TAGUM CITY (24 October) -- Improved lives of constituents indicates a progressive local government unit, Davao del Norte Vice Governor Anthony del Rosario said in Kapihan sa Kapitolyo.

In relation to this, Del Rosario pictured ideal LGU political leaders as those who have the vision to get the interest of their constituents on top of their agenda. “After all we are here to serve (the people),” he said.

He hoped the province of Davao del Norte would stick with the minimum basic needs (MBN) agenda designed to address poverty alleviation, consequently making lives of the poor even better.

He would have wanted the provision of Philhealth cards to every poor constituents of the province, be continued and that welfare of women be taken cared of along with efforts to provide access to livelihood opportunities to the poor.

“The only way to improve LGUs is to make lives of poor people improve, if not, then we cannot say that the LGU has progressed,” he said.

Del Rosario cited the MBN agenda as a crucial step the province could take to contribute to the national goal geared towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).

Laid down by the United Nations, MDG targets by 2015 to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the recent launching in Malacañang of the Philippine participation in the global campaign of the United Nations on "Stand Up Against Poverty, Stand Up for the Millennium Development Goals" aimed at putting to halve the incidence of poverty by 2015.

It was participated in by 23.5 million people worldwide, of the number 2.3 million were Filipinos, meaning one in 10 people who stood up for the campaign were Filipinos.