Message from the SDC XI Chairperson
The quest for a better life and improved standard of living for our country folks is the prime mandate of government and its instrumentalities such as the Regional Development Council. The Social Development Committee (SDC) is one of five (5) sectoral committees of RDC XI whose focus is to promote coordination and collaboration among key players towards addressing social sector development in the Region. Central to its mandate is to ensure full participation of the citizenry in development concerns of the community and equal opportunity in nation/community-building efforts.
At the center of our development efforts in SDC XI is the human being. We must ensure equitable distribution of meager government resources towards empowerment and human development. Major interventions in human development include the three (3) basic sectors represented in the SDC, the health sector, academe and social sector focusing on special groups/marginalized or underserved. It is our avowed commitment to guarantee that no group or individual is marginalized, abused or oppressed. That we must ascertain that all peoples will have access to resources and services as well as ensure available, quality and affordable social services regardless of gender, age, race, religion/beliefs, ethnicity, economic status or political affiliation. We are the balancer of Local Government efforts in providing basic social services to its constituency.
For the term period 2007-2010, our focus and major goal for SDC XI still remains the attainment of the Philippine Medium-term Development Plan of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA) which centers on “POVERTY ALLEVIATION” and the internationally set goals of humanity embodied in the MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs). However, we must re-focus efforts for attaining the MDGs because of the 8 goals, PGMA has declared in her March 8, 2008 statement during Women’s Day celebration that it is Goal No. 5 or the reduction in Maternal Mortality that is the most unlikely to be attained by the Philippines by 2015. Thus, as newly re-appointed SDC XI Chair, I would like our focus for 2007-2010 be on reducing Maternal Deaths in Region XI and Goal No. 3 which focuses on ensuring full empowerment of women to make decisions about their bodies and their lives that is closely related to Goal No. 5. As we continue to pursue other MDG commitments such as Poverty alleviation, Universal Access to Primary Education, Improve Child Health, Combat Infectious Diseases such as Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV/AIDS, ensure access to safe water supply and sanitary toilets and ensuring environmental sustainability…we must focus on improving Maternal Health and reducing maternal death. This is an imperative that we must ensure that the individuals tasked to ensuring the perpetration of the human race be given utmost importance and privilege in the allocation of meager government resources.
A healthy citizenry is vital for a productive and progressive community. What better way than to ensure that future generations have the best start in life through ensuring healthy and empowered mothers. Let us work together in SDC XI towards a synergistic and collective action for the social development of Davao Region.
KAYANG KAYA KUNG SAMA SAMA! USWAG DABAW!
PAULYN JEAN R. UBIAL
Chairperson, SDC XI
Sectoral Committees
- Development Administration Commitee
- Economic Development Commitee
- Infrastructure Development Commitee
- Social Development Commitee
- Macroeconomy And Finance Commitee