Governor Lilia G. Pineda thanked the many people and groups she has worked with to come up with the accomplishments she reported today in her State of the Province Address (SOPA) or Ulat Panlalawigan.
“Masaya ako sa mga nagawa natin sa loob ng nagdaang isang taon at nagpapasalamat ako sa suporta at tulong ng lahat,” the Governor declared during the 62nd regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan presided over by Vice-Governor Joseller “Yeng” Guiao.
The provincial chief executive however reminded the 2000 plus strong crowd that witnessed her report that “marami pang dapat gawin at sana ay magkakatuwang pa rin tayong mapagtagumpayan ito”.
According to her, she has always prioritized concerns on health, education, livelihood, agriculture, infrastructure, peace and order and environment protection.
“In my 25 years in government service, health has been number one on my list of priorities.”
She mentioned the rehabilitation of hospitals throughout the province for which some P59M has been expended in the construction of new buildings or improvement of existing ones, purchase of machines and other equipment to improve their services.
She also reported the services given to improve the health of her constituents among which are the following: 3,500 major surgeries done in the provincial and district hospitals; 1600 senior citizens were operated on paying hardly anything due to the coverage given them by Philhealth; 2150 minor surgeries; cases assisted by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) of patients undergoing dialysis, heart surgery, chemotherapy and other procedures; medicines provided to patients with tuberculosis and other diseases; medical and financial assistance to psychiatric patients; 3186 anti-rabies cases; expanded immunization and vitamin E supplementation.
She made special mention of the newly established Head and Injury Unit of the Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Hospital which is headed by Dr. Jay Rivera and has successfully performed operations.
“Hindi na kailangang pumunta pa sa Maynila ang pasyente dahil kaya na itong gawin dito sa atin.”
She thanked the doctors, nurses in the various government hospitals, municipal and rural health staff for these accomplishments.
In the area of education, the governor said that some 1400 deserving students were given scholarships and some P2.6M worth of allowances have been allocated for them.
More school buildings have been constructed but some of the budget for infrastructure is being wisely set aside until the problem of flooding is successfully minimized “para hindi sayang ang pondo ng gobyerno”.
However, new buildings for the Fire Marshall and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been constructed because these are deemed necessary to improve the services of these offices to the public.
Each of the province’s 20 towns, she disclosed, has been allotted P2M each for infrastructure projects.
She also thanked Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson for approving some P25M for the cut off channel which would benefit the city of San Fernando and the towns of Mexico, Arayat and Sta. Ana.
Relative to this, she also announced that some 64 bunkhouses have been constructed for the families in Arayat who were victims of the landslide during typhoon Ondoy.
For this, she acknowledged the help of Congressman Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales who provided the 1.5 hectares of land and the national office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for helping build the bunkhouses.
She again emphasized the need for every person and household to cooperate in the solid waste management efforts of the province to alleviate the garbage problem “na isang dahilan ng problema natin sa baha”.
“Sana matuloy at magtagumpay ang zero waste to energy facility na pinamumunuan ng ating bise gobernador sa pakikipagtulungan ng ilang private investors.”
The governor said the provincial government has helped send Kapampangan workers to South korea and placed workers in local and other foreign employment with assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Foreign affairs (DFA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Pampanga Public Employment Services Office (PESO) and the Provincial Cooperative and Entrepreneurial Development Office (PCEDO).
Acknowledging the importance of peace and order in the attainment of development goals, the governor has been very supportive of the Philippine National Police (PNP). She has provided them with many motorcycle units, service vehicles, cellphones to aid them in the performance of their duties as peace keepers and protectors of the people.
In the area of agriculture, she said that some 12,000 farmers were given certified seeds worth P14.4M, apart from other technical support services provided to them through the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and the national and regional offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has also provided P20.8M worth of irrigation projects in the province’s second district.
The provincial government has been looking after the welfare of Aetas, particularly those in Floridablanca. Apart from the regular basic assistance given to them, the families living in barangay Nabuclod shall be given a better chance at livelihood activities with the development of the area as a tourist destination, starting with the completed view deck which provides visitors a scenic view of the area.
Particularly applauded was the governor’s announcement of the awarding of titles for the housing program for employees of the provincial government.
Another highlight of accomplishments was the record high income and improved system in quarry operations both of which were started during the term of former Governor Eddie Panlilio, as acknowledged by Pineda.
She also mentioned the increased revenues due to “masigasig na koleksyon at tax mapping operations” which she again attributed as having been started by the Panlilio administration.
She thanked the national government for its support and all those who helped accomplish the above such as the officials of the municipalities and barangays, the department heads and employees of the provincial and municipal governments, the national agencies in the province, and the business sector “who have each contributed their share in these accomplishments”.
She also thanked the officials of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) headed by its Felipe Antonio Remollo for allocating a lot within the CDC compound for the Pampanga Market! Market! which will showcase the province’s goods and services.
In conclusion, Pineda called on all concerned to continue supporting the efforts of the provincial government in the next two years.
“Hindi ko magagawang mag-isa ito, kailangan ang patuloy na pagtutulungan upang maabot natin ang kaunlaran at kapayapaang pinapangarap natin para sa Pampanga,” she concluded. (Pampanga PIO)
