Peace and order key to progress — Misamis Occidental governor

From being a hotbed of crime in the South, the success of peace and order initiatives in Misamis Occidental has turned it into one of Northern Mindanao's leaders in development indicators, said the province's Governor, Henry S. Oaminal.

In an interview, Oaminal shared the progress milestones the province has achieved in less than a decade in its infrastructure, labor and employment and economy.

Before Misamis Occidental could achieve such leaps forward, the governor recalled the poor state of law enforcement in the province, marked by crime, insurgency and even terrorism, as a "challenging part of our history."

The province could have been "the drug and organized crime capital of Mindanao," said Oaminal. Apart from the threat that the Kuratong Baleleng Gang posed, rebels were also present in the area.

The governor attributed the province's liberation from crime and violence to the cooperation of local government units with law enforcement improvement efforts, as well as the work of the previous administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Ozamiznons can now freely walk without any fear of harassment from the bad elements," said Oaminal. This, according to him, is the realization of one of the tenets of his 5M platform — "Misamisnon Magpuyong Malinawon Malambuonug Malipayon," or "Misamisnon Live Peacefully, Progressively and Happily."

With criminal threats under control, the province is witnessing consistent progress. More businesses are being established, said the governor, "and the job opportunities that were created out of it are getting better."

From being one of the poorest provinces, Misamis Occidental posted in 2021 "the highest significant improvement in poverty incidence among families," according to data by the Philippine Statistics Authority — from 32.7 percent poverty incidence in 2018, to 23.3 percent in the same period in 2021. According to Oaminal, lately the poverty incidence has further decreased to 18.30 percent.

Public infrastructure also heavily contributed to the province's development.

"We gave more attention to the improvement of our roads," said Oaminal. During his three terms in congress, the governor shared that municipal, provincial and national roads were 95-percent paved. And through good fiscal management, the province continues to establish more health centers and improve educational facilities for Misamisnons.

Peace and order initiatives will continue to be one of the priorities of the provincial government, Oaminal, because "when there is peace, there is development."