The province’s “Minahang Bayanihan” and HealthPlus Shop in a Shop made it as one of the ten finalists in the Galing Pook Awards (GPA), an NGO award-giving body that recognizes best practices of LGUs in good governance in the country.
Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes received the award together with Sangguniang Panlalawigan members led by Vice-Governor Cecil Diel, provincial department heads and other officials on September 1 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
It is a grand slam win for South Cotabato as it received the same award from last year’s entry, the Cluster Sanitary Landfill located in Colonggulo, Surallah and the Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance (AVLDA), an environment conservation alliance of the provinces of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, a few years back.
A total of ten entities received this year’s award from GPA out of the 138 nominees screened nation-wide.
In a radio interview, Governor Fuentes said that the Minahang Bayanihan’s edge over other entries is that it is a small-scale mining (SSM) program found not only in the Philippines, but in the entire world that has successfully regulated SSM.
The Minahang Bayanihan Program was conceptiualized by the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) Officer-in-Charge Siegfred Flaviano which aims to promote sustainable SSM by responding to current SSM issues and concerns, integrating convergence and good governance.
Part of its institutionalization program is the issuance of a Miner’s Identification (ID) Card to all SSM workers, but not after undergoing series of seminars and trainings on basic first aid and safety, disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation, solid waste management and other relevant SSM trainings.
Corporate social responsibility is also advocated to all SSM stakeholders through the conduct of tree-planting activities and other environment conservation and protection programs.
Lately, PEMO in partnership with NGO Bantoxics have strongly advocated for mercury-free mining through the conduct of trainings among SSM workers using the environment-friendly borax as a substitute to the hazardous mercury.
As for HealthPlus Shop, Fuentes added that so far, it is the only pharmacy that is run profitably in the country that provides quality but affordable medicines to indigents.
She likewise gave credit to Mahintana Foundation’s credibility and transparency as partner of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in running the Healthplus Shop pharmacy store.
Aside from being profitable, the Governor pointed out that it has already expanded to some hospitals administered by the province.
South Cotabato’s GPA theme booth also won the Best Booth Award followed by Quezon City and Quezon Province.
