Cebu remains strong and getting stronger

CEBU, Philippines - The Province of Cebu remains strong and is getting stronger with each passing year, said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in her State of the Province Address last night.

She said the Provincial Government remains debt-free, with total assets at P28.6 billion as of December 2010. Its income grew by 10 percent from 2009, at P2.085 billion.

“This year, I am proud to announce that the state of this great province is strong; stronger than we have ever been, and stronger than any other province in this country is or can ever hope to be,” Garcia said in her 28-page SOPA which lasted 50 minutes with 45 applauses from the audience.

Garcia talked about her administration’s accomplishments and programs in the areas of infrastructure, water, power, education, agriculture, environment, women and children, health, peace and order, tourism and heritage, information and communication, among others.

“Our strong financial position, unfettered by debt, has allowed us to invest in the 12-point agenda we set out, seven years ago, to define, and to meet, our people’s hopes and expectations,” she said.

In infrastructure, the province has asphalted a total of 773 kilometers of provincial roads; 175 kilometers of barangay roads; upgraded all provincial bridges from timber or bailey bridges to concrete, and have even upgraded national bridges, bringing the total accomplishment to 80 concrete bridges.

There were 59 water systems that have been built all over the province.

For water supply, the Province has successfully completed negotiations of an unsolicited offer for the Carmen Bulk Water Project with a consortium led by Manila Water.

In barangay electrification, through partnerships with private sector donors like KEPCO, local government units and the congressmen, as well as Cebeco 1, 2 and 3, Banelco and Celco —energized a total of 394 sitios.

In health, the province is completing the construction of the three 100-bed capacity provincial hospitals in Carcar, Balamban and Danao City and shall also soon begin implementation of the fourth provincial hospital in Bogo City.

The remaining 12 district hospitals shall continue to be upgraded and the province has constructed 37 birthing centers to provide all towns and cities with this facility.

 A total of 409,736 families enrolled in the universal coverage of indigents under the Philhealth Indigency Program and to continue to enrol a total of 45,104 barangay officials and workers under the GSIS Group Insurance.

The comprehensive sanitation and health program has provided 43,373 households with sanitary toilets, ensuring that disease prevention starts at home and the supplemental feeding program has fed 62,229 of the province’s malnourished children.

To empower women, the Grameen for Women Empowerment program has provided capital to a total of 3,513 women for small-scale enterprise.

The Halad sa Gugma Alang Kang Lolo ug Lola served over 150,000 senior citizens through medical missions and distribution of basic commodities and the start of the construction of senior citizen buildings for all of towns and cities.

In education, 858 classrooms around the province have been turned over as the province’s continuing commitment to the National Government to help in the education of our children.

The Province provides scholarships and needed school supplies to over 600,000 students, and their parents, much-needed relief.

 In terms of peace and order, the province continues providing direct support to law enforcement agencies through equipment and resources.

 In the war against illegal drugs, it enhanced the capabilities of PDEA with the province-initiated deputization of 5,000 police and military personnel, and 16,000 barangay tanods and the construction of a new PDEA Region VII building, beside the CPPO on the province-owned lot in Sudlon.

On December 2010, it convened the Task Force on Anti-Trafficking, to address the need to protect victims of human trafficking, especially the women and children.

In addition, the Provincial Women’s Council has been, for years, at the forefront of the protection of women and children, by providing legal, psychological and other forms of assistance to rescued minors who are victims of trafficking and cyber-pornography.

On environment, 4.9 million surviving trees; 1.6 million mangrove plants have been planted to date.

Garcia also made special mention of the Cebuano pride of place that encouraged the province and the city to restore the beauty and charm of Cebu spearheaded by Mayor Mike Rama and now being implemented by a group headed by Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung.

The Province has committed to beautify the span of Osmeña Blvd. from the Capitol until Fuente Osmeña with the help of contractors who are not charging anything for the work.

In tourism, Garcia challenged the towns and cities to come up with their unique tourism packages and the Province will reward them for their efforts.

“For each town and city that can put together a tourism and cultural experience, the Province of Cebu will provide, without exception, one tourist bus or coaster each,” she said.

Cebu has established working partnerships not only with Philippine provinces, but also with 14 provinces and states across Asia, Europe and the United States — Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang of the People’s Republic of China; Gangwon, and Busan Metropolitan City of Korea; Vladimir Region and St. Petersburg of Russia; Ljubljana of Slovenia; Guam, USA; Rishon LeZion of Israel; Barcelona, Spain; and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine.

The Province also has previously entered into sisterhood agreements with Hainan, China and the State of Hawaii, USA.

Garcia thanked the Cebuanos with special mention to Rama for his openness to work together, as one Cebuano people, towards that era of unprecedented progress that is our common birthright.

“Even as we celebrate tonight the work that we together have done, on this July evening, in the middle of, at the high noon of this year, we know that you still wait. There is work to be done. And there is no journey so perilous that we would not take in order to get there,” Garcia added. —/NLQ (FREEMAN)