With great honor
and humility, I stand on this historic steps of the majestic Pangasinan
Provincial Capitol… where many illustrious Pangasinan leaders
had come before me… and many more would pass its way in the years
come.
In my youth, I
had often gazed at this stately Capitol building… almost with
awe and veneration. I saw it as the symbol of all that was great and
noble in our beloved province.
Not even in my
wildest imaginings as a poor boy from the small town of Bautista Pangasinan
had I expected that someday I would stand before it as an elected Governor
of the Province.
For many of us,
this occasion is a moment of proud achievement. If only for the reason
that SERVING at the Capitol is a Great Honor.
But today I come
before our beloved people NOT as a conquering hero. Winning the governorship
is NOT my personal triumph. The governor maybe the highest symbol of
Pangasinan leadership and authority, but I am overwhelmed NOT by the
power and the glory but by the awesome responsibility this transfer
of leadership signifies.
In taking my oath
of office administered by a leader of my personal choice, Honorable
Jon Jon Montemayor of the Municipality of Sta. Barbara – the youngest
among Pangsinan’s 1,364 Barangay Captains. I wanted to convey
the message that the Governor is only as great as the lowliest official
in our province.
As public servants,
we are ALL sworn to serve the needs and interest of our constituents.
Public office, no matter how lofty, does not bestow exclusive power
upon one single leader. The power can only arise from a citizenry that
OBEYS the CALL of serving the Community.
The oath of office
I repeated here word for word…. “tutuparin ko ng
buong husay at katapatan ang mga tungkulin ng aking kasalukuyang katungkulan…”
is but a re-affirmation of this DEDICATION... LOYALTY to duty, in the
service of our fellowmen and country. A resolve to use all the resources
of PUBLIC OFFICE to create an environment where people can HELP other
PEOPLE.
A governor may
effectively express this SPIRIT, but only the people can provide it.
It has been said
that “Great men cause great events.” But
let me say here and now that great men achieved great results only because
of the support and approbation of the people. The achieved exceptional
feats ONLY because they were able to harness the people’s energies
– enlisted their commitment NOT only for great ventures, but also
in small but sustained endeavors that brought about POSITIVE CHANGE
in the people’s lives.
In this sense,
a leader should be able to INSPIRE people to perform honest and productive
work. People support him because he knows what he wants.. clearly knows
the direction where to lead the province, not for personal gain, but
for the good of all.
It is a humbling
thought that people everywhere in Pangasinan could be looking up to
this new beginning with great expectations. Workers, farmers, fishermen,
parents and children in their respective homes. The silent majority,
so called. The suffering masses, the impoverished, the downtrodden.
To all of them
we make this CALL… no matter who you are… wherever you may
be ALL THIS is for you… you are the BE-ALL and END-ALL of this
occasion… you are part of the life of our great province.
For the past many
years, from my days as the TOP COP of the province as PNP Provincial
Director and then as two-term Congressman of the Second District, I
have traveled the length and breadth of Pangasinan, reaching the farthest
places, conversing with ordinary people.
In this countryside
tours and consultations, I saw many enormous tasks that needed to be
done.
Pangasinan remains
a rich province, blessed with one of the largest and most diverse economies
in the land.
But sadly we are
faced with the grim prospect of inheriting an economy that has been
weakened by years of stagnation, unexploited potentials, low wages and
poor income generating opportunities, increasing inequality, rudderless
political leadership and declining productivity.
Without blaming
anyone, let us start a new, with the courage to face up to the hard
truths about where we are, so that we can take strong steps toward a
better direction.
Certainly, Pangasinanses
– a proud race – deserve better. And I believe we are not
lacking in right-thinking Pangasinenses who WANT to do better. This
faith in our people, our unwavering will to attain our dreams was-in
fact-the core message of my campaign for the Governorship.
So, today, while
we rejoice in celebration, buoyed up by the PROMISE of this NEW CHAPTER
in our long quest for betterment, we also BRACE for a hard struggle.
There is much to be done and tomorrow our HARDEST WORK is about to BEGIN.
First and foremost,
our leadership must again find its bearings and set a steady course
toward economic growth. It is unfortunate that while most of our neighbors
and other provinces elsewhere that constitute what is known as the Super
Regions, now enjoy a state of vibrant flux. Pangasinan progress has
been slow and imperceptible.
There remain areas
in the province where law and order has been a weak point of governance,
agricultural and industrial productivity has gone down to an all time
low while Pangasinan possesses some of the most beautiful and priceless
natural treasures in the land, the volume of tourism and investment
has dwindled to a trickle.
The marine resources
of the vast Lingayen Gulf and our countless communal waterways have
suffered an inexorable decline due to harmful fishing methods. Rapid
urbanization and lack of protective measures have inflicted a systematic
devastation of our forest.
Development of
key industries and infrastructure aimed at generating jobs and revenues
remain below acceptable levels. Travel and commerce is slow. For many
years the Lingayen airport had been unsuitable for aviation. The Sual
seaport, perennially hailed for its supposed strategic value for navigation
and trade, has remained inaccessible to large sea going vessels.
We are proud of
the label as a regional educational center, annually producing the biggest
number of college graduates in the whole country, but most of our professionals
and highly trained skilled workers invariably move elsewhere to find
more lucrative jobs and better income opportunities.
Right now, one
of Pangasinan’s biggest hurdles is how to mobilize the biggest
asset the province possessed - its human resources.
I am not inclined
to list down what I hope to accomplished here, or boast of my past achievements.
As has been said, our destiny as a province and our future as a people
depend not upon one single person, much less the governor, even with
all the powers in his hands.
Let this inauguration
ceremony be viewed, therefore, as a CALL to GREATNESS to all Pangasinenses.
Let me start our collective response to this summon with a SOLEMN pledge
that as your Governor I WILL LEAD OUR PEOPLE… and TO DO MY LEVEL
BEST to LEAD them to where they can be a lot happier, more secure and
more capable of improving their circumstances.
I won’t
start by OUTLINING grandiose plans nor a FANTASTIC VISION. MY FIRST
ACT as Governor is to LISTEN… seek out the crying needs and concerns
of our people… listen to their voices of despair… the plaintive
cries of a long neglected, misgoverned citizenry.
Out there, there
are any number of ideas that we, the leaders, should hear. And I’m
sure there are an infinite number of people who would love to bring
these great ideas to the Capitol.
But given the urgency
of our people’s concerns, let us not wait for these ideas to be
BROUGHT to our attention. Rather. “Lets Bring the Capitol
to the People to whom it Rightly Belong.”
Let us reverse
the traditional of allowing people to take pains in trooping to our
offices to air their problems. Government must NOT only be ACCESSIBLE.
It must be able to reach out to even the remotest places… where
attention is needed most.
I will personally
GO to the people. I will go to the people NOT only to lead, to teach
and guide, but also to LEARN and to be LED. And in carrying OUT the
programs of government I will ask every member of my administration
to become INVOLVED. I will see to it that my co-workers in the Capitol
will be high-energy individuals who don’t believe in ambling along,
who will content themselves only by TANGIBLE RESULTS.
All must function
like silent but effective players of a seasoned championship team. Not
prone to grandstanding, keeping a low profile, but determined to get
the job done.
All must share
in the task of SERVING our people… participate in the productive
work and most importantly, all must share in the fruits of our labor.
This is the Capitol
I WANT. This is the Capitol that could best serve the needs and interest
of the citizenry. A Capitol that leads the effort to make Governance
move forward.
This is not to
say that under our stewardship, the festering problems that have come
upon us over the years will swiftly disappear. The results we want may
not come within days, weeks, months, or in the next year or so.
But as a Governor,
I promise you… these problems will be addressed properly and resolutely,
until THEY GO AWAY.
It will not be
easy, it needs a lot of hard work, perseverance and sacrifice. BUT IT
CAN BE DONE.
If we come together
as one big caring and compassionate family, there is NO LIMIT to what
we CAN DO.
I thank you.