Operation Zero (The Call for Economic Liberation) Public and Private Sector Cooperation: The Winning Formula (Valencia, Negros Oriental) by BLA and CLR Negros Oriental is part of Region VII Central Visayas and occupies the right side of the Negros island. It is divided into three congressional districts for the purpose of legislative representation. According to the province’s socioeconomic profile, agriculture is the main source of livelihood in Negros Oriental, with sugar cane and rice being the province’s dominant crops. However, as a province that is highly reliant on agriculture, the seasonality of harvest (and thus the instability of income) remains to be a big concern. Poverty incidence in Negros Oriental (45%) is higher than the overall poverty incidence in the country (22%) and in its region, Region VII (29%) (NSCB 2012). Valencia belongs to the third congressional district of Negros Oriental. It is mostly mountainous, boasting lands filled with trees and crops. Of the 4% forest cover in Negros Oriental, 96% belongs to Valencia. Roads are generally well-maintained making the entire municipality accessible. Apart from agriculture as its primary source of livelihood, residents also widely benefit from the presence of a private energy corporation. The corporation is active in community development, particularly in the areas of health, education, and livelihood. Valencia has a grand opportunity to develop its tourism sector. It is home to potential tourist destinations such as the Casaroro Waterfalls and Pulangbato Waterfalls, not to mention the cool climate and refreshing breeze in Mount Talinis. Furthermore, locals refer to Valencia as the municipality where “World War II ended,” as it is home to the Amity Shrine — the site where Filipino, American and Negrosaron guerilla troops fought the Japanese Imperial Army toward the end of World War II. If the municipality wants to profit from tourism, it should capitalize not only on its natural environment, but also on its historical significance. Local Government Units One of the municipality’s major development goals is the maximization of local farm production by helping farmers acquire enough farm inputs and utilizing the expertise of local agricultural technicians. Furthermore, the municipality has identified areas with slopes for agro-forest development. The municipality intends to optimize the use of the lands through equitable distribution, while discouraging the presence of idle lands. The municipality has also been prioritizing school infrastructure, and recently, it has provided all schools with kindergarten teachers in preparation for the adoption of K to 12. The local government allocates an amount that is consistently higher than the required minimum of 1% of the tax collected on the assessed value of real property to the Special Education Fund. This fund is used for the operation and maintenance of public schools and school infrastructure, educational research, purchase of books and periodicals, and sports development. In working towards the achievement of its objectives, the municipality has received and continues to receive support from private enterprises, such as the aforementioned corporation. Prior to the repealing of royalty taxes in the Philippines, it used to pay royalty taxes for the operation of its geothermal power plant in Valencia, which supplies energy to the whole Negros and Panay and some parts of Cebu. Today, despite the repealing, the accumulation of this royalty tax continues to be a source of funding for the municipality particularly for education. Moreover, residents of Valencia receive a PhP800 refund on their electricity bills. Education Dropouts at the elementary level is not a major concern in Valencia. As an illustration, one of the schools we visited has had zero dropouts for the past two school years, while another has had effectively zero dropouts for the past seven school years (with the “dropout” in school year 2012-2013 coming from the death of a student). Much of this has to do with the support that schools receive from the aforementioned corporation. It is active in donating supplies to schools, which alleviate what would have been additional expenses for the students. On the other hand, dropout rates are the going concern in Negros Oriental, particularly at the secondary level. The past three school years show an average of 0.92% dropout rate at the elementary and an average of 4.86% at the secondary level. The following are the reasons identified for dropouts (note that these are not necessarily mutually exclusive): 1. Family-related problems which include taking care of siblings, early pregnancy, and unsupportive parents 2. Individual-related problems, which can include health problems and poor academic performance 3. Community-related problems, such as calamities and armed conflicts 4. School-related problems, which pertain to the inadequacy of the learning environment offered by the schools 5. Financial problems Given the dropout incidence in the province and the available government programs, the Department of Education in Negros Oriental has set out the following concrete steps moving forward: • Training of school heads and principals on the Dropout Reduction Program (DORP) • Pattern Antique National High School’s Scheme of Cooperativism • Institutionalize the electronic Students At Risk Of Dropping Out (SARDO) Tracking System, in order to respond better to the SARDOs • Create more links with more stakeholders for support of DORP • Give more incentives to teachers implementing the DORP
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:16:23 +0000
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