SHORTLY AFTER Gov. Evardone assumed office in 2004, the provincial government prepared and approved a Provincial Development Investment Plan that it said was in consonance with the executive agenda that include good governance, entrepreneurship development especially to women, health reform, agricultural development, environmental protection and rehabilitation, and poverty reduction, among others.

	RIDING THE WAVES OF CHANGE. Eastern Samar is host to a national surfing competition held on October in Calicoan Island of Guiuan town. [photo by Danny Mausisa]

This investment plan will require a public investment of P4.9 billion over a period of three years, covering 2005 to 2007. Afable says funds for the programs and projects will come from the provincial and national governments, and yes, foreign donors.

Foreign private investors are also welcome to the province, particularly to finance development projects. For instance, early last December, the provincial government signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese company, which was to finance and construct a hydropower project under the build-operate-and-transfer scheme.

The proposed Amandaraga hydropower plant in Barangay Bolusao, Lawaan, is expected to provide four megawatts of power that could augment the province's power supply, especially in the southern part. The project's estimated cost runs up to P762 million.

Evardone also says that he and some top energy department officials have discussed the possibility of developing a small-scale coal power plant near the provincial boundary with Barangay Bagacay in Hinabangan, Samar that can provide alternative power source for the central part of the province.

Although the Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (Esamelco) supplies power to all Eastern Samar towns and more than 470 out of the total 597 barangays, the province often suffers from long brownouts and even blackouts, particularly during bad weather conditions.

But Afable says any project involving irrigation would probably have a great impact on the lives of Estehanons. "The identified irrigable areas in Eastern Samar is about 20,000 hectares," he says, adding that even if only 16,000 hectares are irrigated, these would be enough to fill the rice need of the rice-deficit province.

Under the Medium-Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP) for 2007-2010 is a plan to establish communal irrigation projects in Eastern Samar at a total cost of P692 million, and a big irrigation project costing P680 million in Dolores town alone. These projects, Afable says, will probably be also foreign-funded.

AFABLE SAYS that in Eastern Visayas, Eastern Samar can be considered the highest achiever in terms of the MDG goals and targets. But, he confesses, "if the basis of comparison is outside of (the region) we still have much to work on."

"Our big problem is malnutrition, child illnesses, and child mortality," he says, although he notes that these are already being addressed gradually by some programs funded by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Official data show that the under-five and infant mortality rates (deaths per 1,000 children per year) in 1995 in Eastern Samar were 95.10 and 65.84, respectively, and that the prevalence of underweight children zero-six years of age was 19.29 in 2005.

In late 2006, though, a five-year, P655-million-plus Health Sector Investment Plan for the province was approved. The plan, which aims to ensure access by the people to sustainable, quality and affordable health care services, will be financed by the provincial and municipal governments, the European Commission, German Technical Cooperation, Unicef, the United Nations Population Fund, Plan Philippines, the Department of Health, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., among others.

As of 2005, Eastern Samar had 26 health centers and 97 barangay health stations. It may still be having problems with its child mortality rate, but at least its maternal mortality rate (the number of deaths resulting from childbearing per year, per 100,000 live births) has been decreasing in the last 15 years or so. In 1990, the maternal mortality rate in the province was 246.2. By 2003, this was down to 112.2 — far lower than the regional figure of 231.3.

One doctor in Borongan even says that perhaps the reason why she and her doctor-husband are seeing less patients in their private clinic is because "they are already healthy." But she also says, "Maybe the patients are going to the provincial hospital because consultation is free."

But Ian Mosquisa of the Catholic Social Services Center believes there is still much to be done to really improve the quality of life of the Estehanons who remain impoverished. His organization, which deals mainly with the poor in the province, is among the accredited groups that are part of the PDC. Says Mosquita: "Of course, there are things being done, but these fall short of expectations."

Among the problems, he says, is the lack of support to local farmers, who he says cannot engage in sustainable livelihood endeavors like backyard hog-raising because the province's major meat suppliers come from other places like Davao. And while government health services may be available, Mosquisa says the poor cannot pay for the medicines and other needs like cotton and gauze.

He also points out that many roads in the provinces are now in need of repair. Many Estehanons are complaining about these deteriorating asphalt roads, particularly along the route from Borongan to Taft, he says.

Mosquisa likens the worsening condition of the roads in the province to having development that is not sustainable. He says that if problems like those of the roads and lack of access to health services would be fully addressed, "we can expect (the people's) productivity to rise."

Vicente Alejandro is the pseudonym of a journalist based in Tacloban City.