State of the Province Address (SOPA)

 Gov. Ramon Guico III updates Pangasinenses on reforms in SOPA assembly

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Pangasinan governor, Hon. Ramon "Mon-mon" Guico III, delivered his State of the Province Address (SOPA) on the occasion of the 444th celebration of Pangasinan Day on April 5, 2024. "Today, we will be revisiting our mission/vision for the province. We are going to where we wanna go. Our trajectory is going up. By 2031, Pangasinan will be a great province of socio-economic growth. The province has created more jobs for gainful employment with 3,340 job applicants employed. We will make Pangasinan an investment-ready province."

Gov. Mon Guico's approach to governance could be described by the word "syzygy." Like the alignment of celestial bodies (sun, moon, and earth) during a solar or lunar eclipse, different sectors are "yoked together." Thus, there is unity amid diversity. "There will be pride in one's work (dignity of labor). With the help of social media, everybody is involved. Though we need to filter the real from.the fake!"

His administration is transformative; unifying all fronts despite their 'hooked up' beliefs in the past. "I am committed to good governance; we are bound together by a sense of mission. First, our employees will all be honored by a recognition program. Next, our library services will be available to students who are craving for knowledge and information. We have earmarked P 15.85-million for school year 2023, including that of 1,790 scholars at the Pangasinan State University.

"Aside from our programs on Cooperatives, we also plan to modernize 14 public hospitals into curative & preventive health care centers. Families, too, will have their own homes. There will be homes for the homeless. The master plan is now in place, with units in designated areas. We will build 17,000 homes per year," shared Gov. Mon.

"There will be priority social welfare programs, as this gives importance to the underprivileged. This is important for our centenarians who served during World War II. The province has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on a production sharing with the Pangasinan Salt Center, which produces six kilos of salt everyday; accounting for 3,500 metric tons of harvest annually. "The price of salt is at P5/kilo now but we will buy it at P35!"

The recovery of salt farms for the province is very important, so much so that this retains its history and patrimony. Under the Salt Law, the province was awarded 473 hectares of salt beds in Brgy. Zaragoza, Bolinao.

On the other hand, the Bolinao Bangus Hatchery project is the biggest producer of milkfish in the country; accounting for 28% of our total Philippine production. It is also the most delicious bangus in the whole country. It will, likewise, produce 100-million bangus fry and 48-million bangus larvae.

"We will systematize a wiser and proper land use. Irrigated farmlands should not be re-classified for another purpose. There will be zoning ordinances especially for recreational parks and playing courts for the betterment of sports. Soon, the 11-floor capitol plaza complex will rise.

"The Pista'y Dayat preparations are quite a challenge this year because there are renovations and construction work going on around the capitol. But, we are looking for alternative venues for the festival's various events," enthused Gov. Mon.

Pangasinan is poised to be the province of choice for both local and international tourists alike. Manaoag Church, alone, accounts for 6-million pilgrims and devotees annually. There were 9,065,577 tourists arrivals in 2023; a 51.78% increase compared to the stats of 2022. "Our capitol will have the longest reflecting pool in the whole Philippines, providing conducive spaces for families to visit.

"Our peace & order goals is to provide safe places for everybody throughout the province, including our 33 drug-free municipalities. We are also an insurgency-free province. And from 2011 through 2023, we had zero cases of malaria. Consulta-accredited health care systems are in tune with the nationalization thrust of the Philippine health care system. Plus, a 911 emergency number system with the Department of National Defense will soon be in place.

The governor pointed out his campaign promise on Education with the creation of the skills-based institution, Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC), which complements the research-based Pangasinan State University.

Meanwhile, the reforestation project will be propagating some 230,326 fruit trees, as well as 125,021 mangrove species along rivers and coastal areas. To date, the Balingasay River in Bolinao has remained as the country's cleanest river as reported by the DENR.

The province has also introduced  corporate farming.in 2022, which brings in more yield with lesser inputs. The irrigated lands have been consolidated as well. Small projects harness good yields. The Laoac Dairy Farm is currently managed to yield optimum results. Also, 1,388,063 metric tons of palay production and 419,577.5 of corn varieties have been recorded.

With the PLEX project underway, coupled with the renewable sources of energy from sun and wind, the province of Pangasinan is fiscally.and financially sound and healthy.