DAVAO CITY- Barangay Mintal known during the pre-war era as Little Tokyo hosted the Philippine Information Agency’s Kasayuran sa PIA and IEC fair on March 28.

The event held at the Mintal Gymnasium gathered the local government of Davao City, Barangay Mintal alongside national government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development Administration (TESDA), Department of Health (DOH), PhilHealth, Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).

The Davao City local government was represented by the City Planning and Development Office and Barangay Mintal.

Philippine Information Agency Director General Ramon Cualoping III said the event in Mintal is a reiteration of the PIA’S mandate  in reaching out to its constituents at the grassroots.

“Ang PIA dugay na na ahensiya ang among mandato simple lang, na ipa-abot ug mapasabot sa katawhan unsa ang proyekto ug programa sa atong gobyerno ( The PIA has existed for a long time and its mandate is simple to reach and make the people understand the projects and programs of the government),” Cualoping said.

This is the third similar event launched by the PIA in the country. They had stops in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and the town of Mexico in the province of Pampanga.

The afternoon event featured a forum between the media, barangay residents, and the representatives of the different government offices alongside a fair of different services conducted by PhilHealth, TESDA, FPOP, DOST, and the DSWD.

For Barangay Captain Rey Amador Bargamento, there are many pressing concerns in the barangay and the Kasayuran sa PIA will help them address these concerns with the convergence of the different government agencies.

“Sa barangay daghan ta concerns like kaning disaster preparedness, isa pa ka concern is ang atong basura, solid waste sa societal na problem kaning teenage pregnancy ug mental health problems sa mga bata, mao isa ni sa problema na ginapaningkamot namong tabangan kauban sa barangay ug mga partners sa gobyerno ug NGO ( In the barangay we have many concerns, we have the disaster preparedness. One other concern is our garbage, solid waste. For societal problems we have teenage pregnancies and mental health among the youth. This is a problem weare trying tpo solve together with the barangay and our partners in the government and the NGOs),” Bargamento said.

The barangay chief is thankful to the PIA for bringing the event to Mintal. He said it is a growing barangay with 17,000 residents and their barangay government has endeavored to make it self-sufficient to answer the needs of their constituents.

 For PIA Director General Ramon Cualoping III their grassroots engagement in Mintal is a relevant program for the agency.

“Sa panahong ito very important na hindi lang malaman kundi masabtan o maintindihan ng ating kababayan kung ano talaga ang ginagawa ng gobyerno, napakarami nang nangyayari daghan kaayo proyekto ug programa ang gobyerno  na para sa atoang tanan (In this age it is very important that our countrymen will not just to know but will also understand what the government is doing. There are so many things happening. The government has so many projects and programs for us),” Cualoping said.

Barangay Mintal located 15 kilometers from Davao City proper, was the site of a progressive pre-war Japanese community that centered around abaca plantations within the area. Remnants of its Japanese heritage can be found in the monuments, waterworks, and tombs of Japanese nationals buried in its cemetery.

There is currently an influx of housing development investments in the barangay as the city’s growth is shifting toward the outlying districts. (PIA/RG Alama)