In 2019, the year Mayor Aping was first elected as the Municipal Mayor, this is what Loreto Municipal ground looks like.
In the 2018 CBMS (draft) data, the proportion of households living below the food threshold by barangay is very high indicated by the red line.
The proportion of persons in the labor force who are unemployed is also high, and the majority of them are females who are also IPs (as shown in the graph). In the PDP 2017-2022 where Mayor Aping’s priorities (with an acronym APING) in her first term were aligned, one of its expected outcomes is to quote, “Growth will be more inclusive as manifested by a lower poverty incidence in rural areas – from 30 percent in 2015 to 20 percent in 2022.”
The Agenda
In her second term, Mayor Aping will continue her legacy with the 5-Point Development Agenda, but with enhancements aligning it with the 8 (Near to Medium Term) Socioeconomic Agenda of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. such as the following:
a. create more jobs
b. create green jobs
c. Reduce vulnerability
d. Uphold public order and safety, peace and security
The Watchword
Knowing the situation, Mayor Aping envisioned a better Loreto and put into action her words. In her second term as the Local Chief Executive, her inclusive growth agenda for all will anchor to the watchword “LORETO EMERGING”
What is Loreto emerging? It simplifies the core aim of Mayor Aping and her team to sustain the proactive and speedy delivery of basic services and continue the infrastructural phenomena (we) promised to the people of Loreto.
The 5-point Development Agenda
This is a continuation of the 5-point Development Agenda acronym APING wherein A means Agricultural Productivity. In the slide, the photos under it show the agricultural machinery and supplies for the farmers to enhance the production capacity of their farmlands, thus increasing their harvests and income. P for Proactive Delivery of Public Service. The photo in the slide is just one of the proofs of the proactive action of Mayor Aping during an emergency. I for Indigenous People (IP) Protection. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Aping, with her team, went to far-flung communities where many IPs preside and provided their basic need to protect them from the effects of the pandemic.
N for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. In 2019, Mayor Aping initiated a tree-planting activity to protect and conserve the biodiversity of Loreto. The photo below shows some of the trees planted. G for Good Participatory Governance. The photo in the slide shows how Mayor is leading by example. She participated in the crafting of the Devolution Transition Plan (DTP) participated by the LGU employees with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) personnel.
The Goals for Sustainable Development
The goals behind the programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) to make Loreto emerge are the following:
For Tourism, achieve sustainable tourism by equitably providing greater opportunities to curate Manobo cultural identity and unique eco-tourism sites by providing them with the necessary training and assistance. In the photo is a Manobo woman of the project Hinang of the Municipal Tourism Office.
For Social Services, the Provision of Social Services primarily focused on vulnerable sectors, like the IPs, PWDs, solo parents, Senior Citizens, former rebels, PWIDs, abused women, and disenfranchised members of the LGBTQIA+.
For the Economy, institutionalized Economic Enterprises designed to revitalize economic opportunities and provide more employment will (in turn) create Loreto as the new hub of commerce and finance in the (southern end of the) Province of Agusan del Sur.
For Peace, pursue an inclusive and comprehensive peace covenant with all stakeholders to ensure the most effective, dynamic, and culturally-sensitive local government resolutions to all conflicts.
For Quality Infrastructure, build back better infrastructure designed to be gender-responsive, PWD and Senior Citizen-friendly, and client-oriented.
In other words, build quality infrastructure for a Green, Inclusive and Resilient Recovery.
Project Pagtukod is one of the continuing infrastructure projects that we believe will cause Loreto's sustainable emergence.
The following are the PPAs we consider notable under the leadership of Mayor Lorife Otaza with the help and support of her team and the provincial and national government. For the agriculture sector are the farm-to-market roads. The economic sectors are the Microtel, Trading and Training Center or the Dome, the new Public Market, and Land Transport Terminal. The tourism sites, festivals, and cultural activities for the Tourism sector.
In the photos is the Executive Suite Room of the Microtel, the Public Market and Land Transport Terminal (under construction), the Isolation Facility, The Dome and Microtel view from the highway, and the Dome (indoor).
These and the future efforts of our Local Chief Executive (LCE), Mayor Aping, are all for the attainment of the goals in line with the Global Goals (also) known as the Sustainable Development Goals or the SDGs. These are all for the watchword "Loreto Emerging", and the sustainable development of its constituents.
The Global Goals
The former United Nations Secretary and a South Korean politician (and diplomat) said, “Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship, and strengthen governance.”
