To fully recognize and formalize the health project for the
Indigenous People of Binicalan in San Luis, national and local government
agencies gathered on the Province-wide Project launch of the Indigenous People
- Maternal,
Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition (IP MNCHN) project held at the
Provincial Training Center, Gov. D.O. Plaza Government Center, Prosperidad last
October 10.
Headed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the members of Tagbuligan ku Banwaon
Manobo daw Talaandig dini ta Adgawan (TagBaMaTaad) Ancestral Domain and other
government agencies such as DepEd, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police,
Department of Health, Provincial Health Office, Municipal Health office of San
Luis, Media, PhilHealth, SP Nestor Corvera as representative of Provincial
Government of Agusan del Sur and other IPs from different municipalities,
witnessed and signed the IP MNCHN manifesto.
But day before the signing of the manifesto, Gov. Adolph Edward G.
Plaza already signed the said document at the meeting with the IP MNCHN team.
The main goal of IP MNCHN is to give heath-related assistance on the
pregnant women and its child after giving birth.
And one of the concerns they talked about is the lack of midwife on said
area and in the province. Though currently the organization is sponsoring 5
midwifery grads on their review for the upcoming licensure exam and all of them
came from San Luis but still this is not enough to compensate their number.
Thus, Gov. Plaza assures that midwifery will be included to the
covered courses for the Provincial Scholarship program, so that all the women
will be safe in times of their pregnancy and delivery.
The said project is also aligned to the Joint Memorandum Circular No.
2013-01 “Guidelines on the Delivery of Basic Health Services for Indigenous
Cultural Communities/Indigenous People” signed by the Secretaries of Department
of Health (DOH), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In which, it will have a very big support from these three national
departments and will strongly implemented.
All the participating agencies showed their support by expressing
their commitments to the people on the conference hall.
And IP MNCHN will start next year and will run until 2016. But the
team assures that they will not stop their health services assistance even
after 2016.
Binicalan is a remote
barangay in the municipality of San Luis and compose of 24 sitios. It is
already a boundary between Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon. The ancestral domain
existing on that barangay is covered by the Canti 7079 headed by Datu Mambyahe
Mansulonay.
