Lubao town wants to adopt policies of Korean county

LUBAO -- The municipal government led by Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab is adopting policies and “best practices” of a progressive county in South Korea to further improve the delivery of the basic services here.

In her speech at the launching of the “Formation of Cooperative Relationship” between Lubao and the Jeongseon County on Tuesday at the historic St. Augustine Parish Church, Cayabyab added that the improvement of the “standard of living” of at least 150,000 residents of their town is the priority of Lubao government officials.

The Jeongseon County in Ganwon province, host to the 2018 Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing, was represented by Shin Hyang-suk, women and youth director.

Cayabyab said that they are inviting business entities to invest in the first-class town, which is the host of the highly-successful annual Lubao International Balloon Festival in Pradera Verde, Barangay Prado Siongco.

“We want more businesses and other livelihood opportunities for our people to hasten the eradication of poverty,” said Cayabyab in the dialect.

“We are adopting the ways, equipment and best practices of the Jeongsen country to further improve our system in serving the people and enticing more economic activities,” added the two-term mayor.

The daughter of Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda is transforming her town into a haven not just for agricultural and livestock productions but for investments related to tourism, real estate and retail services.

Cayabyab and the town council led by Vice Mayor Robertito Diaz earlier revised the tax code of the municipality resulting in high revenues since the mayor took over in 2010.

Local taxes were P3.9 million in 2011. Last year, the total collection was almost P5.2 million, the highest-ever registered by the municipality with 44 barangays.

Councilor Jun John Susi said that he and Lubao officials led Cayabyab visited Jeonseon in 2012. He added that the delegation was “impressed by the beauty and cleanliness” of the county, home to the High I Ski Resort. The resort at 1,345 meters is at the highest altitude of the Korean ski resorts.

“The mayor and the other local and municipal officials are indeed going into the direction of attracting more quality and bigger investments which provides more jobs,” said Susi. He added that the visit of the delegation is a “prelude” to the signing of the sisterhood pact between Jeongseon and Lubao.

Korean Community Association-Pampanga Chapter president Kim Ki Young and Choi “JP” Jong Pil of the Korean chamber of commerce also graced the event at the 17th-century neo-classic and Spanish stone and brick church. The National Museum of the Philippines declared Pampanga’s oldest church as an Important Cultural Property in 2013.

A green-colored hot air balloon bearing the name of the Lubao municipal government was displayed at the church compound and it was showcased to the visitors by Lubao balloon festival event organizers Noel Castro Jr. and Steve Kim.

The delegation also visited the municipal hall, material recovery facility, public market, Pradera Verde (to fly Hot Air Balloons) in Lubao, Amare Oxford Hotel, Clark Museum, Nayong Pilipino Puning’s Hot Spring and Matam-ih in Clark. (Joey Pavia/Contributor)

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