4. The only urban barangay in the Municipality is Poblacion, with a population of 6,232 or 15.35% of the (total number of) people in the Municipality based on the 2018 CBMS (census results draft).
The majority of the population (58.76% or 23,837) in 2018 are in the working-age group (15-64 years old). The male population is 12,687, while the female is 11,150. The ratio of dependency among the working-age population is at 70 in 2018. For every 100 working-age population, there are about 70 dependents (62 are young and 8 are old dependents).
Feasibility studies and business plans were crafted using the data above. They were submitted to the local banks to get a loan for the continuous development of the Municipality of Loreto.
The progress was slow until two local banks granted loans to the local government. With the continuous efforts of the local leader/s and some employees/workers, the development was boosted.
The importance of data has not realized until the loan was approved and contributed to the emergence of Loreto, Agusan del Sur.
The Municipal Planning and Development Coordination Office was mandated by the Local Chief Executive and probably the national government to continue the data gathering after it was put on hold because of COVID-19.
I interviewed one of the data gatherers, and she revealed that the data gathering process was not easy, and in some cases, the data gathered were irrelevant/unreliable.
The process of data gathering is primitive. It is (usually) done through a face-to-face interview and survey. The assigned individuals will go house-to-house and by barangay to gather information.
Most of the employees/workers in the Municipality of Loreto are not well acquainted with the latest technology. Even the younger generations (in the locality) knowledge of the current technological trends are limited.
Proposed Solution
A collaboration with national and international organizations with vast experience (and experts) relevant to data technology is vital.
The national/local governments should put efforts into the planning stage and allocate generous proportions for the data technology projects/programs during the budget allocation.
The policymakers should be summoned by the (high ranking) authorities to create and pass orders/mandates/ordinances/resolutions to encourage the collection, sharing, use, reuse, and storage of data in all areas (rural and urban including near and far) of the Philippines promptly.
The policies to be created must include (but are not limited to) the technical training of employees, the acquisition of the right technology, and the proper use of the relevant technology.