By Lovely Laudette Gamba

Santiago, Agusan del Norte (31 January) -- Completion of a mini-gym which have languished for quite some time for one barangay; construction of a gym in another; a center for the venerable senior cittizens in the area and "tumpa"/ or stick for CVOs of the province. These are some of the pressing concerns brought to the attention of Agusan del Norte Governor, Erlpe John Amante. All these were presented to him personally by his constituents through a regular people's day he has instituted twice weekly, his so-called "Kukabildo sa Barrio".

The languishing, unfinished mini gym and a senior citizens center were requested from him by residents of Barangay Poblacion l; a new gym cum multi-purpose by Barangay Curva and tumpas for the CVO of the area.

The visitation is part of the "Kukabildo Sa Barrio" program of Gov. Erlpe John Amante which started a couple of months ago. Through the program the Governor aims to reach out to people, get to know them and personally attend to their local problems.

An overriding concern of the two barangay visited is the peace and order situation of the area. "To date we already have 19 unsolved crime cases. Unidentified armed people are seen roaming around during unholy hours," says SB Cosinas of Santiago.

To answer the problem, Gov. Amante assured the public that he will provide CVOs with "tumpas", or "batuta" a revolving rounded stick they can use when doing rounds as soon as possible.

Among the commitments the governor made in his interactions with his constituents is the purchase of brand new construction equipment. "I'm aware of you're repeated requests to borrow provincial equipment to repair your roads and the long wait you have to endure because there's only one available truck working. I will be buying one seen from savings made due to strict austerity measures I have implemented," Amante said. He revealed that he seldom go to Manila even for official trips just to save money.

There are other significant issues and concerns raised by the people during the program. Little requests made and little demands asked. The Governor listened intently, weighed the issues and problems presented to him with obvious concern and sincerity.