Marañon highlights accomplishments in last Sopa

OUTGOING Governor Alfredo Marañon enumerated Thursday, June 27, the major accomplishments of his administration over the past nine years in his last State of the Province Address (Sopa).

Marañon will be graduating from politics on June 30.

He delivered his speech before Capitol employees, department heads and local officials at the Negros Occidental Multi Purpose Gym.

"I never expected to be governor. When I was young, my only dream was to sail the seven seas of the world. But God has a very good sense of humor, he allowed me to sail, not just the seven seas but the 32,000 hectares Sagay Marine Sanctuary as well, running after poachers and fishermen committing crimes against nature," Marañon said.

Marañon highlighted in his report what his administration has done under the Negros First Development Agenda in terms of natural resources management, economic development, good governance, reduction of poverty, strong support for education, and optimum health care through the Negros First Comprehensive Health Insurance Program that started in 2010 and now has a total membership of 320,000 families.

He said the province reached 97-percent sufficiency in rice production for the first time in 2014; welcomed 25 ecozones that are registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority as of 2017; constructed roads and other infrastructure; provided social services where life insurances were given to about 15,000 barangay tanods and barangay officials in 31 towns and cities; and undertook tourism promotion.

Marañon also recalled that under his administration, they lobbied for the creation of the Negros Island Region, integrating both Negros provinces into one administrative region.

"After two decades of its being just a dream, we had been successful when then President Benigno Aquino ordered its creation in 2015. Although short-lived, NIR’s one year and a half existence gave us a glimpse of what we can achieve together as one region," Marañon said.

President Rodrigo Duterte abolished the Negros Island Region through an executive order in 2017. Negros Occidental is back under Western Visayas while Negros Oriental is again part of Central Visayas.

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