LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Under the stewardship of Governor Ramon V. Guico III, 2024 is a fruitful year of significant strides, accomplishments, successes, and numerous awards for Pangasinan.
As one of the top priorities of the present administration, Gov. Guico led the province in intensifying hospital management and improving health facilities to include the construction of new buildings and purchased of new equipment such as MRI, X-ray machines, CT scan, ultrasound and dialysis machines to realize the goal of transforming all 14 government health facilities into ‘hospitals of choice.’
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COOPERATION. The indispensable collaboration of Pangasinan Governor Ramon “Monmon” Guico III (right) and Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino (left) and the provincial lawmakers Lambino headed shows the gargantuan province reaped countless national and local awards since they assumed office in June 30, 2022 and to present. The duo filed in October 2024 their reelection bids for the same posts. (Texts by Mortz C. Ortigoza) |
The launching of the Government
Unified Incentives for Medical Consultations or Guiconsulta program which aims
to register two million Pangasinenses, is a shining example of genuine care and
protection for poor and sick Pangasinenses.
Determined to bring the province’s
‘Preventive Health Care Program’ closer to the people, especially those from
the grassroots level, the pro-poor program was intensified through an ordinance
duly approved by the provincial board.
Before the launching of the
program, the Provincial Hospital Management Services Office (PHMSO) reported
that only around 28,000 Pangasinenses were enrolled in the 14 government
hospitals under the Konsulta (Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama) program of
PhilHealth.
This pushes Gov. Guico to spearhead
an intensified campaign to support the program of the state health insurance.
As an added assistance, the provincial government grants cash incentives for residents
who will avail of the program.
In addition to this, a district
hospital in Brgy. Gonzales, Umingan, and the hospital extension of the Eastern
Pangasinan District Hospital in Tayug are under construction.
The provincial government likewise
prioritized giving free education to deserving Pangasinense youth from
low-income families. Thus, the Pangasinan Polytechnic College (PPC) opened its
doors to some 700 freshman students last August.
A landmark project of the Guico
administration, PPC serves as a gift to Pangasinenses. Following its initial
batch of students, the governor disclosed that expansion is in the offing with
establishment of more campuses to accommodate more deserving youths throughout
the province. This, he previously stated, will be further pushed to realize the
goal of producing at least one professional in every Pangasinense family.
The first batch of PPC scholars are
currently enrolled for free in courses like Bachelor of Special Needs
Education, Bachelor of Multi-Media Arts, Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness,
and Bachelor in Public Administration with a Major in Local Governance.
Another historic project to reckon
with is the Pangasinan Salt Farm located in Zaragoza, Bolinao. From several
years of slumber due to non-operation, the provincial government revived the
facility bringing in job opportunities for more than a hundred locals in the
area thereby providing revenue for the province.
In 2024, the salt farm was able to
produce 6,400 metric tons. As a result, a total sale of over P10 million was
generated. The accomplishment rooted in the provincial government’s tie-up with
the Philippine Coconut Authority for the latter’s Coconut Fertilization Project
for CY 2024.
“We
need to drastically reduce our dependency on imported salt and produce 100% of
our consumption needs. We must even think of becoming a net exporter of salt in
the future,” Gov. Guico earlier said.
On job placements, the provincial
government, through the Pangasinan Public Employment Service Office (PESO),
facilitated the employment of thousands of job seekers during the regular job
fair and caravan in different localities in Pangasinan.
On agriculture, the present
administration continuously supports the plight of marginalized farmers in the
province.
For the Corporate Farming program,
another trademark project of the Guico administration, some 600 hectares of
farmlands are now under the program that aims to increase farmers’ production
and uplift the lives of local farmers.
“The
simple story about corporate farming is that because it is more cost-efficient,
a higher yield per hectare is achieved with a lower cost of production,”
the governor stated.
Aquaculture, on the other hand,
made a significant stride with the Pangasinan Bangus Breeding and Hatchery
Project located in Brgy Arnedo, Bolinao at the frontline. The program aims to
produce 100 million bangus fry and more than 48 million bangus larvae each
year.
Among other continuous projects are
various infrastructure projects, such as the big-impact project Pangasinan Link
Expressway (PLEX), which broke ground in March 2024, and other regular projects
under the engineering office. Social services such as financial and medical
assistance to Pangasinenses are also actively carried out with the assistance
of the First Spouses League of Pangasinan.
The tireless staccato efforts of
the provincial government team (both executive and legislative) for the entire
year paid off as numerous awards were given to the province in the forms of the
Seal of Good Local Governance Award; Gawad Kalasag Beyond Compliance Award; Top
1 Highest Locally Sourced Revenues in Nominal Terms; Top 1 in Year-on-Year
Growth in Locally Sourced Revenues; Region 1’s Top Performing Province in Local
Revenue Generation; SubayBAYANI Awards Exemplars (National); Gawad Parangal
2024 Outstanding Provincial Jail, Best Livelihood Program and Best Educational
Program:Alternative Learning System; Northern Luzon’s Best Newborn Screening
Facilities in Region 1; Region 1 Best Province in Local Tourism Planning; 1st
runner-up for Best Tourism Souvenirs (Banaan Museaum Souvenirs); 2nd runner-up
for Best International Event Hosting (2nd International Conference on
Pangasinan and Bulosan Studies).
On top of all these, Pangasinan was
listed as the 7th highest contributor in terms of share to national Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) among the 82 provinces in the Philippines and the 14th
wealthiest province nationwide with a total asset of P18.36 billion.
Capping all awards and citations,
Gov. Guico was listed by Edurank.org as among the Top 79 Notable Alumni of the
University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman for his untarnished feats.
“We
did this together. Indeed, competence in professional and commitment to public
service enrich the defining character of our Team Pangasinan! And with your
unfailing support, our journey continues, improving lives and transforming
communities in the whole province,” the governor said. (Ruby F.
Rayat/PIMRO)
