'Pound-for-pound champion in public service, governance'

MANILA, Philippines - Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan Mayor Reynaldo Velasco was tagged by his constituents as “pound-for-pound” champion not in the boxing world but in the delivery of local government services.

The residents said that Velasco’s long experience as a military and police officer had served him well in the delivery of his 10-point action agenda he set for himself to accomplish in his first three-year term as mayor.

In a 25-minute video documentary aired on a local cable network recently, the municipal employees themselves hailed the governance and reforms Velasco has instituted at the municipal hall from the prompt processing of documents sought by residents to the computerization of frontline services.

In the field of education, school children were all praises for the 288 classrooms he built, far exceeding the 150 classrooms he promised, but also the introduction of television sets as a teaching tool.

Velasco likewise put focus in harnessing the energies of the Sta. Barbara youths in sports development, anti-drugs campaign and in introducing livelihood projects for out-of-school youths.

The residents pointed at the solving of the yearly flooding of Sta. Barbara through the construction of a P150 million flood control dikes as one of the landmark achievements of Velasco in his first three years in office.

Most thankful, were the town’s farmers who make up 60 percent of the total residents of the central Pangasinan town. The mayor, in partnership with the National Irrigation Administration, has restored the flow of irrigation water through the town’s network of canals that now feed ample irrigation water to 3,000 hectares of parched lands.

Farmer leader Ed Morante said that they now harvest at least two times a year, doubling their incomes.

“Sana tuloy-tuloy na ang pag-unlad namin,” the farmer said.

In addition to rehabilitating the town’s irrigation system, the mayor introduced modern farming practices including the use of government tractors, local production of certified seeds, introduction of fast-growing breeds of cattle and other best farming practices.

The town also received complete post harvest facilities out of a P100 million grant given by the Korean government and facilitated by Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr.

The rice post-harvest facilities built at the DA research complex, includes storage, drying, and other facilities to serve Sta. Barbara and its neighboring towns as well.

Velasco’s social and health program was equally unparalleled.

In partnership with Gawad Kalinga, he has built 84 out of the targeted 200 low-cost houses for an equal number of poor families, supported micro-enterprises in each of the town’s barangays by converting their stores into botika sa barangay and giving them seed capitals of P25,000 each.