DAVAO CITY –— The provincial government of Davao del Norte purchased new vehicles and heavy equipment worth P265-million to speed up the delivery of basic services to its constituents and to build vital infrastructures to maximize growth potential for fiscal year 2022.
Provincial Governor Edwin Jubahib said the province is set to bring more services to the barangays, accelerate infrastructure development and enhance disaster preparedness for effective response.
During the blessings of the vehicles, the governor stressed “We aim to deliver more services, build more infrastructures and improve disaster response to satisfy the basic needs of our people.”
The amount covered for the purchase of 21 service and rescue vehicles and heavy machineries, amounting to P207 million on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
The new fleet of vehicles and heavy equipment include two heavy-duty rescue vehicles with crane; five Ural Next heavy-duty rescue vehicles; one crawler hydraulic excavator; one crawler long-arm excavator; two wheel-type excavators; two bulldozers; two dump trucks; two 16-ft fuel tankers; and two 4-wheel drive pick-up trucks.
The governor said the vehicles and heavy equipment will be used to open up more roads and infrastructures to spur investments and economic growth, as he bared his aim of delivering at least 95% of basic services to the people during his second term.
Hailed as the Banana Capital of the Philippines, Davao del Norte was awarded as among the 2022 Most Sustainable and Liveable Provinces in the Philippines.
Jubahib added the excavators will also assist the dredging machines in the on-going desilting operation of major rivers and tributaries to address perennial flooding in the province.
The new pick-up trucks were given to the board members and various offices of the Provincial Capitol to facilitate delivery of more services to the barangays.
“Walay nay rason nganong dili maka-deliver og maayong serbisyo ang atong mga opisina sa Kapitolyo (There is no reason why we cannot deliver better services),” Jubahib said.
Early last June, the province received the delivery of seven 19-seater van-type lightweight trucks and 27 4×4 rescue pick-up trucks, where some were distributed to improve the response capabilities of the local government units (LGUs) of the province.
The money spent for the purchase was ateken against a bank loan and some funds coming from the Local Government Empowerment Program (LGEP) of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which was facilitated by 1st District Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez. –With report from Noel Baguio
