I would like to greet all of you, officers and members of Bayambang Association of Southern California, a Happy 408th Town Fiesta!
After two years of unthinkable setbacks due to the pandemic, we are thankful to God that we are able to once again hold our yearly festivities face-to-face. I believe our frontliners deserve to be credited for being able to bring down our cases to zero as of end of March. This has enabled us to let go of the usual restrictions, but I have informed everyone not to be too complacent with the basic health protocols.
I would like to take this opportunity to make a little progress report. Despite the pandemic, we are thankful to God because we were still able to accomplish a lot of things through innovative solutions.
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As you might know, I have declared a Revolution Against Poverty in Bayambang, and under this revolution, there are so many projects being implemented in 5 areas: Good Governance, Socio-Cultural Development and Protection, Agricultural Modernization, Economic and Infrastructure Development, and Disaster Resilience and Environmental Protection.
In the area of health, we were able to open Rural Health Unit IV and V in Brgy. Macayocayo and Brgy. Pantol to serve the pressing healthcare needs of our constituents in the most far-flung barangays in the northern and southern parts of our town. In addition, there is an ongoing construction of RHU VI in Brgy. Macayocayo, to serve our residents in the northeast district.
Apparently, health is the topmost priority these days, so our biggest event so far is the holding of the groundbreaking ceremony for a private tertiary hospital, to be named after my son, the Julius K. Quiambao Medical and Wellness Center. This project, I hope, will put an end to the untold sufferings of our poor townmates who often had to endure pain rather than go to the hospital because of lack of financial resources.
Through our own initiative and in partnership with Congresswoman Rose Marie Arenas, Senator Miguel Zubiri filed a bill in the Senate for Mangabul Reservation to be converted into an alienable and disposable property. Once the bill is approved as law, the cultivated lots will be transferred to hundreds of farmers after 70 years of land dispute in the area.
On June 28, officials and consultants of the National Irrigation Authority visited Bayambang to conduct onsite inspection for the planned irrigation system for 22 barangays where irrigation is a problem. Let us pray that this project becomes a reality soon.
The San Gabriel 1st Farm-to-Market Road with Bridge Project to be funded by the World Bank under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project has been approved and gone through a transparent bidding process, and it is now set to start construction soon.
We have also purchased multi-million heavy equipment to start dredging our 8-kilometer inland fishery property and revitalize our inland fishing industry.
Another project is a private initiative, thanks to the idea of my wife Niña: we have also inaugurated Northern Luzon’s post-harvest facility complex in Amancosiling Sur for our farmer’s post-harvest needs.
In the area of emergency response, we have also acquired a new fire truck from the Office of the President, and a new ambulance, again from Congresswoman Arenas.
The Bayambang Commercial Strip with 25 nice stalls opened in front of the St. Vincent Ferrer Parish Church and has stimulated a lot new economic activities in the area and in the adjoining streets of M.H. Del Pilar and Magsaysay.
As for our anti-COVID-19 initiatives, we have converted two evacuation centers into an isolation facility and quarantine facility and got certifications from the Department of Health, and thousands of patients benefited from its.
To ensure physical distancing in the LGU offices, the Municipal Annex Building was also opened. Almost all the offices were moved to this new modern building which is more conducive to public transactions.
Ongoing is the construction of our Municipal Bonery to decongest our old cemetery.
Also soon to be finished is our own permanent Municipal Museum at the Town Plaza to serve as a show window for the history and culture of Bayambang and what it can offer to the world.
This is on top of the nonstop annual engineering projects such as the construction of roads and other infrastructures in all barangays.
We also launched the Bayambang’s Best Longanisa after a long process of product development, with the help of 1Food Corporation, in order to create new livelihood opportunities to our kababayans at ANCOP Ville – the housing project initiated by the Couples for Christ - Answering the Cry of the Poor that provided shelter to 32 indigent families.
Last year, we have been invited to the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ competition called Mayors’ Challenge, and Bayambang is among the few places in the Philippines that were directly invited by the group of former New York City Mayor Bloomberg. Our entry is about a one-stop-shop digital platform or computer application to help farmers by automating the processes to find all the assistance available to them from different sectors. We didn’t win the Challenge, but we won anyway in terms of coming up with the e-Agro Ecosystems farmers’ portal. I am excited for e-Agro because it is meant to digitally connect all our farmers to all possible technical and financial assistance they need in the farming business. We are determined to pursue this project because we are an agricultural town, so we believe that it is through the field of agriculture that we can win our Revolution Against Poverty.
You who have the resources can help us make this project succeed. How can you do this? You can invest in our farmers – invest in Bayambang. If you are not into agriculture, then maybe you can invest in other opportunities. Put up businesses, support our local products, promote Bayambang, and I assure you that every centavo you contribute will benefit the people and the town itself.
Let me take this opportunity to reiterate my motto – “Bayan Ko, Pawilen Ko, Aroen Ko, tan Tulungan Ko” – I love my hometown with all my heart and I am doing everything I can to help it succeed. I hope you find it in your hearts to do the same.
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Once again, happy 408th Town Fiesta to all of us.
Viva San Vicente Ferrer! Mabuhay po tayong lahat na Bayambangueño.
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