MASBATE CITY - A Confucian adage would be the guiding principle of the newly-elected governor of Masbate in trying to alleviate the poverty that has plagued this province for so long.

        Governor-elect Elisa Olga Kho, the first woman governor of the province, said fighting poverty would be the most daunting task that she has to tackle when she assumes office on June 30.
KHO

        Married to Gov. Antonio Kho since 1995, the newly-elected governor brims with optimism that Masbate could still rise up and move forward towards economic progress.

        Masbate is on the number two list of the poorest provinces in the country with an estimated eighty per cent of its residents living below poverty line, Kho said.

        Kho, touted as the “dragon slayer” by her provincemates after she defeated incumbent Rep. Emilio Espinosa, the patriarch of the powerful Espinosa clan in the gubernatorial race, said she had first-hand experience of the extreme poverty being endured by many Masbatenos during the campaign period.

        In her first media interview since getting elected Kho told Media Solutions that a vast majority of her provincemates still live in shanties with only corn and grated coconut as food.

        In one instance during her campaign sorties, the governor said, she went into one of the shanties and saw that the house also doubles as a sty.

        “And they had been living like that for so long now, nakakaawa talaga” she said woefully.

        Kho said she will immediately call to a meeting all provincial government department heads upon her assumption to office to get a picture of the entire situation and make an assessment.

        The woman governor said she plans to form small-group associations in every barangay and let them undergo livelihood trainings.

        “The concept is not to give them fish but instead teach them how to fish so that they could be independent in the future,” Kho stressed.

        Once these small groups have already gained a headway in their livelihood programs it could then be expanded to include other barangay residents.

        But the focus of the training would depend on the raw materials present in each barangay that could be processed, she explained.

        Masbate is abundantly blessed with natural resources, and we have excellent-quality beef that could be processed instead of just selling them raw, Kho said eagerly.

        She said the provincial government would assist the groups in fund sourcing and marketing to ensure that they have markets for their products.

        “We will guide them, spoon-feed them if necessary just to ensure that they will succeed in their endeavor,” Kho said emphatically.

        Aside from the backyard industries, Kho hopes to bank on the eco-tourism potentials of the province especially its beaches which she said were comparable to Boracay.

        We want the country and the whole world to know that this province has beaches that are world-class and unpolluted, Kho added.

        But why did Masbate remain so poor all these years?

        Kho said the malady could be attributed to the negligence by past administrations in providing the province with basic infrastructures and services like roads, electric power and potable water.

        Masbate enjoyed 24-hour power supply only in November 2000 after her husband, former Gov. Antonio Kho, hauled off the power barge of the National Power Corporation from Bohol to Masbate while potable water supply was started in 1998 and was completed only 2004 due to insufficient funds, she said.

        These are basic infrastructures necessary for development but they were neglected by our past leaders, she lamented.

        Kho admitted that her entry into the political arena was farthest from her dreams.

        “I finished medicine and I was happy with my profession,” she stressed.

        She first dipped her hand in politics in 1998 when she ran for congress against Rep. Espinosa and for three attempts she also failed thrice.

        Kho, a pulmonary specialist, explained that her entry in politics was just to help her husband and the province saying it became so hard for Gov. Kho to push for the province’s development with all the three congressmen working against him.

        The province’s three districts were held by the Espinosas and their allies.

        But with her as governor and her husband as congressman of the second district, Kho said they could now pool their efforts to at least effect some improvements in the lives of their constituents.

        She called on her province mates to work with them saying she needs their help so she could help them.

        She also extended the hands of reconciliation with the Espinosas urging them to set aside politics for the meantime and join hands in addressing the plight of the Masbatenos.

        “Our people are now so tired of violent politics and we owe to them the privilege of being elected leaders of our province so it is incumbent upon us to give them good services in return,” Kho, a mother of two kids aged 11 and 10 said.

        Masbate had seen a lot of political killings and was the only province placed under Comelec control in the Bicol region during the recent election.

        Kho said the violent politics plus the bad publicity it got from the media gave an undesirable image to the province which scared off the public including potential investors.

        Our people are peace-loving and industrious people, she pointed out.

        She also said that periodic dialog with the church and other sectors would be conducted to get their insights on matters affecting the province and its people.

        Kho envisions Masbate as a peaceful and economically progressive province with eco-tourism, vibrant fishing industry and responsible mining as among its major sources of livelihood and income.

        “I want to help you but I can’t do it alone. I need your help. Let’s move on, let’s change our bad attitudes and the bad traditions,” she said as she addressed her provincemates.