SUBIC FREEPORT -- Governor Lilia Pineda enjoined the members of the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML) to strengthen their efforts in maintaining peace and order in their respective cities and municipalities to boost the development of the whole province in a meeting in Subic on Wednesday.
With this call, the PML headed by Apalit Mayor Oscar Tetangco, Jr. reiterated their full support to the peace and development agenda of the governor, saying they are united in making all the municipalities and cities of the province more progressive and competitive in terms of peace and socio-economic development.
Peace and order
The governor who heads the Anti-Dangerous Drug Committee of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) appealed to the mayors to strictly implement the anti-drug laws or Republic Act (RA) 9165 to jail the pushers and save the users.
"In this peace loving province, we must not allow illegal drug dealers and other crooks to restrain the streets and villages of Pampanga. We must act together now. If we are united, they can do nothing. Crooks have no place in Pampanga," Pineda said.
The mayors said they would work hard for peace and order and vowed to strengthen their efforts to curb criminality in their localities by providing moral and logistical support to law enforcers.
Infrastructure
Pineda said more infrastructure is tantamount to more success and development.
She stressed that she is grateful to the National Government in helping the province in terms of implementation of infra-projects worth hundreds of millions of pesos.
The governor with the local budget of the Provincial Government, is also implementing infrastructure projects such as construction of farm to market roads, hospitals, school buildings, government buildings, bridges, among others.
"We have a lot of development funds, we have so many development projects but we are one of the provinces in the country that has no debts and liabilities," the governor said.
On a yearly basis, the governor is also providing P5-million from the development fund of the Capitol to each of the city and municipality for the priority projects of the mayors.
The governor said she is asking the assistance of municipal and city engineers in indentifying infra-projects in their respective areas needing budgetary assistance from the provincial government.
She added that the engineer of each town and city should prepare the program of works and designs to be submitted to the Capitol for their appropriate actions.
"The barangay officials should coordinate with the municipal or city engineers for the preparation of the program of works and this would avoid duplication of projects. They should not have to submit it individually and without the clearance from the municipal government," she said.
"With this system and coordination, we could combine our acts together for the speedy implementation of infra-projects in various villages," the governor said.
For four years, the Provincial Government implemented more than P1.3 billion worth of infrastructure projects.
Health and education
The Pampanga mayors had also expressed gratitude to the efforts of the governor in attending and providing for the health and education of their constituents.
"Wala pong bukang bibig ang mga nasasakupan namin kundi si Nanay. Si Nanay ang tumutulong sa amin sa ospital, sa pag-aaral ng mga anak namin, ganyan lagi ang sinasabi ng mga Kapampangan kaya lalo siyang minamahal ng mga tao," the mayors said.
It can be noted that thousands of Kapampangans were given medical and hospital assistance in private and government hospitals under the leadership of the incumbent governor.
The provincial government has allocated P37.6-million for classrooms in public schools aside from shouldering the expenses of the construction and renovation of buildings of DHVTSU Sto. Tomas amounting to more than P17 million and PHILSCA in Floridablanca with a total cost of P20-million.
Thousands of students were given scholarship assistance. (With Joel P. Mapiles/Pampanga PIO)