Lupon welcomes Fatima pilgrim image, holds outreach caravan

Lupon, Davao Oriental – Just four days after celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Vicariate of St. Vincent Ferrer in Lupon welcomed the visiting pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima in the morning of February 15, 2017 along the Pintatagan boundary of the town of Banaybanay, with a long line-up of parishioners, including student and teacher representatives waiting to greet Mama Mary.

The Our Lady of Fatima pilgrim image arrived at 4 pm, followed by a welcome mass at San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral at 5:30 pm, then, a vigil took place until midnight. Orientation/Catechism on the message of Fatima and Confession followed on February 16. After lunch, the image was transferred to San Ignacio Parish in Manay. Then to the East Coast, to the Vicariate of San Salvador del Mundo in Caraga. The image was enshrined overnight at the San Ignacio Parish Church of Manay for the same veneration given by the previous vicariates.  Mary was solemnly received by parish priest Fr. Nestor B. Morata and a delegation from the whole vicariate.

February 17 was the turn of the last Vicariate of St. James the Apostle in Cateel, where countless pilgrims showed up and offered Mass and prayers of thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin. The statue was brought to Cateel on February 18 before it was transferred to Tandag.

Barangay Outreach Program

The Lupon municipality has been reportedly overwhelmed or showered with ‘blessings” on at least three thousand villagers with practically all kinds of government services in line with the governor’s flagship program, Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental (NLD) Barangay Outreach Program that came timely in anticipation of the visitation of Our Lady of Fatima. The NLD Outreach, the flagship of Governor Nelson L. Dayanghirang, is personally conducted by the governor together with personnel from all government agencies to render much-needed services for the highly-impoverished farming communities in the province.

The latest recipient of the NLD Brgy. Outreach Caravan was the farming village of Don Mariano Marcos.  “This is the first time our village was overwhelmed with so many services from the government. Every one of us here is so happy. We are just poor farmers, and the government makes us feel special with the overwhelming services,” said 71-year-old farmer Mariano Jose.

Pooling resources of various agencies and offices, the fourth outreach caravan held on February 7, 2017 benefited at least 3,000 residents in Barangay Don Mariano Marcos. Marianita Iwican, 30, a resident of Sitio San Jose, said she was “extremely happy as It saved us time and money as we don’t have to travel to the city just to avail of these free services.” Her son also underwent a medical checkup and availed of free medicines, school supplies, and food packs. Villagers said that the sight of hundreds of government personnel arriving to their hinterland village to deliver different kinds of free services was “heart-warming” that “brings us closer to the government”, noting that their village, being a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area, has long been vulnerable to a long-running Communist insurgency.

Twenty-two national government agencies and provincial government offices have participated in the latest conduct of outreach caravan, bringing with them various services ranging from free medical checkups and dental services, distribution of food packs and school supplies, legal consultations, provision of seedlings, and conduct of lectures on various government programs, disaster preparedness and climate change, among many others. In support to agriculture, the Department of Agriculture turned over to farmer beneficiaries some 1,000 coffee seedlings, 1,000 cacao seedlings, 100 packs of vegetable seeds, 20 kilos of peanut seeds, and 10 kilos mongo seeds. The Provincial Agriculture Office through the DA also turned over some 20,000 cacao seedlings, 100 bags of corn seeds, and 200 packs of vegetable seeds. The Philippine Coconut Authority turned over 60 bags of salt fertilizers.

Since December 2016, the outreach caravan has already benefited at least 11,000 residents. The Philippine Army, as a partner in the implementation of the Outreach Caravan, will continue to serve as a bridge to communicate the people’s needs to the government. Newly installed Brigade Commander of the 701st Brigade of the Philippine Army, Col. Reuben Basiao, said the caravan manifests the genuine desire of the government to promote peace in the communities. Gov. Dayanghirang remarked, “We are all from the same province, so there’s no reason that we become divided or yet become the cause of strife and division. We are all Filipinos. All of us want peace and it is my dream that someday we may finally achieve the peace that we have so-long desired.” (with K.L. Deloso and E.J.Licayan)