EDITORIAL - May 2018 - Sunod-sunod, Sabay-sabay na Biyaya

EDITORIAL
Sunod-sunod, Sabay-sabay na Biyaya

Iba’t-ibang malalaking kaganapan ang sunud-sunod at sabay-sabay na nangyayari sa bayan ng Bayambang.

Una ay ang nalalapit nang pagkakaroon ng bagong Comprehensive Land Use Program (CLUP) at Zoning Ordinance ng bayan para sa 2018-2027 sa tulong ng prestihiyosong urban planner na Palafox Associates. Sa oras na ito’y maaprubahan ng provincial government, magkakaroon ng mas malinaw na direksiyon ang progresong inaasam-asam ng lahat.

Pangalawa ay ang pagkakaroon ng Bayambang Poverty Reduction Plan na siyang magsisilbing ‘bibliya’ ng ating bayan upang labanan ang kahirapan mula 2018 hanggang 2028. Ito ay nakaangkla sa dalawang government-mandated plans na Comprehensive Development Plan at CLUP.

Kahanay ng mga planong  ito ang 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan for 2017-2026 na ating naisumite sa National Solid Waste Management Commission under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau.

Bilang parte ng mga proyektong nagsusulong sa turismo, at ka-partner ang St. Vincent Parish Church at Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation Inc., nag-isip tayo ng bagong world record upang maging memorable ang darating na ika-400 years ng San Vicente Ferrer Parish at ika-600 years death anniversary ng ating patron na si St. Vincent Ferrer sa darating na April 5, 2019. Ito ay ang St. Vincent Ferrer Monument na may 51 metrong taas, mas mataas pa sa Statue of Liberty, gawa sa bakal at engineered bamboo. Ito ay magiging isang major landmark ng Bayambang, at magiging hudyat ng malawakang pagbabagong magaganap sa 67 ektaryang lupain sa bandang Bani at Bical Norte na nakalaan para sa new town center at business processing zone.

Inaasahan na sa darating na Hunyo, ang P188M funds para sa proyektong Pantol-to-San Gabriel 2nd Diversion Road na sponsored ng PRDP (or Philippine Rural Development Program) ay madadownload na upang maumpisahan na ang konstruksiyon nito.

Kung maaaprubahan ng national government, malapit na ring maisakatuparan ang matagal na nating hiling na tulong pang-irigasyon sa pamamagitan ng KOICA o Korea International Cooperation Agency. Sa tulong ni Sen. Cynthia Villar, nakapulong ni Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao kamakailan ang pinuno ng National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) na si Ernesto Pernia sa Manila. Inaasahang maaprubahan ang 2-hectare project na ito ng Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, at mabibiyayaan dito ang 22 farming barangays sa northwestern Bayambang.

Wala pa sa listahang ito ang mahirap na bilanging infrastructure projects (completed , ongoing, at bidded out) ng LGU, kabilang na ang core local access roads, road repairs/asphalt overlays, barangay halls, barangay stage/plaza (Sancagulis), solar driers, police precincts, waiting sheds (San Vicente), day care centers, drainages, basketball courts/covered courts, boundary signages, street signages, deep wells (SALINTUIG program), police community precincts, satellite markets, Bus Stop sa Bayambang-Malasiqui-Basista junction, footbridge (Balaybuaya), SPED classroom (Buayaen), private dwelling (Ataynan), Senior Citizen Building (Brgy. Del Pilar), Municipal Annex Building, Rural Health Unit III (Carungay), Rural Health Unit IV (Macayocayo), Mini-Amusement Park at Children’s Playground, Municipal Canteen, Municipal Library, Balon Bayambang Events Center, Bagsakan and Food Court, Tricycle Terminal, at Bus Terminal.

Ang dating mga panaiginip lang ay nagkakatotoo na. Ito ay ilan lamang sa mga positibong resultang hatid ng transformational at visionary leadership ng administrasyong Quiambao-Sabangan sa loob lamang ng dalawang taon. Lingid sa kaalaman ng marami, ito ay natupad ng wala ni isa mang kusing o patak ng gasolinang nakukuha ang nakaupong mayor (na siya ring top business taxpayer ng Bayambang) sa kabang-yaman ng bayan. Puro pang-aabono pa nga ang siyang nakaugalian nitong gawin.

EDITORIAL - July 2018: Banking on the Youth

EDITORIAL
Banking on the Youth

General Emilio Aguinaldo was not yet 30 when he became the president of the Philippines. Jose Rizal was only 26 when his novel “Noli Me Tangere” was published. Gregorio del Pilar was even younger when he became a military general: he was 23. These Philippine national heroes can perhaps find a rough equivalent among the new generation in the likes of Efren Peñaflorida, who was declared CNN Hero of the Year in 2009 for his “classroom on wheels” project for indigent children.

World history does not lack young people changing the world for the better. Despite having been infirm and unable to travel far, young novice St. Thérèse of Lisieux was canonized as a Catholic saint and even went on to become a doctor of the church and the patron saint of missionaries. France also has its Joan of Arc as national heroine at age 18 for leading the French army to victory over the English at Orléans. Anne Frank may have only written a diary, but the unintentional impact of her work (exposing the horrors of the Holocaust) has been profound. And at the age of 17, a girl by the name of Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner after she survived a gunshot in her head and continued her advocacy work for oppressed children in Pakistan. In 2014, it took young students like Joshua Wong to start a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

In popular contemporary Western culture, young people continue to define the global lifestyle. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in February 4, 2004 with a group of fellow Harvard students at the tender age of 20. The same is true with the founders of Snapchat and other innovative apps. Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift may not exactly be paragons of virtue (but more of youthful excess), but their honest work are certified global hits, and for a good reason. Renowned actress from the “Harry Potter” movie series Emma Watson became an activist at 24 by advocating a gender equality campaign.

The message is loud and clear: With their full potential tapped, the youth are a force to reckon with. Their role in development work is thus paramount, even though they are oftentimes a neglected sector.

Even the Bible takes precaution against being dismissive of young age, with such stellar characters as Jonah, Gideon, David, and Timothy, and such passages as "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather … show yourself an example of those who believe" (1Timothy 4:12) and “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

Any government program won’t therefore be successful without involving the youth at the drawing board, because the youth has the biggest stake in the future of any community, being the inheritors of both the legacies of setbacks and achievements. And with their innate stamina, creativity, and idealism, it is only wise that we welcome them with open arms.

Fortunately, LGU-Bayambang has a top leadership that balances between the wisdom and experience of age and the energy and daring of youth, making Bayambang not just friendly to young children but also to youth in general.  

EDITORIAL - June 2018: Makabayan o Makasarili?

EDITORIAL 

Ang Bayambang ay kanlungan ng mga bayani, a refuge of heroes.

Tila nakakalimot ang nakararami rito, dahil marahil ang bagay na ito ay ‘di binibigyan ng tamang pagpapahalaga.

Ang panahon ng paggunita sa Araw ng Kalayaan ay panahon upang ipaalala ang bagay na ito.

Ayon sa kasaysayan, limang buwan bago gawing kabisera ng bansa ang bayan ng Bayambang ni Hen. Emilio Aguinaldo, nagtungo rito ang kanyang Teniente Koronel na si Hen. Antonio Luna sa lugar na kung tawagin ngayon ay Cadre Site, bago ito tumuloy sa Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija at paslangin ng mga kaaway nito sa pulitika.

At noon ngang Nobyembre a-dose, 1899, dito nagdeklara ang unang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, si Hen. Aguinaldo, na buwagin muna ang Republika upang magbigay daan sa giyera laban sa mga mananakop. Kaya naman tayo may selebrasyong tinatawag na SingKapital kada taon.

Sa isang lugar sa Bayambang din na kugn tawagin ngayon ay bayan ng Bautista isinulat ang titik ng ating naging Pambansang Awit.

Sa Bayambang naglimbag ng pahayagan ang mga patnugot ng La Independencia upang patuloy na ipaalam sa taong-bayan ang tungkol sa paghihimagsik laban sa mananakop.

Sinasabing namalagi si Dr. Jose Rizal, ang mismong pambansang bayani, sa Bayambang dahil dito siya bumababa ng tren patungong Camiling upang dalawin ang kasintahang si Leonor Rivera.

Ang unang rebelyon kontra Espanyol sa Pangasinan ay sa bayang ito naganap. Sinasabi pa ng mga historyador na halos walang natirang ancestral houses sa Bayambang dahil sa pagrerebelde ng mga taga-Bayambang.

Bakit mahilig tumuloy sa Bayambang ang mga naturang bayani? Sa paniniwala ng isang historyador, ito ay dahil sa reputasyon ng mga taga-Bayambang na sila ay kakampi ng mga bayani, na sila ay maka-bayani.

Samakatwid, historically speaking, Bayambang is a town of heroes, a refuge of heroes. Maraming mga taga-Bayambang ang lingid sa ating kaalaman ay nagpakabayani at nagpakagiting din sa sarili nilang pamamaraan. Ang ilan sa mga ito ay pinarangalan natin ng Matalunggaring Award noong nakaraang kapistahan. Ganitong klase ng kasaysayan ang minana ng bawat isa sa atin. Kung gayon, magandang itanong sa ating sarili kung tayo ba ay karapat-dapat sa ganitong mga pamanang yaman ng kasaysayan.

Sa Araw ng Kalayaan, magandang itanong sa ating sarili: “Ako ba ay makabayan tulad nila, o makasarili?”

Hindi ka bayani at hindi ka makabayan kung ikaw ay nangongotong, nangungurakot sa kabang-yaman ng bayan, naninira ng kapwa, nagkakaladkad pababa sa mga umaangat sa buhay, nagtatapon ng basura kung saan-saan, tamad at walang ambisyong magbago at umunlad sa buhay...

Hindi bagay sa bayan ang Bayambang ang makasarili. Sa araw na ito, hinihikayat na ang lahat ay makiisa sa kasalukuyang laban natin sa kahirapan sa pamamagitan ng pagsapi sa Rebolusyon bilang mga tunay na mga bayani, bilang tunay na mga makabayan.

(This speech by Mayor CEZAR T. QUIAMBAO was read during the 120^th celebration of Philippine Independence Day on July 12, 2018 in front of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s statue at the Municipal Hall compound.)

EDITORIAL - August 2018

EDITORIAL 

The LGU and you

The work of the local government is so vast that it affects your life from birth to death, to put it crudely.

Your life begins at the Local Civil Registry (LCR) with the official recording of your birth – and ends in this particular office as well if, knock on wood, the inevitable comes.

If you go to hang around at the town plaza (POSO), buy the day’s needs at the wet market (SEE),  or stop at the terminal for a bus/ jeepney/tricycle ride (POSO), the long hand of the LGU is at work.

We help take care of your health and nutrition (RHU) and ensure that you won’t fall ill from drinking water or from eating food sold in public (Sanitary Inspector). We make you feel safe and keep your travel orderly even if we need to install a lot of CCTVs for it (POSO). In case of emergencies, we are just one phone call away (#4357). When natural calamity strikes, in particular, we try our best to be there for you 24/7 (MDRRMO, MSWDO).

We assist you in your farming, gardening, livestock, or fishery needs (MAO). We help you dispose of your trash (SWMO). We build a lot of roads and other important infrastructures for you (Engineering, PMO).

If you are starting up a business, we make the process easier for you (One-Stop Shop). And if you already have one, you will have to go through several of us for permits/licensing/renewals (MPDO, Engineering, RHU, Treasury, etc.). You will need to pay your taxes through us (Treasury). To know the exact amount, you will have to visit us, or else we visit you (Assessor).

If you are looking for a scholarship or some funding for public school/education projects (Local School Board), or seeking local or foreign employment (PESO), we too can lend a hand. If you have special needs, like when you’re a senior citizen, solo parent, PWD, in a crisis situation and in need of counseling, or simply indigent, you can count on us (MSWDO, MAC).

If you want to put up a cooperative together with your group, we also have an office created for that (CDO). We are a willing partner to every accredited council and NGOs/CVOs/POs out there.

We keep you abreast of the latest developments in town (PIO, ICTO) and help you with your research or school assignments (Library). We even promote the local spots, products, and traditions (Tourism), and help preserve the past, in order for you to have something to be proud of, or something of an identity you can call your own (Museum).

There’s also something very basic that we do in the life of our town: lay down the local laws for your own benefit, or amend and update them as needed (Vice-Mayor’s Office, Sangguniang Bayan). Among other higher-order tasks we do are planning the fate of the town and zoning the land for particular usage (MPDO) and deciding on just about anything that affects the common good (Mayor’s Office/Administrator’s Office).

The rest of us do silent yet just-as-essential work (Budget, Accounting, Internal Audit, GSO, HRMO, BAC, ICTO, Motorpool, Slaughterhouse, Cemetery).

You’ll be surprised to know that, despite all that, a lot of things are not under our direct control or supervision, but we are certainly in constant coordination with our partners in other levels of government (barangay, provincial, regional, national) or even the private sector if necessary, especially if you need help in forming business ideas (DTI/Negosyo Center), if you have concerns with your water supply (BayWad) or electricity (CENPELCO), if there is an incidence of crime (PNP) or fire (BFP) in your area, or if you need special financial assistance (DSWD-Pantawid Pamilya Team).

Lastly, we assure you that there are overseers of everything we do (DILG, CSC, COA), to keep us on our toes in our delivery of service to you.

That’s how serious our work is, because our reason for existence is… none other than you. Because you put the ‘U’ in ‘LGU.’

EDITORIAL - September 2018

EDITORIAL

The Role of Culture in Development

It is perhaps no coincidence that the two biggest news items in this issue are about culture and business. At first glance, the two seem unrelated: one is often associated with frills and frivolity, the other considered more serious and important.  A deeper study of culture, however, will show just how essential it is to the day-to-day life of the town. What’s more, culture is often tied to the local economy in that culture brings a lot of business. 

Defined by anthropologists as “the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning,” culture is what makes us unique, inviting outsiders to take a glimpse, if not have a taste, of what we can offer to the world.

In separate addresses, Vice-Mayor Raul R. Sabangan, and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Gabriel Tristan P. Fernandez noted that in the many towns they have visited, they noticed a distinct cultural pride among members of the community, and for this reason, tourists flock to their place.

Bayambang may not be Baguio, Batanes or Bohol, but it has the potential attractions and the business opportunities, if we can fully mine our local culture. After all, we are known for many things: the fifth capital of the Philippines, the home of a 400-year-old St. Vincent Ferrer parish, the home of binasuan dance, the producer of the best fish buro, the holder of the world’s longest barbecue grill, the corn belt of Pangasinan, the onion capital of Pangasinan, the home of an early state-owned educational institution (PSU-Bayambang) of many firsts (the first kindergarten class, the first class for gifted children, the Philippine-UNESCO National Community Training Center, etc.). Vice-Mayor Sabangan himself stressed out that we can consider our inner qualities as a people, too. Who will not love to visit a place “where the best things happen”?

Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao’s support for the town’s tourism and cultural projects and activities is therefore very laudable. The Mayor himself emphasizes that, “Without culture, we lose our identity, and without a strong identity, we lose our ethnic pride. And as we all know, it is this pride of place that animates us to love and serve our town with all our hearts and minds.”

Indeed, under the Quiambao-Sabangan administration’s watch are such landmark cultural projects as the institutionalization of an official hymn (“Pinablin Baley”) and ceremonial dance (“Lanceros na Bayambang”), binasuan dance contest, mural paintings on the Agno River dike, cultural mapping, museum-making contest, support for the St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park project, and all-out support for the annual town fiesta and Tourism Month activities, among many other initiatives. 

A town that is fiercely proud and protective of its historical and cultural heritage will no doubt reap rewards not just in terms of civic pride, but also in terms of economic gains.