Ever since the day, about a month ago, my brother and executive assistant Bong Piñol told that there is a town in Surigao del Norte, Malimono, with a poverty incidence of over 80%, I made up my mind to go there and see the place myself.
I was really intrigued. I wanted to know how the people of the country’s poorest town go on with their daily lives.
I also would like to know why the town is very poor and most of all, what could be done by government to address their poverty.
Today, my wish will finally come true.
Straight from a 4-day visit to Myanmar and Thailand with President Rody Duterte, I visited Ligao City in Albay and Casiguran, Sorsogon yesterday travelling by an SUV and a pick-up as back-up vehicle.
From there, we crossed two channels separating Bicol and Samar, and Leyte and Surigao to go to Malimono.
In the Fastcraft which took us from Liloan, Southern Leyte to Lipata, Surigao del Norte, we were joined by Malimono’s first-term Mayor, Wallace Senaca, his wife, Peluchi, and sister-in-law, Ian, who I discovered are daughters of a departed friend, Titus Escaño.
From Lipata, it will be another 1-hour of rough ride to Malimono.
I am very excited to see Malimono and discover for myself what could be done to change peoples lives.
If there are solutions to the poverty in Malimono, the country’s poorest, I believe there would also be answers to the woes of other poor areas in the country.
(Map shows Malimono town while.photo shows me with Mayor Senaca, his wife and sister-in-law Ian.)
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