Community Case # 2: Municipality of Marconi

I. Introduction

Marconi is a fourth class municipality consisting of 12 barangays distributed into coastal,

lowland and upland districts. Predominantly, the community is rural for 90% of its population s living in
rural barangays. The total land area is 11,559 hectares, 85% of which is utilized for agriculture. The
remaining area is used for residential, commercial and industrial areas. Among the major agricultural crops
are abaca, bananas, rice, corn and root crops. There are six coastal barangays where the best source of
marine products is obtained, which is also being exported to other countries by buyers outside the
municipality. The town proper which is within the land area of Barangay Paras serves as the center for
commercial, administrative, educational and recreational activities. The municipal office is also located in
that barangay. For the past 5 years, according to the survey done by the Department of Trade and Industry,
there is a notable increase in business establishments in the municipality.

II. Demography

The municipality has a total population of 39, 433. Which are composed of 7,747 households. The
Table below shows the population composition of Marconi in 2009.

Table 1. Age-Sex Composition of Marconi, 2009

Age Group Male Female Total
(in years)
0-4 779 650 1429
5-9 857 757 1614
10-14 1561 1246 2807
15-19 2398 2021 4419
20-29 5056 6267 11323
30-39 3730 3579 7309
40-49 2969 2235 5204
50-59 1563 1342 2905
60-69 992 902 1894
70 and above 276 253 529
Total 20,181 19,252 39,433

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 III. Health Statistics

The following health record shows the ten leading causes of morbidity and mortality.

Table II. Ten Leading Causes of Morbidity, Marconi, 2009

Diseases No. of Cases
1. ARI 488
2. Diarrhea 75
3. Bronchitis 69
4. URTI 63
5. Hypertension 59
6. Pneumonia 43
7. Typhoid Fever 32
8. Tuberculosis 27
9. Parasitism 26
10. Bronchial Asthma 22

Table III. Ten Leading Causes of Mortality, Marconi, 2009

Diseases No. of Cases
1. Heart Diseases 59
2. Pneumonia 23
3. CVA 12
4. Undetermined 11
5. Accidents 10
6. Malnutrition 9
7. Hypoxemia 8
8. Bronchial Asthma 6
9. Anemia 4
10. Tuberculosis 3

IV. Socio-Economic Characteristics

The average annual family income in Marconi is Php 48,000. Around 40% of the population is
below subsistence level. Farming and fishing is the major sources of livelihood,while other sources include
backyard poultry and pig raising, rice mills and cottage industries. Jeepneys and tricycles are the mode of
transportation between the barangays and in the town proper. Telephones, radios and televisions are not
common in the community. National newspapers and tabloids are available.

V. Social Welfare Indices

A. Education
The literacy rate in Marconi is 78.93%. about 62% of the adult population finished elementary
education while around 20% finished high school. The municipality has 2 public high schools, 15
elementary schools and 20 day care centers.

B. Housing
The houses in the barangays are made up of light materials. Only those living in Barangay Paras
have build houses made up of combination of strong and light materials.
C. Electrification

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 Power supply in Marconi is limited. Only seven out of twelve barangays has electricity. There are
times that electricity is only available at the latter part of the day, due to limited electric supply. Almost
every household has oil lamps and candles as a light source.

VI. Environmental Indices

A. Water Supply
Level III water supply system is not common in the municipality. 90% of households rely on deep
wells, pumps and open wells. Level II water supply can be seen in Barangay Paras, but some residents still
use deep wells as their water source.

B. Human and Household Waste Disposal

85.8% of households have sanitary toilets. 12.4% have unsanitary toilet conditions and about 2.7%
has no toilet at all. Only 6% of the household wastes are being collected. Majority (75%) of the households
practice garbage disposal through burning, and the rest practice composting.

C. Food Establishments
A total of 50 food establishments can be found in Marconi. Only 67.7% has sanitary permits, and
72.2% of the 73 food handlers have attended the food safety seminar and were issued with health
certificates.

VII. Nutrition

Operation timbang conducted in 2009 showed that of the 3,003 children of ages 0-9 years, 40%
were found to be underweight and 5% had very low weight for age. Around 80% of the infants are
exclusively breastfed for two months and 10% of the pregnant women were given iron supplementation.
Fresh and dried fish are the usual diet of the residents. Sometimes they include vegetables and fruits in their
meal.

VIII. Socio-Cultural and Political Indices

People are mostly Roman Catholics (97.6%). Others consist of Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh Day
Adventist, Islam, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witness and Born Again Christians. Recreational facilities like
basketball courts, videoke bars and cockpits are present. Drinking and smoking is common among adult
men.

The local government officials from governor to barangay officials were elected. Civic
organizations and clubs as well as non-government organizations are present in Marconi.

IX. Health Sector

The municipality has 1 rural health unit and 12 barangay health centers. Usually, there is one
midwife and two barangay health workers in each barangay health station. There is one Medicare
community hospital but there is no presence of private clinics. There is also no municipal health officer in
the rural health unit.

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 Table IV. Profile of the Rural Health Unit Staff

Position Number
Muncipal Health Officer 0
Dentist 1
Public Health Nurse 2
Rural Health Midwife 11
Sanitary Inspector 1
Dental Aide 1

The community hospital is a 15 bed capacity, categorized to primary, is under the supervision of the
provincial health office. Hospital staff includes two medical officers, four nurses, five nursing aides, one
medical technologist, four administrative staff and three utility workers.

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