PGP's accomplishments under JCA's administration

Provincial Information Officer (PIO) Atty. Christian Jay Cojamco on Friday, September 10, announced the accomplishments in infrastructure, health, education, livelihood and other programs of the Provincial Government of Palawan (PGP) during the administration of Governor Jose Chavez Alvarez.

Infrastructure Projects

More than 7,000 kilometers of roads throughout the province have been constructed and repaired by PGP.
Currently, 42 water system projects are completed. Of this number, 28 water systems are in the Southern part of Palawan and 14 are in Northern Palawan. There are three more ongoing water system constructions in the Municipalities of Cagayan Cillo, Linapacan and Magsaysay that are expected to be fully operational before the end of JCA’s term in 2022.
In 2015, the provincial government procured 341 pieces of heavy equipment that are useful for government infrastructure projects.
As of yesterday, about 80% of the bridges were built by the Provincial Government with ₱5M to ₱16M fund per bridge. Some of the long bridges built are located in Dumaran, Taytay, El Nido, Araceli, Narra and Roxas. Also among those built are hanging bridges.
Opening of San Vicente Airport and expansion of Busuanga International Airport.
Rehabilitation and construction of airstrips are also ongoing in the municipalities of Aborlan, Cagayancillo, Agutaya, Rizal, Bataraza, Cuyo and Culion.
Construction of the Buliluyan Port in Bataraza that will connect Palawan and countries belonging to BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Area). It also includes the construction of Borac Port in Coron and San Fernando Port in El Nido.
The PGP has built 144 out of 184 covered courts throughout the province. These can also be used as evacuation centers during disasters.
Construction of the province’s first-ever El Nido Sewage and Solid Waste Treatment Plant with a fund of ₱480M from the provincial government itself and ₱190M from the Local Government Unit (LGU) of El Nido. It is expected to be inaugurated on September 20, 2021.
The establishment of Indigenous Peoples (IP) Village in Rizal town in support of the fight against Malaria.
Installation of generator sets in the remote areas of Palawan under the Village Electrification Program.
More than 35,500 solar home units were distributed to qualified beneficiaries from 264 barangays in Palawan. This is through the Energy Development Program of the PGP.

Health Programs & Projects

16 Provincial Hospitals throughout the Province of Palawan are expected to open and be fully operational before the end of the JCA’s term next year. Of this number, 11 are already operational. Recently, the Northern Palawan Provincial Hospital (NPPH) located at Brgy. Poblacion, Taytay was inaugurated. It has a 50-bed capacity and 9 resident doctors. The five hospitals awaiting completion of construction and inauguration are in Balabac, Española, Dumaran (mainland), Dumaran-Araceli and Cuyo.
126 Barangay Rural Health Units are complete.
Construction of 12 large scale RHUs jointly funded by the PGP and the Department of Health (DOH).
Installation of COVID-19 isolations, facilities, and TB-DOTS in collaboration with the DOH.
Expanding the coverage of PHILHEALTH through Kalingang Pangkalusugan para sa Pamilyang Palaweño (KALINGAPPP).

Educational Programs

Up to 18,000 Palaweño students taking 4-year college courses are included in the PGP scholarship program. As of 2014, 33 are full-time doctors and already serving in government-built hospitals among the 167 scholarship grant beneficiaries who want to graduate in medicine. 121 are currently studying medicine and 27 are graduating. 369 people taking medical-related courses such as nursing, midwifery, and as well as others are supported by the government as part of the ₱50M fund scholarship program.
Since 2015, there have been 25,000 beneficiaries of the free technical courses at Palawan Technical School in Aborlan in collaboration with TESDA. The provincial government will also build a technical school in the town of Taytay.
40 Palaweños are currently studying for free at Hainan Normal University in China as part of a sisterhood pact, signed by the PGP and the Hainan government.
Construction of 200 classrooms throughout the province.
A donation of more than 20,000 units of learning tablets with ₱123M fund for students to assist in their learning during this time of pandemic.
Livelihood Programs Under the Seaweed Industry Development Program aims to expand the seaweed production in the province up to 2,000 hectares. Approximately 3,000 families were provided with seaweed propagules with a total of 250,000 kilograms.
Under the Coconut Agri-Business Livelihood Program, up to 309,244 seedlings have been distributed to beneficiaries since 2015.
Under the Cacao Agri-Business and Livelihood Program, the government distributed cacao seedlings with affiliated technical assistance.
PGP’s livelihood program also includes Agri-Lime production, promotion of Napier Grass in Southern Palawan, and lending investment to small businesses under the microfinance program.

In addition to PGP’s accomplishments were environmental protection and social services, which include increasing the quarterly social pension of senior citizens from ₱250 to ₱500.