• President Aquino spells out major government projects in Pangasinan
• President Aquino awards certificates to Shared Service Facilities beneficiaries in Dagupan City
• President Aquino witnesses turnover of new school building in Pangasinan
• ‘Daang Matuwid’ agenda has strengthened provincial governments, says President Aquino

In a speech during the turnover of the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) projects in Dagupan City, the President noted the amount to be twice the allocation released to Pangasinan from 2005 to 2010.

Among the big-ticket items in Pangasinan include the construction of the Section 1 and 2 of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) as well as the Bobonot-Tambobong Road, Pangasinan-Zambales Road, and Pangasinan-Tarlac Road.

For the agriculture sector, the President said his administration allotted P9.96 billion to construct farm-to-market roads and irrigation system in the province.

“Dahil dito, napaparami ang inyong produksyon, nasisiguro ninyong sariwa ang inyong ani patungong pamilihan, na pihadong nagpapataas sa inyong kita,” the President said.

“Namuhunan na rin tayo sa mga pasilidad na tutulong sa ating mga magsasakang madala ang kanilang mga produkto diretso sa mamimili. Sa ganitong paraan, masasagad nila ang kita dahil wala na pong middleman na kumakaltas pa sa kanilang mabebenta at kikitain.”

There is an existing Pangasinan Agri-Pinoy Trading Center, where farmers can sell their products like vegetables and meat.

The government also focused on addressing flooding in the province, he said. From 2011 to 2015, the administration allotted P4.30 billion for flood control projects in Pangasinan.

Among the projects include the construction of a dike along the Ambayaoan River, and the gabion riverbank protection in Sinucalan River.

Under DOST’s Project NOAH, the government installed 24 Automated Rain Gauges that measure the volume of rain. The government also put up 13 Water Level Monitoring Stations that will give real-time flood water level updates, according to the President.

The President also reported about the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program being implemented in Pangasinan. From 14,292 households, the Aquino government increased 4Ps coverage to 124,851 households.
Nationwide, the President said he wants to complete 4.6 million household coverage this year.

For healthcare, he said PhilHealth expanded its coverage for poor Pangasinenses and currently there 2.6 million Pangasinenses enjoying PhilHealth benefits.

“Idagdag ko na rin po: Dito mismo sa Dagupan, pinasinayaan natin ang Region 1 Medical Center na napapakinabangan ng mga minamahal nating Pangasinense at maski na ng mga karatig ninyong probinsya,” he said.

Also during his Pangasinan visit, the President was scheduled to go to Urdaneta I Central School to lead the turnover of a new 4-storey, 24 classroom building, built under PAGCOR’s Matuwid na Daan sa Silid-aralan School Building Project. PND (as)

The President was assisted by DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations Group Zenaida Maglaya during the distribution of certificates held at the Jimmy Fernandez Center-CSI Stadia.

Among the recipients of the 23 SSF projects were the Aliguas Blacksmith Workers Association, Binmaley Rural Improvement Club which is involved in seafood production and the Bantog Samahang Nayon Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

“Sa tulong po nitong mga SSF, naibabahagi sa mga komunidad ang mga modernong kagamitan sa paglikha ng iba’t ibang disenyo at produkto. Bahagi po ito ng malawakan nating estratehiya para palakasin ang mga kooperatiba, micro-, small-, and medium-scale enterprises o MSMEs, na siya namang nagbubukas ng pagkakataon sa marami nating kababayan. Karamihan po ng mga empleyado natin sa Pilipinas ay galing sa sektor na ito,” said the President in his speech.

“Sa kasalukuyan, mayroon na kayong 49 SSF dito sa inyong probinsya na pinakikinabangan na ng mga Pangasinense. Kabilang po rito ang pasilidad para sa pagpoproseso ng mga produktong bangus, na isa ninyong pangunahing industriya, pati na rin ang bagoong processing, engineered bamboo production, at marami pang iba,” the President continued.

“Gamit ang mga bagong pasilidad na ito, marami na pong mga indibidwal at negosyo ang umunlad ang kabuhayan, at naiangat ang kakayahang makipagsabayan sa mas malaking merkado,” the President said.

“Sa kabuuan, mula nang ilunsad natin ang programa noong 2013, mayroon na tayong 1,681 na mga SSF sa buong bansa. Ang nakikinabang na po rito: 16,192 MSMEs, at 72,864 entrepreneurs. Ang good news pa: Target ng DTI na magbukas ng karagdagang 200 SSF Projects bago tayo bumaba sa puwesto,” the President added.

Aside from the SSF projects, President Aquino said a total of P20.13 billion has been allocated for the construction of roads, bridges, health facilities, flood-control projects, airports and ports in Pangasinan from 2011 to 2016.

“Kabilang po sa big-ticket items natin dito ang natapos na nating pagpapagawa ng Section 1 at Section 2 ng Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway o TPLEX, pati na ang Bobonot-Tambobong Road, Pangasinan-Zambales Road, at Pangasinan-Tarlac Road, na talaga naman pong malaki ang ginhawang idinulot sa daloy ng inyong turismo at komersyo.“Para naman palakasin pa ang inyong agrikultura: Sumatotal, P9.96 bilyon ang inilaan natin sa pagpapagawa ng farm-to-market roads at pagsasaayos sa sistemang irigasyon dito sa inyong lalawigan. Dahil dito, napaparami ang inyong produksyon, nasisiguro ninyong sariwa ang inyong ani patungong pamilihan, na pihadong nagpapataas sa inyong kita. Namuhunan na rin tayo sa mga pasilidad na tutulong sa ating mga magsasakang madala ang kanilang mga produkto diretso sa mamimili. Sa ganitong paraan, masasagad nila ang kita dahil wala na pong middleman na kumakaltas pa sa kanilang mabebenta at kikitain. Dito sa Pangasinan, nandyan rin ang Pangasinan Agri-Pinoy Trading Center, kung saan maaaring ibenta ng mga magsasaka ang mga produkto nilang gaya ng gulay at karne,” the President said.

President Aquino also mentioned other government programs such as PhilHealth and the conditional cash transfer or Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), both aimed at improving the lives of the Filipino people.

The President said that 124,851 households are beneficiaries of the 4Ps while 2.6 million are members of PhilHealth in Pangasinan.

“Sa Daang Matuwid, iba na po talaga ngayon: Ang gobyerno, iniisip talaga ang inyong kapakanan…Kita naman po ninyo, hindi iisang sektor ang tutok natin, sinisikap din nating tugunan ang iba pa ninyong pangangailangan. Sa atin pong pamamahala, pinapalawak pa natin ang saklaw ng ating mga serbisyong panlipunan,” said the President.

The President expressed his gratitude to the local leaders for supporting the Daang Matuwid.

“Siyempre po, hindi natin makakamit ang tagumpay ng ating mga programa at proyekto sa inyong lalawigan kung wala ang pakikiisa ng inyong mga lokal na pinuno. Kaya naman pinapasalamatan po natin sina Mayor Belen Fernandez, Rep. Gina de Venecia, Rep. Pol Bataoil, at Rep. Baby Arenas, sa pakikibalikat sa ating agenda ng malawakang pag-unlad,” the President said. PND (jm)

Under the Daang Matuwid agenda, he said, reforms that benefit the people have been carried out in the bureaucracy.

“‘Yun ho ‘yung tinatawag natin talagang Matuwid na Daan ‘di ba? Dapat pondo ng bayan, mapunta sa kapakipakinabang na mga bagay na tutulong sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

The President also vowed to uplift the condition of the country’s education system and give the youth better opportunities.

The P48-million infrastructure is a four-storey, 24-classroom school building constructed in Urdaneta I Central School.

Before proceeding to Urdaneta City, the President led the awarding of certificates to new beneficiaries of the Shared Services Facilities project in Dagupan City, which is expected to benefit small and medium enterprises in Pangasinan. PND (as)

He noted that in the past, especially during the financial crisis in the late 1990s, local governments could hardly fund projects they wanted to implement.

There was scarcity of money to finance basic services, such as health care, infrastructure and social welfare, he said.

But today, due to good governance, there is for instance a modern weather monitoring system, the President said, adding that the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) stand ready to aid communities whenever there is an approaching weather disturbance.

“Ang hirap ho siguro kapag nagpapaalam dahil para bang marami na nga tayong nagawa sa madaling salita, nagawa natin dahil ginawa lang natin ng tama. Siguro ang pinakamatinding pakiusap ko sa inyo dito, pag-isipan natin,” he told provincial governors.

“Dito hindi na kami nangangako, ipinakita na namin ang kayang gawin. Ako’y nakikiusap sa inyong lahat: kung gumanda at dumali ang buhay nyo, gumanda lalo na ‘yung buhay ng mga kababayan ninyo na pinangakuan nating pagagandahin, na talagang paglilingkuran, palagay ko ho tayo, lalo na ang mga gobernador sa bawat probinsiya, ang pangunahing dapat magdala at panatilihin natin ang pagtahak dito sa Daang Matuwid.”

President Aquino appealed to the governors to support the administration’s candidates so that improvements under his reform agenda could continue.

Among the topics discussed during Tuesday’s general assembly was the implementation of the Kongkreto at Ayos na Lansangan at Daan Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran (KALSADA) program.

Provincial governments have received P6.5 billion through performance-based direct downloads to local governments that meet governance standards and social development benchmarks, and have established monitoring and evaluation mechanism.

The KALSADA program is part of the Local Government Support Fund, jointly implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Budget and Management in cooperation with the DPWH.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines was established by virtue of the Local Government Code of 1991.

It primarily aims to ventilate and articulate issues affecting provincial and metropolitan government administrations, and serves to secure, through proper and legal means, solutions to problems confronting LGUs. PND (as)