STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS
The GOVERNOR'S REPORT to the SANGGUNIANG PANLALAWIGAN

Last year I addressed the Sangguniang Panlalawigan eighty days before the local elections of May 14, 2001. As I stand before you again to deliver the Governor's Report, the nation is now preparing for the Barangay and Kabataan elections. And then in about two years the official campaign period for the national elections of 2004 will commence.

Elections in our country are too frequent; elections that can be divisive, elections that cost the country money, elections that disrupt the collective economic development effort of government and people too often.

Many say that the Filipino is over politicized for his own good. But preoccupation with politics seems to be a universal trait shared by mankind. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher who lived from 384 to 322 BC said that, "Man is by nature a political animal." But Aristotle also said that, "The good man must be the objective of the science of politics."

That should be the heart of public service. That is the politics that we must practice: the politics that puts the good of our conutryment foremost, as its highest and most important objective.

This morning, allow me to outline the state of the development effort in our beloved province. As in previous years, let me highlight the major accomplishments and plans of this administration which indicate our directions for development. May I also request that the annual reports of the various departments, which describe our programs in greater detail be made part of this morning's record of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

AGRICULTURE

Pangasinan remains the major good produces in the region. Our continued strong support for the agricultural sector with interventions and programs has brought increased harvests and incomes for the biggest sector in the province.

At the beginning of my second term, we promised a marketing assistance program for farmers to help them sell their produce at higher prices. They pilot phase of the new Grains Marketing Assistance Program has very encouring results. A total of almost 80,000 cavans was sold by 28 cooperatives at higher that traders' prices, generating P3.7 million additional income for the 28 cooperatives and their farmer members. We thank the NFA, the Land Bank of the Philippines and the participating cooperatives for working with the province and making this program possible.

Under the Balikatan Sagip Patubig Program we have so far completed the rehabilitation of 9 Communal Irrigation Facilities and will complete an another 8 facilities within this year, enhancing irrigation for a total of 1,660 hectares. Loan proceeds accessed by the province are projected to complete the rehabilitation of 13 more irrigation facilities and improve irrigation for another 1,443 hectares, also by the end of the year.

The province will be participating in the agricultural jobs generation of the President through the Hybrid Rice Program. This year, we will work to introduce hybrid rice for planting in the second season in 3000 hectares of irrigated farmlands. Hybrid rice as a crop will increase harvests by about 30% or from about 70 cavans per hectare to 90 cavans per hectare. This will require more farm man hours thereby increasing incomes and reducing under employment in the agricultural sector.

Another major agricultural concern for the province is the awaited implementation of the irrigation component of the San Roque Multipurpose Dam. The Office of the President recognizes fully the importance and urgency of building the irrigation component of the San Roque Dam Project and is directly working to access funding for its implementation.

The Provincial Government, together with the NIA, the NPC, the Agno River Basin Development Commission, the DPWH through its Agno and Allied Rivers Rehabilitation Project, and the San Roque Power Corporation are all working closely with the Office of the President so that this major component of the San Roque Project and its envisioned benefits for our farmers will be realized.

POPULATION AND HEALTH PROGRAMS

Our strong Population Program was recently the recipient of three Rafael M. Salas Population and Development Awards. Among the hallmarks of our Population Program have been its sustained community based effort and the empowerment of women.

In November last year, I presented to the National Population Congress, Pangasina's breakthrough Church and Government Partnership in the promotion of natural family planning to enhance family life. Since then, other local govornment units such as the province of Camarines Sur and the City of Manila have expressed intentions to visit us and learn from this program which has been adepted by the Popcom as a model for other LGU's.

Last February 7, Speaker Jose De Venecia presented to Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin a partnership agreement based on the Pangasinan model, to advance natural family planning to "balance, compliment and deversify" the current government program.

Another very significant program which we launched in July last year, is the BCG or Anti-TB Immunization Program for grade one pupils. Because of vaccine procurement problems, the DOH has been unable to implement this program. Anti-TB immunization is very important because it prevents complicated TB disease in children, which is very defficult and expensive to treat. To date, through our Kalusugan sa Barangay, we have completed the immunization of 52,718 grade one pupils or 83% of our school entrants.

Pangasinan is one of the very few, if not the only province that has undertaken this very important disease preventive mission. Pangasinan has also been one of the leading provinces in the implementation of health reform. We have for example pioneered the pooled procurement of medicine which has reduced costs dramatically for our fourteen government hospitals. In the coming weeks, 15 - 20 of our municipalities which have signified interest and financial readiness will have a workshop with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to begin the process of providing health insurance for indigents in their areas. The province will assist thme with a modest counterpart.


INFRASTRUCTURE

Our accelerated infrastructure build up continues. Last year alone, the province concrete asphalt paved 47 kilometers of roads, and constructed 213.4 linear meters of concrete bridges. Since July 1998, we have paved a total of at least 162 kilometers of roads and constructed 673 linear meters of concrete bridges. Our financing agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines, will allow us to pave an additional 42 kilometers in at least 26 roadlines and construct nine more concrete bridges this year.

National assistance has made possible the completion of the Burgos - Iliw-iliw and Alcala - Moncada roads and the ongoing concrete paving of the Villasis - Malasiqui road. National assistance has also made possible the ongoing reconstruction of several major bridges in the province, such as the Domalandan, Sapang, and Alogarat bridges. The province has funded several others such as the Linoc, Butao and Rizal bridges. Combined national and provincial funding are now rebuilding the Tebag and Matulong bridges. We hope to program the reconstruction of remaining damaged major bridges by 2004.

At the start of my first term in 1998, there were a total of 425 linear meters of provincial bridges classified as timber or timber-bailey bridges. We have converted almost all of these into concrete bridges. Today only 42 linear meters remain timber-bailey bridges.

This means that soon we can begin to channel more funds for the improvement of our barangay bridges.


TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENT

We have lined up major activities this year that will increase tourist arrivals and develop our tourism industry.

Aside from our regular holding of the major provincial environment and tourism events, the Pistay Dayat and Linis Dayat, Pangasinan participated in the North Philippines Caravan. Yesterday, the province hosted hundreds of local and foreign and potential investors.

The Pangasinan Tourism Council has also been recognized and is working closely with the Department of Tourism to open viable tour packages that feature the various tourist attractions and destinations in the province.

In September this year, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, we will be sending a delegation of businessmen to the Philippine Trade, Investment and Tourism Exhibition in Sydney, Australia to advertise investment and tourism opportunities in Pangasinan and assist our exporters in finding markets in Australia for their products and services.


LIVELIHOOD AND EMPLOYMENT

Through the years the Provincial Livelihood Assistance Program has assisted hundreds of associations and cooperatives to provide them livelihood. Last year alone, 852 cooperative members in 170 households benefited from the program's capability building and credit assistance.

In order to intensify the livelihood and employment generation effort in response to the hard economic times, we started the Integrated Small Business Development Program. Under the pilot phase of this program, four small business enterprises will receive technical assistance and capability building to improve productivity. They will also be given access to credit and capital enable them to expand their businesses. These expanded businesses will provide new job opportunities and incomes.

The PESO through various jobs fairs and training activities ahs successfully placed more than 1650 Pangasinenses in employment here and abroad since July 1998.


REVENUE

Last year the re-enactment of the General Appropriations Act of year 2000 was a setback for all LGU's. For the province, the unrealized IRA was equivalent to 157 million. The projected IRA this year of P 880 million however, represents an increase from the 708 million last year.

Our tax mapping activities and re-assessment campaign last year resulted in an additional P 784 million increase in the taxable value of property or an equivalent of P 15.68 million additional tax due to the province and its LGU's.

And for the sixth straight year, the Province of Pangasinan has again topped the tax collection effort in the region registering a 220% increase in real property tax collections in 2001.


CONCLUSION

All these achievements and plans could not be accomplished without the hard work, support and cooperation of all our leaders and our people: the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, our municipal and barangay leaders and workers, all government agencies, NGO's, cooperatives, our farmers, the empowered womenfolk, the clergy, the media, the academe and the youth. All sectors in our province have contributed to the development effort.

Our province has moved forward with important gains in achieving our development goals because of the peace and unity that we have in Pangasinan. In all our endeavors, let us all strive to preserve and strengthen this peace and unity that Providence has blessed us with.

With God's grace and your continued support, I am confident that in the next few years, we can achieve the greater part of our vision and the aspirations of our people: a better quality of life, stronger families and values, a vibrant local economy, peace and prosperity and a brighter future for the next generation of Pangasinenses.

Maraming Salamat at Mabuhay ang Pangasinan.