SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR–Siquijor Gov. Orlando “Shane” Fua Jr. Monday used his State of the Province Address to take exception to a documentary shown over a national TV network, which he said portrayed Siquijor in a bad light and the Fua family as a hindrance to the island-province’s development.
Kahirapan sa Probinsiya ng Siquijor, the TV documentary aired Feb. 23 presented 2003 data from the National Statistical Conciliation Board showing that Siquijor ranked 7th among provinces with the highest hunger levels.
The documentary also showed “alarming” 2006 data from the Community Based Monitoring System which showed that four out of ten Siquijodnons do not get to eat adequately.
Siquijor, Fua said, has become more self-sufficient in food production, as evidenced by the lowered number of importation of rice. From 60,082 cavans imported by commercial rice traders in 2010, they only imported 45,570 cavans in 2011.
Likewise, the National Food Authority, which imported 84,915 cavans of rice in 2010 imported only 36,770 in 2011, the Governor noted.
This, he explained, is because Siquijor rice farmers are the most productive in Central Visayas, harvesting 73 cavans per hectare compared to 61 cavans in Bohol and 57 in Negros Oriental. The province’s ricefields are also growing at the rate of six percent per year, he said, citing government statistics.
The Governor reminded Siquijodnons that the country’s most outstanding farmer for 2010 was Elnard Ympal of Candura, San Juan town in Siquijor while another Siquijodnon, Martina Inapan, placed fourth in the search for outstanding woman farmer in 2009.
“Siquijor has the lowest crime rate. There are no kidnappers, snatchers, beggars, street children, squatters and prostitutes here,” he said.
Fua also cited a report by the United Nations Development Program which listed Siquijor as the third province with the highest economic rise throughout the country. “Siquijor is number one in terms of per capita income increase throughout the Philippines,” he said.
He also said that from 58th place among all provinces in 2003, the Province has advanced to 31st place in 2008 and was classified as number one in terms of economic governance.
Fua also cited government data that showed that Siquijor was better than 33 other provinces based on the number of poor inhabitants.
After narrating a litany of improvements in the Province’s agricultural production, Fua lamented the way the documentary was produced, which, he said, made a poor man by the name of Lito Bonocan as the face of the average Siquijodnon. “In Liloan, a community of 240 households, there are not five who are as pressed as Lito is,” he said.
He said the choice of Lito Bonocan seemed like a political move. Adding to the Governor’s displeasure was the choice of the lead convenor of the National Anti Poverty Commission, Joel Rocamora, who Fua considers a political opponent, as one of the resource persons.
The Governor also rebutted the issue of poor medical care as pointed out in the documentary, by saying that the Siquijor Provincial Hospital admitted 4,570 patients in 2011 while serving another 12,739 outpatients.
Admitting that there are patients who die at the Provincial Hospital, Fua said the average mortality rate is 2.8 percent, which is much lower than that of the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital at four percent.
“If 153 died in the hospital last year, Mr. Rocamora should know that 4,417 others lived,” he said.
He said the camera focused only on the old hospital equipment. “They didn’t bother to feature our new X-ray, cardiac monitor, hematology analyzer, six private rooms and the charity wards which we renovated at the cost of Php 4 million.”
He said 24 percent of the Province’s income of Php 307,300,833.50 was used for health.
For tourism, Siquijor has seen a steadily increasing volume of tourist arrivals. Last year’s arrivals of 123,864 was 18 percent higher than 2010, which is the highest increase in Region 7.
The Governor also said that the problematic power situation in Siquijor is expected to be solved soon when the Energy Regulatory Commission gives the Siquijor Power Corp., a provisional authority to operate.
The Province of Siquijor Electric Cooperative (ProSiElCo) awarded the SIPCOR the right to supply 6.5 MW of power to the island after subjecting itself to a Swiss Challenge.
Under a Swiss Challenge, the bidder declares a bid price and dares other interested bidders to beat their bid.
Siquijor, which gets power from the National Power Corporation, has periodic brownouts because the ageing NPC power generators can only supply 2.1 MW as against the PROSIELCO’s demand of 3.5MW during peak hours.
Fua also defended his family’s 25-year public service record, which Rocamora said was a stumbling block to development. “It’s true that there are five Fua’s in government positions but they were all elected to office and no law prohibits a man from aspiring to hold a public elective office only because of his name,” the governor said.
Aside from Governor Fua, the other Fuas holding elective positions are his father, Orlando Sr. (congressman), his son Orlando III (SK provincial chair), his brother Orville (Provincial Board member) and another brother, Orpheus (mayor of the Fua hometown of Lazi).
He said that before they took over the leadership of the island, the asphalted roads were only less than seven kilometers. Next year, he said, the entire 78-kilometer stretch of the Siquijor Circumferential Highway will either be concrete or premixed asphalt.
He also said island now boasts of a steady water supply even up to the mountain barangays, built 400 more classrooms, expanded the airport runway and built several other public works projects.
“Those who denounce us now will have a lot of denying to do,” Fua said, as he reminded critics that Siquijor was awarded as the second best managed province in the country in 2008.
