South Cotabato wins 2 Galing Pook awards

KORONADAL CITY – South Cotabato province did it again,
winning two of innovative programs in this year’s Galing Pook Awards, officials
said.

On
Tuesday night, South Cotabato’s winning entries Minahang Bayan, A Small Scale
Mining Program” and Friendly Drugsand A PPP on Health Plus Project” were
declared as among the Top 10 most outstanding local governance programs for
2015 by the Galing Pook Foundation.

South Cotabato Gov Daisy Avance-Fuentes personally received
the awards during the awarding ceremonies at SMX in Pasay City, according to
Siegfred Flaviano, officer in charge of Provincial Environment Management
Office. She alsopersonally made the final presentation of the two
entries.

In its website ( and//www.southcotabato.gov.ph/ www.southcotabato.gov.ph ),
the provincial government said Health Plus project dubbed as Health
Plus Shop in a Shop (HPSiS) is a public private partnership (PPP) between the
Mahintana Foundation and the provincial government of South Cotabato which
started in 2007.

It aims to increase the access of the poorest of the poor to essential drugs
and medicines in the province-run hospitals such as the South Cotabato
Provincial Hospital, the Norala District Hospital and the Polomolok Municipal
Hospital.

Through its implementation, it reduced the out of the pocket expense especially
among indigent patients and helped in the implementation of the No balance
Billing Policy of Philhealth.

During its validation process held in the province, aformer DOH Secretary and staff from
Galing Pook Foundation said, I
have long heard of how successfully this is being implemented here in South
Cotabato and I am surprised why it took this long for the program to be
submitted as an entry to the Galing Pook.”

Another entry, the Minahang Bayan which is a Small-Scale Mining (SSM) program
implemented by the Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) also landed
as among the top ten winners.

The program which aims to promote sustainable SSM by responding to current
issues and concerns, integrating convergence and good governance is considered
the first of its kind in the country and even in the whole of Southeast Asia.

Among the best practices initiated under the said program is the issuance of a
Miner’s Identification (ID) to all SSM workers after they have undergone a
series of seminars and training.

These trainings include basic first aid and safety, disaster risk
reduction/climate change adaptations, solid waste management and other relevant
SSM training.

It has also partnered with the NGO Bantoxics for the conduct of a training on
Mercury-free mining.

It has also established a Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB) composed of
the province, DENR-MGB 12, NGO partner and representatives.

As part of the social responsibility, all SSM stakeholder were involved the
environment conservation and protection programs such as the conduct of
tree-planting activities.

Out
of the 153 entries all over the country, the two were included among the 38
entries which were visited for validation.

Afterwhich,
the two entries were chosen as among the top 16 finalists of which, only ten
were declared as winners.

Among the 2015 top 10 GALING POOK AWARDEES in random
wereand
1. Luv Taytay Rizal garments
2. Phil cuckatoo conservation of Palawan
3. Team albay,
4. Education 360 of valenzuela city
5. Minahang BayanandA Small Scale Mining Programand (Southcot),
6. Ambao fish sanctuary
7. Sirib Express of Ilocos norte
8. Mapanagutang Pamahalaan Graceville Bulacan
9. Friendly DrugsandPPPon Health Plus Project(South Cotabato)
10. Siayan, Lanao

Aside
from winning two prestigious awards at the Galing Pook, South Cotabato as the
Land of the Dreamweavers was also adjudged as the Best Booth during the exhibit
on the Galing Pook Governance Fair, Exercising Citizenship to Make Government
Work” held on August 30 to September 1, 2015.