MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte

Province of AGUSAN DEL NORTE
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Philippines Fourth Progress Report on the Millennium Development Goals using CBMS Data - Province of Province of Marinduque

Status Report on the
Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
Using CBMS Data

Province of Agusan Del Norte

Foreword

Province of Agusan del Norte

The continuous struggle to wipe out poverty from the face of the earth started, so to speak,
when man lost his place in Eden. The disparity between the rich and the poor has continued to
widen; the vicious cycle of poverty goes on. Poverty is as much a psychological and spiritual
problem as it is an economic one. Is there a way out?
Several programs and philosophies have been advanced primarily to address the problem.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) program is one. While success is elusive, we must
persevere in ﬁghting the good ﬁght.
If our fellowmen can at least meet their minimum basic needs and sustain that standard, our
quest for a life of prosperity for all is already a dream come true.
Maybe not today, but the journey out of poverty has begun…

GLORIA L. PABILLORE
Anti-Poverty Focal Person
Agusan del Norte

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Province of Agusan Del Norte Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data

Preface

This report was prepared primarily to assess the extent by which the various
players of the MDG program have accomplished their respective targets.
Owing to the unavailability of data, the report utilized data generated through
the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) using the Stata Software
provided by the PEP-CBMS Network Team and the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP).
Similarly, the goals, indicators, and targets of the MDG and CBMS were
manipulated in order to make both methodologies compliant with each other.
It is hoped that the result of the report will persuade leaders as well as other key
players and stakeholders to consider achieving the targets of the MDG top priority.

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Status Report on the Millennium Development Goals Using CBMS Data

Acknowledgments

This report is a collaborative product of institutions and individuals whose hearts go out to
the plight of the vulnerable and the poor.
We specially thank the UNDP and PEP-CBMS team headed by Dr. Celia Reyes who provided
invaluable assistance and constant mentoring to the provincial team, while meticulously helping
us hone the MDG Report of Agusan del Norte.
We also acknowledge with deep gratitude the role played by the local government units
(LGUs) under the leadership of the mayors, the full support of the barangay officials, and
the active cooperation of the different technical working groups (TWGs) headed by the local
planning and development coordinators for their untiring involvement in completing the CBMS
surveys of their respective LGUs. The results of the surveys form a significant part of the MDG
report.
In the final consultation, the Department of Education (DepEd), Provincial Social Welfare
and Development Office (PSWDO), Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA),
Provincial Veterinary (PVet), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Provincial Planning and Develop-
ment Office (PPDO), and the Municipal/City Planning and Development Office (M/CPDO)
were instrumental in further enhancing the report. Thank you for your support.
Finally, we extend our sincerest appreciation to Provincial Governor Erlpe John M. Amante.
His strong support and positive outlook inspired the writers to document the findings of the
MDG/CBMS report.
Above all, we thank the Almighty God for without Him nothing is possible.

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Message
The preparation of provincial MDGs reports is a critical step that Local Govern-
ment Units (LGUs) have taken in the overall effort to localize the MDGs. As it is
often said, the MDGs will be ‘won or lost’ at the local level given the conditions
of uneven progress and disparities across regions and provinces in the country.

Beyond the national averages, one can see wide disparities on the gains
in poverty reduction, universal education, child mortality and maternal health.
This situation reinforces the notion that the progress of each province is just as
important as the achievements of the country as a whole. After all, the Philippines’
progress towards the MDGs, is the sum of the efforts and gains of all LGUs.

By preparing provincial reports, LGUs are provided vital information on
the status of the MDGs in their areas of inﬂuence. These reports are important
sources of information for planning, resource allocation and priority setting that LGUs are tasked
under their mandate of effective local governance. Likewise, in the course of the preparation of the
reports, the capacity of LGUs to collect, monitor and use data for decision making has been greatly
enhanced. The reports also show how far the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) that
UNDP has supported can go in terms of its use.

Against the backdrop of renewed optimism emanating from the new political leadership, this ﬁrst
set of nine Provincial Reports on the MDGs is a timely and important milestone. The reports provide
crucial insights on how to overcome the constraints in achieving the MDGs locally as the country
gears towards the last stretch to attain the eight goals by 2015. They also emphasize the important
role of active collaboration of political leaders, stakeholders, and donors in achieving the MDGs.

I wish to commend the nine Provincial Governments that prepared their reports – the Agusan
del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Biliran, Camarines Norte, Eastern Samar, Marinduque, Romblon, Saran-
gani and Siquijor Province – the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Network and the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for working together in bringing about this
important accomplishment.

With this initiative, it is hoped that other provinces will follow suit to attain nationwide support
for the need to accelerate the pace of the achievement of the MDGs by 2015.s

Dr
Dr. Jacqueline Badcock
UN Resident Coordinator and
UNDP Resident Representative

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Message

Republic of the Philippines
PROVINCE OF AGUSAN DEL NORTE
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

Getting to where we want to go in our quest for a world free
from poverty was what we dreamed of a decade ago when
we embraced the purpose of the Millennium Development
Goals. Leaders, communities, and nations continue to hold
to that dream and hoped and believed that by 2015, we all
would see a better tomorrow.
Reality, however, presents more challenges because many
are still in want. Nations are still in dire need.
As a nation, how can we respond? Do we resign to hopelessness?
The people of this province see a different picture, the picture of truth, the picture of oppor-
tunity, the picture of bounty and hope.
The Millennium Development Goals, as enhanced by the Community-Based Monitoring
System, is a means to an end. It frames strategies that serve as our roadmap to where we
want to go.
I take great pride of being an Agusanon and a Filipino. Despite the odds, we have always
seen the better part of things. We have always emerged victorious.
The timeline of the MDG maybe drawing near yet we cannot be constrained by timelines.
The work goes on…the challenge goes on. Let’s all run the race until no man is left in want.
The call is clear in the wisdom of the Creator who said: “Whatsoever you do to the least of
my brethren, that’s what you do unto me.” Let’s start from here and see that the future holds
more promises and fulﬁllment.

ERLPE JOHN M. AMANTE
Governor

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Table of Contents

Foreword Anti-Poverty Focal Person Gloria L. Pabillore ....................................... 2
Preface .................................................................................................................. 3

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 4

Messages UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock ............................... 5

Agusan Del Norte Governor Erlpe John M. Amante .............................. 6
Table of Contents ................................................................................................. 7
List of Acronyms .................................................................................................. 9
List of Tables ....................................................................................................... 12
List of Figures ...................................................................................................... 14

Executive Summary ...................................................................................... 16
Part 1. Provincial Profile
1. History ........................................................................................ 21
2. Geo-physical Environment ............................................................. 22
3. Population and Social Environment ................................................ 23
4. Infrastructure/Utilities/Facilities ....................................................... 24
5. Economic Structure ....................................................................... 26
6. Local Institutional Capability ........................................................... 29
Part 2. Status Report on the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Goal 1 - Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger .................................................... 33

Goal 2 - Achieve Universal Primary Education ....................................................... 46

Goal 3 - Promote Gender Equality ....................................................................... 54

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Table of Contents

Goal 4 - Reduce Child Mortality .......................................................................... 62

Goal 5 - Improve Maternal Health ........................................................................... 69

Goal 6 - Combat HIV / AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases ....................................... 76

Goal 7 - Ensure Environmental Sustainability ........................................................ 81

Goal 8 - Develop a Global Partnership for Development ....................................... 90
Part 3. Meeting the 2015 Challenge
Priority Programs and Policy Responses ...................................................... 97
Financing the MDGs ................................................................................ 98
Recommendations and Conclusions .............................................................. 99
Explanatory Text .......................................................................................... 101

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List of Acronyms

4Ps Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
AGUKAKABA Agusanong Kahugpungan sa Kababayen-an
ADN Agusan Del Norte
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
API Annual Parasitic Incidence
BCG Bacille Calmette Guerin
CBMS Community Based Monitoring System
CDR Case Detection Rate
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
CEDC Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances
CARI Control of Accute Respiratory Infection
DBP Development Bank of the Philippines
DepEd Deparment of Education
DOLE Department of Labor and Employment
DENR Department of Environment and Natural Resources
DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development
DOH Department of Health
DOTS Directly Observed Treatment Strategy
DPT Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus
ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development Project
EU European Union
EVS Education Voucher System
FHSIS Field Health Service Information System
FIC Fully Immunized Children
GAD Gender and Development
GASTPE Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education
HIV Human immunodeficiency virus
HSRAG Health Sector Reform Agenda
ICARE - Invigorating Constituents and Reinforcing Employment
ICT Information and Communication Technologies
IP Indigenous People
ILO International Labor Organization
KALAHI-CIDSS Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery
of Social Services
KKPB Kooperatiba sa Kababayen-an sa Puting Bato

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List of Acronyms

LASBUENASCAR Las Nieves, Buenavista, Nasipit and Carmen
LBP Landbank of the Philippines
LGU Local Government Unit
LGPMS Local Governance Performance Management System
MCP Maternal Care Package
MDG Millenium Development Goal
M/CPDO Municipal/City Planning and Development Office
MRDP Mindanao Rural Development Program
MTDP Medium Term Development Plan
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NPKC Nagkahiusang Pundok sa Kababyen-an sa Cabadbaran
NAPC National Anti-poverty Commission
NDHS National Demographic and Health Survey
NFA National Food Authority
NSCB National Statistics Coordination Board
NTP Natiinal Tuberculosis Program
ODA Official Development Assistance
OFW Overseas Filipino Worker
OPV Oral Polio Vaccine
PEEDMO Provincial Economic Enterprise Development and Management Office
PGAN Provincial Govenrment of Agusan del Norte
PGMA President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
PHO Provincial Health Office
PIPH Province-Wide Investment Plan for Health
PPDO Provincial Planning and Development Office
PPFP Provincial Physical Framework Plan
PPMD Public-Private Mix Dots
PTCA Parent-Teacher Community Association
PSWDO Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office
PVet Provincial Veterinary
SEA-K Self Employment Assistance – Kaunlaran
SEF Special Education Fund
SEZ Special Economic Zone
SIKAT School for Indigenous Knowledge and Tradition
SPES Special Program for Employment of Students

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List of Acronyms

SPISP Southern Philippines Irrigation Sector Project
ROI Return of Investment
RHU Rural Health Unit
TB Tuberculosis
TESDA Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
TWG Technical Working Group
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UN-IFAD UN-International Fund for Agricultural Development
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WHO World Health Organization
WHSMP-PC WomenÊs Health and Safe Motherhood Project-Partnership Component

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List of Tables

Table 1. Summary of Findings of MDG Indicator, Province of Agusan del Norte, 2007
Table 2. Land Area by Municipality
Table 3. Provincial Offices and Personnel
Table 4. Revenue and Expenditure
Table 5. Expenditure by Service Area
Table 6. Inventory of General Categories of facilities
Table 7. Magnitude and proportion of households and population living below poverty
threshold, 2007
Table 8. Magnitude and proportion of households and population living below food threshold,
2007
Table 9. Poverty Gap Ratio, by, municipality, 2007
Table 10. Employment Rate, municipality, 2007
Table 11. Magnitude and proportion of population, who experienced food shortage,
by municipality, 2007
Table 12. Prevalence of underweight children 0-5 years of age, by municipality, 2007
Table 13. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 6-12 years old enrolled in elementary,
by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 14. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 13-16 years enrolled in high school,
Table 15. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 6-16 years old enrolled in school,
Table 16. Literacy rate of 15-24 years old, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 17. Ratio of girls to boys in primary education, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 18. Ratio of girls to boys in secondary education, by municipality, 2007
Table 19. Ratio of girls to boys in tertiary education, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 20. Ratio of literate females to males aged 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007
Table 21. Magnitude and proportion children aged 0 to less than 5 years old who died,
by sex, urbanity and municipality, 2007
Table 22. Magnitude and proportion of Infants who died, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 23. Magnitude and proportion of children aged 1 to less than 5 years old who died, by
sex, urbanity and municipality, 2007
Table 24. Magnitude and proportion of infants who received at least one immunization,
by urbanity and municipality, 2007

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List of Tables

Table 25. Magnitude and proportion of women deaths due to pregnancy-related causes,
Table 26. The leading causes of maternal mortality in Agusan del Norte, 2008
Table 27. Magnitude and proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel,
Table 28. Maternal care services provided, by municipality, 2008
Table 29. Magnitude and Proportion of couples who use contraception,
Table 30. Magnitude and proportion of couples using condoms among those who
are practicing contraception, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 31. Death rates associated with malaria, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 32. Death rates associated with tuberculosis, by municipality and urbanity, 2007
Table 33. Forestland Use, 2004
Table 34. Proportion of terrestrial and protected, marine areas year
Table 35. Magnitude and proportion of population with access to safe drinking water,
by municipality, 2007
Table 36. Magnitude and proportion of population with access to sanitary toilet facilities, by
municipality, 2007
Table 37. Magnitude and proportion of population who are informal settlers,
Table 38. Magnitude and proportion of population living in makeshift housing,
Table 39. Magnitude and proportion of population living in inadequate livingconditions,
Table 40. Number of Botika ng Barangay Outlets, by municipality, 2007
Table 41. Magnitude and Proportion of households with landlines/telephone lines,
Table 42. Magnitude and proportion of households with cellphones, by municipality and urbanity,
2007
Table 43. Magnitude and proportion of households with computers, by municipality and urbanity,
2007
Table 44. The CBMS-MDG Indicators and their Definition
Table 45. Poverty and Food Threshold

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List of Figures

Figure 1. Location Map of Agusan del Norte
Figure 2. Proportion of households with income below poverty threshold, by urbanity
Figure 3. Map on proportion of households with income below poverty threshold
Figure 4. Proportion of households with income below food threshold, by urbanity
Figure 5. Map on proportion of households with income below food threshold
Figure 6. Map on Poverty Gap Ratio
Figure 7. Employment Rate by sex
Figure 8. Map on employment Rate
Figure 9. Proportion of households who experiences food shortage, by urbanity
Figure 10. Map on Proportion of households who experienced food shortage
Figure 11. Map on Prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old
Figure 12. Map on Proportion of children 6-12 years old enrolled in elementary
Figure 13. Map on Proportion of children 13-16 years old enrolled in secondary
Figure 14. Proportion of children 6-16 years old enrolled in school, by urbanity
Figure 15. Map on Proportion of children 6-16 years old enrolled in school
Figure 16. Map on Literacy rate of 15-24 years old, by municipality, 2007
Figure 17. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in primary education
Figure 18. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in secondary education
Figure 19. Map on Ratio of girls to boys in tertiary education
Figure 20. Map on Ratio of literate females to males (15-24 years old)
Figure 21. Proportion of seats held by women
Figure 22. Map on Proportion of seats held by women
Figure 23. Map on Proportion of children 0 to less 5 years who died
Figure 24. Map on Proportion of infants who died
Figure 25. Map on Proportion of children 1 to less than 5 years old who died
Figure 26. Map on Proportion of infants given at least one immunization
Figure 27. Map on Proportion of women who died with pregnancy related causes
Figure 28. Trend in Place of Deliveries, Agusan Del Norte, 2001-2008
Figure 29 Trend in attendance at deliveries (by category of attendance)
Agusan del Norte 2001-2008
Figure 30. Map on proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel

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List of Figures

Figure 31. Map on proportion of couples who are using contraception
Figure 32. Map on deaths associated with Tuberculosis
Figure 33. Map on deaths associated with Malaria
Figure 34. Map on proportion of couples using condom among those
who are practicing contraception
Figure 35. Map on proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipality
Figure 36. Map on proportion of population with access to safe drinking water, by municipality
Figure 37. Map on proportion of population with access to sanitary toilet facilities, by urbanity
Figure 38. Map on proportion of population who are informal settelers
Figure 39. Map on proportion of population living in makeshift housing
Figure 40. Map on proportion of population living in inadequate living conditions
Figure 41. Map on proportion of households with landlines/telephones
Figure 42. Map on proportion of households with cellphones
Figure 43. Map on proportion of households with computers
Figure 44. CBMS Coverage in the Philippines (as of May 12, 2010)

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background The overall probability of attaining the
targets remains high, though dependent
Since the Philippines first resolved to adopt largely on the confluence of several factors,
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), among them: scaling up of current efforts in
it has made encouraging strides, particularly all target areas; more efficient synchronization
towards the attainment of targets on reducing and allocation of available limited resources,
extreme poverty; child mortality; the incidence including mobilization of additional resources;
of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; on and stronger advocacy for MDG implemen-
improving gender equality in education, tation and enhanced capability to actually
households’ dietary intake, and access to safe implement the MDGs at the local level. (UNDP
drinking water. MDG Report)
Underpinning these gains are two facts.
First, the MDGs have been tightly integrated The MDG report of Agusan del Norte is
into the Medium-Term Philippine Develop- a combination of the results drawn from the
ment Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010, thus allowing Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS)
government strategies, policies, and action survey conducted in 2007 as well as data from
plans to simultaneously address national agencies and other stakeholders at various levels.
and MDG targets. Second, the government
has continually closely monitored its own Part I of this report presents the profile of
rate of progress in MDG indicators and used the province including its natural and physical
this information to fine-tune its planning and endowments. It also describes the status as
implementation, especially to ensure effective well as the capacities of its human resources.
implementation at the local level. The information in the provincial profile was
Nevertheless, serious challenges and threats used in analyzing the gaps that needed to
remain with regard to targets on maternal be filled in order to attain the objectives of
health, access to reproductive health services, the MDG.
nutrition, primary education, and environ-
mental sustainability. Also, glaring disparities Part II discusses the status and trends of each
across regions persist as do severe funding goal and presents current programs and policies
constraints. that the local governments have been pursuing
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in order to attain the goals of the MDG. In the gap between actual accomplishment and
this part, various challenges confronting the the targeted goal.
program are also discussed in order to guide
implementers and stakeholders in strategizing The results suggest that there are some
how the program goals can best be attained. encouraging accomplishments and some areas
Finally, the discussion presented good practices posing great challenge for the remaining ﬁve
that reinforce goal attainment. years. There is a clear need for political leaders
and stakeholders, with the help of donors, to
Finally, Part III of this report presents strate- take urgent and concerted action to realize the
gies and suggests programs, projects, and basic promises of the MDGs in the lives of the
activities that the province believes can bridge people in the province, speciﬁcally the poor.
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Good News: and tertiary levels. A slight difference between
• Employment rate was high at 95.9 percent girls and boys, in favour of boys, is also noted
with only 4.1 percent of the labor force not in terms of literacy rate among population
employed. Employment as defined in this aged 15-24 years old at 0.9.
survey did not take into account underem- • Maternal health is improving in view of
ployment. This could be one of the reasons the fact that only 0.4 percent of women died
why many of the municipalities with high due to pregnancy- related causes. However,
employment rates still have high poverty previous data show erratic changes, which
incidence. Farming and agricultural labor, as remain an area concern for the province.
well as other unskilled labor, are among the • In 2007, about 34.8 percent of the total
most common sources of income of low-paid households in the province had cell phones.
laborers. This percentage has been expected to increase
• Among children aged 0-5 years old, only in the future primarily due to the presence of
3.7 percent were underweight. This ﬁgure is additional cellular sites covering almost all areas
way lower than the 2015 national target of in the province. Such development is likely to
17.25 percent. boost the number of cellular phone subscribers.
• About 97.6 percent of the population aged
15-24 years old were literate or able to read
and write simple messages in any language Posing great challenge:
or dialect.
• Mortality rate for children aged 1 to less • About 62 percent of the total population
than 5 years old is only 0.4 percent while infant is living below the poverty threshold, set at
mortality rate registered at 3.4 percent. PhP13,059 per person per year for rural areas
• Majority (83.2%) of infants (0-1 year old) and PhP14,964 for urban areas. Moreover,
have received at least one immunization out of proportion of rural households living below
the usual package provided by the province, the poverty threshold is relatively higher (58%)
which include: BCG; DPT 1, 2, and 3; OPV 1, than the proportion of urban households
2, and 3; Hepa 1, 2, and 3; and measles. The (48%).
low infant mortality rate may also be attributed • Almost half of the population (48.7%)
to the high proportion of immunized infants. is living below the subsistence threshold.
• Proportion of informal settlers and those These are individuals whose income did not
living in makeshift housing was low at only meet the required minimum annual food
3.1 percent of the province’s total population. basket amounting to PhP9,208 for rural areas
• Proportion of women who held elective and PhP10,258 for urban areas. In terms
seats in the province for the elective term of urban/rural classification, similar trend
2007-2010 was 32.5 percent. This is a good can be observed where proportion of rural
sign that more women are elected for baran- households living below the food threshold
gay, municipal, and provincial positions. (at 45%) is relatively higher than that of urban
households (at 33%).
Not-So-Good-News: • Achieving universal primary education
• Ratio of girls to boys in primary education is has been a great challenge because almost
0.9. The girls’ advantage over the boys slightly 22 percent of children aged 6-12 years old
widened with the ratio of 1.1 in the secondary were not enrolled in elementary school. This
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resulted in a higher proportion (almost 43%) implementation of the interventions stipulated
of children aged 13-16 who were not enrolled in the MDG.
in high school. However, among children aged
6-16, only 15.1 percent were not attending If the 2015 MDG targets were to make a signif-
elementary or high school. The reason for this icant impact in the lives of the poor, the challenge
is that some children were enrolled but not in lies in how formal institutions will harness human,
the specified level for their age. physical, and financial resources.
• Proportion of population engaged in family
planning methods was only 34 percent. Poverty is a societal ill that deprives humans
• Results showed that proportion of births of dignity. It is a problem not only of the poor
attended by skilled health personnel was only but of all.
43 percent
• Proportion of couples using condoms The province of Agusan del Norte will
among those practicing contraception was maintain and sustain the course with added
low at only 1.7%. thrust in doable areas and more strategic
• In 2007, death rates associated with approaches in difficult areas. All good
malaria was reported to be 1.8 per 100,000 practices will be continued and replicated.
population. Death rates associated with The universal coverage of PhilHealth Insur-
tuberculosis was also high at 20.6 per 100,000 ance will be expanded. Skills training thru
population. TESDA will also be programmed to cover
• Fifteen percent of the total population had more of the workforce. Global competition
no access to safe drinking water, and nearly 16 will be viewed as a challenge to improve
percent of the total population had no access productivity and to institute more effective
to sanitary toilets. safety nets. Problems in peace and order
• In 2007, the province was still lagging in will be given comprehensive solutions
terms of ownership of landlines/telephone attuned to development efforts. The integrity
lines and computers, with only 5.4 percent of the environment will be given proper and
of households having telephone lines or equal importance in the implementation of
landlines while only 5.1 percent of them have poverty-alleviation measures.
computers.
A moral recovery program will also be
To operationalize the initiatives of the revived as a component of development.
province, local funding has to include the
activities of the MDG in budgeting. Other As a showcase of good governance, cost
financial institutions could also be considered effectiveness, transparency, and accountability
as sources of funds while grants from Official will be guiding principles in the construction
Development Assistance (ODA) should be of much-needed physical facilities.
tapped.
Finally, the central focus in meeting the
The private sector can also fund the programs MDG challenge is never unattainable for as
and projects of the MDG. Budget linkages the Good Book says, “With God, nothing is
among stakeholders can also enhance further impossible.”

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Part 1.
Provincial Profile
Figure 1. Location map of Agusan Del Norte
1. Location and History

1.1. Location
Agusan del Norte is located 9 degrees north
latitude and 125 degrees and 30 minutes
east longitude on the northeastern part of
Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by
Butuan Bay and Surigao del Norte; on the east
by Surigao del Sur; on the south by Agusan
del Sur and on the west by Misamis Oriental.
It is one of the four provinces of northeastern
Mindanao (Region 13).

1.2. Historical Development
The province was created on June 17, 1967
by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 4979, a legisla-
tive action authored by the late Congressman
Jose C. Aquino.

The place was carved out of what was then
just one Agusan province. The territory was
split into two and Agusan del Sur was also
created as Agusan del Norte rose as one of
the provinces of the country.

Butuan City, which used to be a component
city of Agusan del Norte, was designated as
capital and seat of government of Agusan del
Sur. When Republic Act 8811 was enacted in
2000, Cabadbaran became the new capital
and administrative center of the province.

Until 1911, Agusan, then named Butuan,
was under the jurisdiction of Surigao. It was

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separated from Surigao with the passage of Jongko won in the election that was held
RA 1693. That separation gave birth to Agusan in 1947.
as a province.
Felixberto Dagani served as governor from
Agasan (where water flows), an allusion to 1950-59, then Democrito Plaza in 1960-63.
the mighty river, the Agusan River, that cuts Jose Aquino got the post in 1964 but gave up
through the area is widely believed to be the the position in 1966 when he ran for Congress.
origin of the name Agusan. His vice governor, Consuelo V. Calo, took
over and got elected in 1967. Calo held the
The ancestors of the present-day position through the martial law years until
Mamanwas were the aborigines of the 1986 when the revolutionary government of
place. The first wave of Malay immigrants President Corazon Aquino that booted out
from Borneo and the Celebes drove them then President Ferdinand Marcos through
to the hinterlands. people power took over. Jose T. Gonzales
served as OIC governor of the province as
The Spaniards, the Americans, and the the country reconstituted the foundations of
Japanese occupied the province in the histori- democracy following years of martial rule.
cal wars that also saw the rising up in arms Death, however, limited his stewardship to only
by the Agusanons. a year. Jesus Delfin finished Gonzales’ watch.
Eduardo L. Rama won in the first elections
Gumersindo Flores led the Agusanons in the conducted after the ouster of Marcos. He held
war against the Spaniards at the turn of the the position for two terms. Maria Angelica
19th century. Victory was attained but it was Rosedell M. Amante got elected as governor
cut short by the invading Americans. in 1995 and served until June 2004.

The province was under direct American Erlpe John M. Amante got the post in
military control until 1913. In 1914, the first the 2004 elections and now steers the
Filipino governor under the Commonwealth province to its desired development.
government was appointed in the person of
Teofisto Guingona.
2. Topography and Climate
In 1923, an election was held and Apolonio
D. Curato became the first elected governor. 2.1. Topography of Agusan del Norte
He served a three-year term. Jose Rosales The province is made up predominantly of
was elected next for two terms. In 1936, flat and rolling lands (0-18% slope) bounded
Mariano Atega got elected and governed by mountain ranges on its eastern and western
the province. Agustin Casinas succeeded parts, and Lake Mainit in the northeastern
Atega but his term was cut short by the part. The eastern mountain range, composed
Japanese occupation. A certain General of Mt. Mabaho (1,823 m asl) and Mt. Hilong-
Aguirre took the post. hilong (2,012 m asl), straddle the Agusan
del Norte-Surigao del Sur-Agusan del Sur
When liberation came, Curato once again boundary. Another mountain range serves as
got the governorship for a year. Servando the boundary with the province of Misamis
22

Oriental on the west. The most prominent This is followed by Buenavista, which covers
peaks in this mountain range are Mt. Indocay 47,561 hectares, or 17.42% of the total land
(1,243 m asl), Mt. Piglagahan (810 m asl) and area of the province.
Mt. Camagong (576 m asl). Found between
the municipality of Buenavista and Butuan The municipality of Magallanes has the
City is Mt. Mayapay which has an elevation smallest land area at 4,431 hectares, or 1.62%
of 675 m asl. of the land area of the province.

These mountain ranges are estimated to 2.3. Climate Type
cover 16,140.14 hectares, some slopes on The province has Type II climate, which
which are very steep (i.e., >50% slope). Lake means that it does not have a definite dry
Mainit, which Agusan del Norte shares with season. Instead, it has a very pronounced rainy
Surigao del Norte, is one of the largest lakes season that typically lasts from November to
in Mindanao and is the country’s third largest February. The average annual temperature is
lake. 26.5°C, and the average annual humidity is
84.6%.
The 105 km coastline is generally rocky
with occasional stretches of sandy or gravel 3. Population and Social Development
beaches. Several embayments are gradually
being filled up with alluvial materials, which 3.1. Population Density
tend to produce small tracts of coastal plains The province has a population density of 1
(ADN-Environmental Management Plan). person per hectare or around 101 per square
kilometer. The municipality of Magallanes has
2.2. Land Area by Municipality the highest population density at 393 persons
The total land area of the province is per square kilometer, while the agricultural
273,024 hectares. Las Nieves has the largest municipality of Las Nieves is the least densely
land proportion at 58,269 hectares, which is populated at 37 persons per square kilometer,
21.34% of the total land area of the province. or 1 person per 2.5 hectares.

3.2. Population Growth Trend
Population growth showed a
decreasing trend within a five-year
period from 1990 to 2005. The 2.44%
growth rate in 1990 declined to 1.42%
in 2005 and further to 1.11% in 2007.
However, there was a continuous
increase in population size from
285,570 in 2000 (49% of which
were females and 51% of which
were males) to 306,429 in 2005. The
projected population of the province
for 2015 is 337,898.

23

3.3. Ethnicity, Languages and Dialects, Religion equipment and facilities to serve the provincial
Out of the 285,065 individuals in the popula- population while the hospitals in Butuan
tion who acknowledged religious affiliation City serve as complement, especially for
in 2000, a total of 214,640 or 75.30% were emergency cases or those cases that need
Roman Catholics. Nine hundred ninety-nine specialized care and immediate treatment
individuals had no known religious affiliation. (PPFP, 2003-2012).
It is worth noting that 99% of the total popula-
tion of the province is diversely affiliated with The provincial health office reported that
certain religions. there were 405 medical and paramedical
personnel in the province in 2005, of which
4. Infrastructure, Utilities and 45% were employed by the government while
Support Facilities the rest worked in private establishments and
in field service.
4.1. Hospitals and Clinics
It is standard for all the municipalities in the 4.2. Fire Stations
province to have health stations distributed to There are a total of eight fire stations located
the barangays, or what are commonly called in the municipalities of Buenavista, Cabadba-
Barangay Health Stations (BHSs). There are ran, Jabonga, Kitcharao, Magallanes, and
104 BHSs throughout the province. Nasipit. Butuan City has two fire stations and
Ampayon, one.
Regarding secondary and tertiary health
facilities, the Jabonga and the Kitcharao 4.3. Water
District Hospitals serve the medical needs A total of 56,262 or 85.23% of the house-
of the easternmost municipalities of the holds have access to safe drinking water. The
province while the Cabadbaran District dominant sources of drinking water are shared
Hospital serves the central towns. The community water systems (29.75%); shared
Nasipit District Hospital serves the populace deep wells (23.95%); and owned community
of the western towns and the Las Nieves water systems (13.25%). Shared and owned
Municipal Hospital caters to health needs artesian wells, shared and owned shallow
of the residents in this interior area. The wells, bottled water, tankers, and truck/
provincial hospital located in Butuan City peddlers are the other sources of potable
serves as the tertiary health facility of the drinking water. The two water districts operat-
province. ing in the province are Buenavista Water
District and Nasipit Water District, which serve
These public hospitals are complemented by 3,693 households and 5,260 households,
a number of private hospitals. Some private respectively.
clinics also serve the populations of the
municipalities where they are located. These Only 3,239 hectares, or 14.82%, of the
private clinics include Ramirez, Udarbe’s, 21,868 hectares devoted to rice farms are
and Rodriguez Clinics in Cabadbaran; St. covered by the irrigation system. In reality, the
Joseph Medical Clinic in Nasipit; and Clinica coverage is actually much smaller since only
Nazaret in Magallanes. These geographi- 1,743 hectares of those covered by irrigation
cally dispersed hospital units have adequate are operational.
24

4.4. Power Telecommunications, Philcom, Cruz Telephone
The sole major power substation in the Company, and Department of Transportation
province is operated by the Transmission and Communication. BAYAN Telecommunica-
Corporation (TRANSCO), the District IV tion has the most lines.
Northeastern Mindanao Area, which is located
in Lawis, Sta. Ana, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte. Aside from telephone facilities, all munici-
Its capacity is 1x50MVA. The province has also palities also have postal and telecom services
four substations; namely, Soriano substation, and radio communication networks. Eight
Santiago substation, Manapa substation, and have telegraph/telex services.
Kinabjangan substation. The capacity of each
substation is 5MVA. The Santiago substation Cabadbaran and the municipality of
has the highest service area coverage of four Kitcharao have radio stations while the rest
municipalities--Kitcharao, Jabonga, Santiago, of the municipalities receive broadcast signals
and Tubay. from radio stations in Butuan and Cebu. All
the municipalities also have television signals
Data from 2005 show that 100% of the and at least six have cable television services.
barangays (166 in all) were served by power
facilities, but only 42,281 households, or None of the municipalities is host to a
74.65%, had electric connections. Cabad- publishing entity, but local and national
baran had the most number of household newspapers and magazines are circulated in
connections at 96.71%, while Tubay had the all these places.
lowest at 50.31%.
4.7. Transportation
4.5. Environmental Support Facilities The province is adequately linked to neigh-
The dike system of the province secures boring provinces and other entry points in
several coastal zones, rivers, and some portion Mindanao by land. It is also within a few
of the Lake Mainit area. The areas they cover, minutes from the regional airport in Butuan
however, are generally short compared to City for travel to Manila and other destinations
the expanse of settlements uncontrollably in the country. By sea, it is billed as the premier
mushrooming in danger zones. Vast agricul- entry and exit point to and from the island of
tural areas in the Lake Mainit town also need Mindanao due to its being host to the Nasipit
protection from outﬂows both from the lake Port, a facility of international standard.
and its tributaries.
4.8. Land Transport
4.6. Telecommunications The 1,090-kilometer road system of the
All the municipalities and roughly 50% province is still short by 167 kilometers when
of the barangays in the province have compared to the standards of the Housing
access to telecommunication services. Ten and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). The
municipalities and one city have cell sites. shortage is about 36 kilometers in the rural
Only eight of the municipalities have landline areas and 131 kilometers in the urban areas.
telephone systems, but all have public calling
ofﬁces. There are four telephone companies The road-adequacy level of Agusan del
serving Agusan del Norte; namely, BAYAN Norte is 86.71%. The agricultural areas have
25

96.45% adequacy in road length, while the in Cabadbaran; Green Bank of Caraga,
urban areas have only 45.64%. Las Nieves which has satellite offices in Cabadbaran,
lacks rural roads; Nasipit and Magallanes, Kitcharao, and Nasipit; Development Bank
urban roads. Based on the materials these of the Philippines; Banco Buenavista; United
roads are made of, the reliability level of the Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB); and Butuan
system is 26%. Only 281 kilometers of the City Rural Bank, Inc.
roads are cemented.
These banking institutions offer, through their
Sixty-seven bridges with a total length of satellite offices, savings and loans (among
2,734 lineal meters connect the national and other services) to community-based organiza-
provincial roads. These bridges are made of tions and cooperatives, client calls or agents,
reinforced concrete girder, steel, bailey, and and walk-in clients.
footbridge.
5. Economic Structure
4.9. Marine Transport Agusan del Norte is well-endowed physi-
The province has a seaport of international cally and naturally which could be an envy to
standard. It has facilities that are more than other places. The province is ideally located
adequate to cope with current passenger outside the typhoon path, having its own
and cargo volumes. It is now embarking on natural mountain barriers. The area has
a major expansion program to meet future balance terrain of mountains, valleys, shore-
demands. Needing attention is the river lines, and large fresh bodies of water. The
transport system for the municipalities of Las province is blessed to have the great Agusan
Nieves and Magallanes, which still have River traversing from the hinterland town of Las
substandard wharves. At least 37 pump Nieves down to coastal town of Magallanes.
boats and other forms of river transport are The place is also home to Lake Mainit, the
serving the Magallanes area. River transport 3rd largest lake of the country. One thing you
is not available for the Las Nieves route at would like in the place is its being accessible
the moment. Instead, it can be reached by easily by sea, land, or air.
two road links whose conditions badly need
improvement. Basically, the province’ economy is still
agricultural, as evidenced by its being the top
4.10. Air Transport rice producer in Caraga Region. The province
A regional airport is serving the province has competitive advantage in banana, abaca
through Butuan City. Two air transport outfits— and mango. It is also open to investments in
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific—serve the cassava, oil palm, and sugar cane, abaca,
place with two daily flights each to Manila and and other high value crops.
five flights a week to Cebu.
But aside from agriculture, there are other
4.11. Banking Institutions industries present or with huge potential for
Banking institutions operating in Agusan growth in the province such as: commercial
del Norte include the Land Bank of the tree plantation, stonecraft, lime production,
Philippines (LPB), Enterprise Bank, Coopera- mining, and tourism. The province also has
tive Bank, which also have satellite offices its two economic zones, the Tubay Agro-
26

processing Center in Tubay and Nasipit, Coconut covers the largest area and
Agusan del Norte Industrial Estate. production with 36,093.36 hectares and
81,444.98 metric tons respectively.
In mining, two large companies are operat-
ing in the province. They are : 1) SR Metals fully Banana comes in second with 7,207.50
operating in Tubay and 2) MRL Corp. , who is hectares with a corresponding production of
on exploratory and pre-operating activities. 43,924.92 metric tons.

In terms of tourism, the province of Agusan Rice is third with 6,393.75 hectares planted.
del Norte have many beautiful and generally Its production of 23,492.53 metric tons is
unspoiled beaches such as in the town of slightly surpassed by mango which has a
Carmen, Buenavista, Nasipit, Cabadbaran production of 26,151.81 metric tons.
City and all other towns in the province. It
also has the majestic Mount Hilong-Hilong As for other crops, coffee covers the largest
in Cabadbaran, one of the tallest in Agusan area with 1,632 hectares or equivalent to
del Norte. You will also ﬁnd in Magallanes more than 45% of the total area in Other
the one and only 500 year old plus Bitaug Agricultural Crops. The rest of the crops are
tree also known as the “Philippine Centen- distributed unevenly accross areas in the
nial Tree” And of course, there are the
. province with Pineapple getting the least area
magniﬁcent Agusan River and Lake Mainit at 47 hectares planted equivalent to a mere
that beckons you. 1.32 % of the total other agricultural area of
3,555.45 hectares.
The province is also actively implementing
the One Town One Product (OTOP) Program 5.2. Employment, By Type of Business/
identifying abaca as its priority product. Aside Industry, 2007
from abaca, it is also supporting other OTOP The employment is divided into 3 major
priority products/services from its component sectors: the Agri-Fishery & Forestry Sector, the
city and towns such as mango, cassava, virgin Industry Sector and the Services Sector.
coco oil, organic rice, and tourism services.
The entire share of employment per munici-
5.1. Agricultural Crops Production pality and business or industry in the province
The province has a total agricultural land of Agusan del Norte clearly shows the total
of 64,374.01 hectares planted to a variety of provincial employment at 77,316.
crops majority with rice, corn, coconut, abaca,
banana and mango. Classified as other The large sector in Services with its various
agricultural crops include cassava, durian, sub-sectors obviously has the highest share
pineapple, coffee, vegetables and rootcrops. in total provincial employment at 42.54%. It
employs a total 33,882 from the total provincial
Major agricultural crops planted occupies employment of 77,315.
an aggregate 60,818.56 hectares or 94.47%
of the total agricultural land. The remaining The basic sector in Agriculture, Fishery and
3,555.45 hectares or 5.53% of the land are Forestry ranks a close second in the employment
planted to other agricultural crops. industry of the province of Agusan del Norte
27

accounting for 39.11% of the total provincial the province, Magallanes, has the largest
employment or 30,239 individuals employed. employment in Manufacturing with 2,026

The industry sector in Mining & Quarrying, 5.3. Patterns of Industries Concentration and
Manufacturing, Utilities and Construction Specialization
shared the least contribution in employment
at 18.35 % or 14,194 individuals employed. The Agro-Forestry and Fishery sector is
dominated by Buenavista, Cabadbaran,
Although the sector in Services ranks ﬁrst Carmen and Tubay. All with access to
in the share of provincial employment, it municipal marine resources.
is viewed as so by the sheer number of its
sub-sectors and does not practically drive Mining and Quarrying industry is dominat-
the economy of the province. The main thrust ed by Cabadbaran, Tubay and Santiago.
of the province now is the promotion and
development of the basic sector in Agricul- Manufacturing industry is concentrated in
ture, Fishery & Forestry which contributes a Magallanes, Cabadbaran and Buenavista.
signiﬁcant near 40% of the total provincial
employment. Electric, Water and Gas industry is compet-
itively shared by Nasipit and Cabadbaran.
The sub-sector Construction leads the
Industry Sector with 5,433 employed or 7.02% Construction industry is most active in
of the total provincial employment followed Buenavista, Nasipit and Cabadbaran.
by Mining & Quarrying with 3,312 employed.
Wholesale, Retail andTrade is closely contend-
Wholesale, Retail and Trade leads the ed by Cabadbaran, Buenavista and Nasipit.
Services Sector with 8,902 employed or
11.51% of the total provincial employment. Hotel, and Restaurant business is most
Transportation, Storage & Communication engaged in Cabadbaran, Buenavista,
with 5,351 or 6.92% followed. Nasipit and Carmen.

Contributing the least share of employment Transportation, Communication and
is the Hotel & Restaurant Services. Storage servces is prominent in Buenavista,
Cabadbaran and Nasipit.
The municipality of Buenavista shares the
largest employment in the Agro-Fishery- Financial Intermediaries and all the other
Forestry Sector with 5,367 followed by Las remaining services is paced by the city of
Nieves with 4,695 and Cabadbaran with Cabadbaran with Buenavista and Nasipit
4,200. following second and third.

Cabadbaran shares the highest employ- The towns of Buenavista and Las Nieves
ment in Mining & Quarrying with 1,428. are the top two employment contributors
in the Agriculture & Forestry Sector in the
The relatively small but industrial town of province contributing 17.62% and 17.12%
28

respectively. The city of Cabadbaran ranks 6. Local Institutional Capability
third with 13.63% share and Jabonga, fourth, The Provincial Government attends to its
with 10.14%. role as called for by its obligations in the
country’s administrative structure. But due to
Buenavista consistently shares the biggest pressing demands the focus of its interven-
in the Fishing Sector with 18.76% followed tions has been spread so thinly resulting to
by Cabadbaran City and the lakeside limitations in its drive to attain the desired
town of Jabonga with 15.95% and 15.74% provincial development settings.
respectively.
6.1. Services
Magallanes, being the industrial town of the By its offices and programs, the provincial
province, naturally shares the least employ- administration has devoted much of its
ment contribution in that sector with 1.32%. resources to social services, a primary respon-
sibility of the municipalities.
Cabadbaran dominates the Mining and Also more visible is its support for adminis-
Quarrying with a 43.12% share in the provin- trative facilities, specifically transport.
cial industry. It has worked on some environmental
services, mainly in supporting the planning
Buenavista, Nasipit and Cabadbaran City are activities of municipalities.
closely competitive by combinely acquiring more Economic services are generally confined
than half (51.83%) of the Construction industry. to agriculture, infrastructure and economic
enterprise. Its support for other economic
Magallanes accounts for 44.50% share activities was high but waned in the years
in the total Manufacturing industry in the that followed, leaving the economic sector
province. with commitments for partnership in areas
where the hands of the provincial government
Nasipit got the largest share in the Electricity, is most needed.
Gas and Water Supply industry with 26.45%
paced by Cabadbaran city with 25%. 6.2. Offices
All the mandatory provincial offices
Cabadbaran obtained the largest share under the Local Government Code are
in the Wholesale & Retail, Trade and Vehicle functioning in the province. But provinces
Repair industry at 29.70% and the Hotel and have their own peculiarities and going
Restaurant services with 33.46%. However, beyond what is set in the code is one
Buenavista edges Cabadbaran in the Trans- remarkable thing to do.
portation, Storage and Communication with The agriculture office for instance, specifi-
27.55%. cally attends to the needs of the other sectors
of the economy. The Provincial Economic
The rest of the remaining Services Sector are Enterprise Development and Management
competitively dominated by Cabadbaran City Office (PEEDMO) on the other hand attends
and Buenavista. to the effort at generating more revenues.

29

6.3. Personnel A second class province, Agusan del Norte
The province is adequately manned by a generated a little over Php77,464,951.32 in
total of 839 personnel. Of this number, 544 local income in 2000 which included a Php55
or 64.83% are running the direct services million loan. This figure represented 1.36%
(social, 328 and economic, 216). A total of of its GDP of Php5.77 billion. Such revenue
210 or 25.03% are manning the operational, generation performance reflects an erratic
fiscal and administrative support functions. trend that grew by 23% in the 1996-1997
The other 85 or 10.13% are handling policy- period, dropped to 13.96% in 1997-1998 and
making task. drastically increased to 40.35% on year 2000.
By their qualifications, most of the provincial At 2% of its GDP, a benchmark some
personnel are competent in attending to their provinces are pursuing, Agusan del Norte is
functions. A total of 675 or 80.45% of them supposed to be already generating around
have college education, 634 or 75.56% are Php115,352,659 in local revenues by now.
civil service eligible. That local revenue level makes the province
The province’s Human Resource Develop- 91.54% dependent on Internal Revenue Allot-
ment Program, however, needs to be insti- ment (IRA) which amounted to Php224,664,311
tutionalized. Fortunately, capability-building in the last year of the previous planning
activities like training, specialized studies, horizon. The national aid has so far been
including study tours and scholarships in consistently increasing by an average of
foreign countries have been occasionally 19.27% since 1996.
offered especially for key personnel. Such
initiatives can further be aligned in the context A loan of Php55,000,000 was availed by the
of knowledge and skills build up required province in 2000 (a loan of Php6,881,757.69
along the strategic development direction of was also availed in 1998) to augment provin-
the province. cial funds. That makes the province managing
Php302,129,262.32 in funds during the period,
6.4. Financial Resources 40.35% bigger than the Php215 million that
Generating a modest local revenue and it had in 1999.
largely dependent on national aid to finance
its operations, the province has opted to avail 6.5. Administrative Facilities
of loans to augment funding for provincial The provincial facility center for the province
operations. is the Provincial Capitol in Butuan City. When
the city became highly urbanized in the
early 1980’s it started operating as an
independent city. This made the provin-
cial capitol operating “an embassy of
Agusan del Norte in Butuan City” In .
2000, a law was passed transferring the
provincial capitol and seat of the provin-
cial government to the Municipality of
Cabadbaran. The move realized for the
province the priming of the municipality
as the administrative and commercial
30

Table 3. The Provincial Offices and Personnel, 2002

31

center of the province. The actual transfer of
its capitol building, however, has yet to be
realized.

The province has adequate facilities that
could support its delivery of services. It has
communication facilities, a mix of radio
transmitters, landline and cellular phones. It is
already “wired” and connected to the world.
It has hardwares capable of handling and
processing the complex information trafﬁc.
Improving the connectivity of data between
the province and the municipalities may have
remained a concern but it is coping with it
and the municipalities also catching up with
a digitizing world.

Mobility-wise, vehicles adequately serve
the province. Roads also link the municipali-
ties to the seat of the operation of provincial facilities. At least 100 have multi-cabs for
government. transport.

All the municipalities and barangays are The province is not also wanting in tools for
also generally equipped with the required sound management. It has the aid of all the
basic facilities for governance – Municipal required plans and other documents called for in
Government Center, Barangay Halls and administrative standards. It has been assessing
Multi-Purpose Centers and communication its annual performance through the LGPMS.

32

PART 2:
Status Report on
the Millennium
Development Goals

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme
Poverty and Hunger
Target 1.A: Halve between 1990 and It “graduated” from this club in 2009, as
2015, the proportion of people whose indicated by data from the Philippine National
income is less than one dollar a day. Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). In fact,
Agusan del Norte even leapfrogged over the
A. Status and Trends bottom 40 provinces.
In the early part of 2000, Agusan del Norte In 2007, the province implemented a
was one of the members of Club 20 or the province-wide Community-Based Monitor-
group of 20 poorest provinces in the country. ing System (CBMS) with technical support
33
33

from the National Anti-Poverty Commission ga is a 3rd class municipality and the second
(NAPC) and PEP-CBMS. The following data farthest municipality to the north of Butuan City. As
and discussion of the poverty situation of the a lakeside town, Jabonga is dependent on fishing
province are based on the CBMS results. as the source of income for most households. On
the other hand, Cabadbaran City is a first class
Proportion of Population Living municipality, and as the capital of the province,
Below Poverty Threshold diverse economic activities and opportunities
The first round of the survey, the 2007 CBMS, are available. Four of the 11 municipalities had
conducted province-wide in Agusan del Norte household poverty incidence below the provin-
showed that of the 56,262 households covered cial average of 56.3%. These were Buenavista,
in the survey 31,516 (56.35%) had income below Magallanes, Cabadbaran, and Nasipit. Barangay
the poverty threshold which was set at P13,059 per Lawan-lawan in Las Nieves, the farthest barangay
person per year for rural
areas and P14,964 for Figure 2. Proportion of households with income below poverty threshold, by municipality,
urban areas. In terms of by urbanity, 2007
population, 62% were
living below the poverty
threshold. Among the
11 municipalities, the
highest incidence of
poverty (84.6%) was
in the lakeside town
of Jabonga, while the
lowest (51.9%) was in
Cabadbaran. Jabon-
Source: CBMS Survey 2007

34

Figure 3. Proportion of population living with income below poverty threshold (by municipality), 2007 gays in the province are gener-
ally located far from the towns’
commercial centers. All are rural
and agricultural areas; hence,
they are very hard to reach
because of poor roads and the
high cost of transportation. Many
of these poor barangays are
also communities of indigenous
peoples (IP).

The number of poor house-
holds is generally high in the
rural areas except for the
municipality of Santiago where
the number of poor households
in the poblacion barangay
exceeded the number of poor
households in the rural baran-
gays. This is so because the
and an indigenous community, had the highest poblacion barangays of Santiago have many
poverty incidence where almost 99% of the puroks located in remote areas and inhabited
population is poor. The ten poorest baran- by indigenous peoples. The extremely high

35

Figure 4. Proportion of households with income below food threshold, by municipality and
tion, 48.7% were
urbanity, 2007
living below the
required annual
income to meet
the recom-
mended food
basket of P9,208
per person for
rural areas
a n d P 10 , 1 5 8
per person for
Source: CBMS Survey 2007 u r b a n a re a s .
incidence of rural poor households was Same results as with poverty incidence
reported in Las Nieves and Remedios T. were observed for subsistence incidence.
Romualdez (RTR). Unlike Las Nieves, RTR is Again, the municipality of Jabonga had the
situated near the national highway but most highest proportion (77.2%) of population
of the farm families are tenants and lowly paid living below the food threshold followed by
agricultural workers. RTR (64.2%) and Kitcharao (63.2%). These
three municipalities are consistently high in
Proportion of Population Living both poverty and subsistence incidence. RTR
Below Food Threshold is a 5th class municipality and Kitcharao is
The 2007 CBMS survey showed that the a 4th class municipality. Both municipalities
proportion of households living below the are dependent on agriculture as a source of

36 food threshold is 42.9%. In terms of popula- income. Furthermore, Kitcharao is the north-


Figure 5. Proportion of population living below food threshold (by municipality), 2007

ernmost municipality of Agusan del Norte with
relatively more IP communities thus, economic
and social development seems to be a
Figure 6. Poverty gap ratio, by municipality, 2007
struggle. Municipalities with poverty incidence
below the provincial average are also
reported to have relatively low subsistence
incidence. These are Cabadbaran (37.6%),
with the lowest proportion among municipali-
ties, followed by Nasipit (38.7%), Buenavista
(40.0%), and Magallanes (42.5%).
Again, in most municipalities, more house-
holds in rural areas compared to urban areas
are living below the food threshold except for
Kitcharao where more households living below
the food threshold are found in the poblacion.
The poblacion barangay of Kitcharao have
puroks that are rural in characteristic and are
populated by IPs.

Poverty gap ratio
Poverty gap ratio is defined as the
mean distance separating the popula-
t i o n f ro m t h e p ove r t y l i n e ( w i t h t h e
non-poor being given a distance of zero),
37

expressed as a percentage of the poverty Buenavista had the lowest poverty gap of
line. The province posted a poverty gap 0.2 and highest was Jabonga which was
of 0.3. This implies that for the poor to 0.6. Taking into consideration the urban-
be non-poor, one needs to increase his/ ity classification, for most municipalities,
her annual income by at least 30% of poverty gap ratio is higher in rural areas
the poverty threshold. For rural areas, than in urban areas. Four municipali-
an income poor person must increase ties such as Buenavista, Cabadbaran,
his income by at least P3,918 per year Santiago and Kitcharao have the same
fo r h i m to b e co n s i d e re d n o n - p o o r. poverty gap ratio for both rural and
Moreover, for urban areas, at least an urban areas. However, municipality of
increase of P4,489 per year is needed by Tubay has a higher poverty gap ratio in
an income poor person to be non-poor. urban areas than in rural areas.

38

Figure 7. Employment rate (by sex and municipality), 2007
Target 1.B: Achieve full and productive
employment and decent work for all,
including women and young people

Employment rate
The province posted an overall employment
rate of 95.9%, with more men (96.6%) holding
jobs than women (94.1%). Low employment
rates were registered in Santiago (89.1%),
Buenavista (91.2%), Nasipit (95%), Jabonga
(95.8%). While data showed that Nasipit
was in the bottom three in terms of employ-
ment rate, it is actually one of the better-off Source: CBMS Survey 2007
municipalities when poverty-incidence data
is considered due to the presence of many in employment rate in urban and rural areas
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in this is almost 32%. Considering the poverty and
municipality. Kitcharao posted the highest subsistence incidence and employment rate,
employment rate of 99.8%. However, it is also results imply that there is no direct relationship
one of the towns with poverty incidence higher among the mentioned indicators. However,
than the provincial poverty incidence Results employment as defined in this survey did
also showed that rural areas have higher not take into account underemployment. This
employment rate than urban areas. This is could be one of the reasons why many of the
most evident in Santiago where the difference municipalities with high employment rates still
39

MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte

MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte

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MDGs Provincial Status Report 2010 Philippines Agusan Del Norte