NAVAL, BILIRAN — October 8, 2025.

Biliran Governor Rogelio J. Espina delivered an inspiring message during the opening of the 6th International and 9th National Conference on Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development held at the Biliran Province State University (BiPSU) Gymnasium, emphasizing the importance of unity and innovation in achieving lasting progress.

Anchored on this year’s theme, “Technology-Driven Solutions for Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Sustainability,” Governor Espina shared Biliran’s transformative journey from being one of the country’s poorest provinces to a model of inclusive and sustainable development.

He recalled how, in 1992, Biliran ranked among the 21 poorest provinces in the Philippines, yet through consistent investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and local industry, the province rose steadily in national rankings. Biliran even received the Human Development Award for Alleviation and Inclusive Sustainability in 2009, and in recent years recorded a remarkable drop in poverty incidence — from 19.9% to 8.5%, the second lowest in Eastern Visayas.

“When leaders are united, services become efficient, programs reach the right people, and every peso spent truly changes lives,”

Governor Espina remarked.

He stressed that genuine poverty reduction requires collective leadership and shared accountability between national agencies and local governments. Unity, he said, must focus on strengthening the foundations of education, health, livelihood, and technology — areas that empower communities and sustain development.

“The true progress of a province is not built by government alone, but by the active participation of every citizen,” he added.

Governor Espina concluded by welcoming all iPOVCON 2025 delegates to Biliran, a province that continues to demonstrate that compassion, innovation, and unity are the real engines of inclusive growth.