SAN JOSE, Antique – The provincial government is set to strengthen its support for the Department of Health’s (DOH) zero open defecation program with the purchase of more sanitary toilets.
Governor-elect Rhodora Cadiao said she will give priority to the zero open defecation program in barangays.
“We have a P2-million budget to be used for the purchase of the toilets,” Cadiao added.
The purchase of the sanitary toilets was included in the province’s 2019 Annual Investment Program.
“Sen. Loren Legarda will also have an additional budget for the toilets,” the reelectionist governor said.
Legarda was elected congresswoman of the lone district of Antique in the May 13 midterm elections.
Three days after the elections, she committed to work for zero open defecation in Antique barangays.
Aside from eco-tourism, solid waste management, and promotion of culture and arts, Legarda also said she will focus on improving people’s health.
Integrated Provincial Health Office Sanitary Inspector III Teresita Vergara said some 10,030 households in Antique still lack sanitary toilets.
“A big number of poor households, particularly in the far-flung barangays, still do not have toilets,” Vergara said.
She cited the town of Tibiao where numerous houses along the coastlines were washed out when Super Typhoon Yolanda struck in 2013.
Based on recent data, some 1,283 of Tibiao’s 6,003 households have no toilets. (PNA/PN)
