Purok system highlighted in eGwen partners' conference

CEBU, Philippines - The purok system was highlighted yesterday during the 4th Partner’s Conference of the expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (EGWEN) Our Cebu Program.

Organized by the Province of Cebu and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), the conference gathered the estimated 2,500 participants composed of city and town mayors, barangay captains, purok leaders, eGwen Our Cebu Program partners and assessment team at the Cebu International Convention Center.

With the theme, “Purok in the Forefront of Grassroots Governance” the conference aimed to promote the purok system to the towns and cities in the province as an effective grassroots approach towards participatory governance.

San Francisco Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano Jr., as keynote speaker, shared his experience in purok system when he was mayor that has already been there even before the eGwen Our Cebu Program was launched in 2008.

He recalled how he was inspired by a group of black birds locally known as “galansiang” that caused the falling down of a big branch of a pine tree in front of their town hall, an incident that was impossible if only one bird made it.

“Akong hunahuna mensahe to gikan sa kahitas-an, ug nga naghatag to nako og (to my mind it was a message from above and it gave me) inspiration. Human ato (after that), ‘SanFran purok system’ was founded and paradigm shift, change of mindset began to happen. I thought it will take a generation but it did not,” Arquillano said.

He also cited Purok Cambadlis in his town whose cash award received from him became a seed money that has now reached P270,000.

In November last year, leaders of United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) visited San Francisco, Camotes Island where Director Helena Molin Valdes said the place is a “real role model.”

San Francisco also serves as example for community-based disaster-risk reduction initiatives after winning the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction.

The Sasakawa “is a symbol of excellence and outstanding achievement in environmental inspiration and action.”

The UN recognized San Francisco’s Purok system, a home-grown disaster-risk reduction that makes communities responsible for identifying areas at risk from environmental disasters like threats and landslides.

“Because of the purok system the mayor will have an avenue to disseminate essential information and to educate its people,” Arquillano added.

The Province of Cebu is now on its fifth year of eGwen Our Cebu Program focusing on the effectiveness of purok system with 19 municipalities adopting it.

“”We are looking at this program continuing because I believe that with the purok system and with the stake that our people have put into eGwen, Our Cebu Program, this will transcend personalities, this will transcend administrations,” said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in a press conference.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, the project manager, said that when the program was on its first year, they have difficulty in talking to the mayors of having a credible team to do the evaluation and in coming up with a very fair and measurable criteria.

“As your project manager of the evaluation team, I will always endeavor to be very fair,” Magpale said.

RAFI is working together with the Province of Cebu and the local government units of making Cebu an attractive place to live, work, play, invest, and do business through the program.

RAFI President Roberto Aboitiz emphasized that the purok system is the beginning of change at the ground level.

“This volunteerism, this commitment, this determination to change the world around us start with us,” Aboitiz said.—(FREEMAN)