CONCEPCION, Tarlac- Folk in this hometown of Pres. Aquino and his father, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr, feel abandoned by the President who, so far, has not initiated any significant project to boost the local economy and help them in other urgent needs.
Thus said Mayor Andres Lacson who also said that the same sentiment apparently prevails in other towns in Tarlac province. In a press briefing over the weekend with the Capampangans in Media, Inc. (CAMI) at the Concepcion town hall, Lacson said that the President has always ignored projects needed by local folk.
He cited the need to complete flood protection structures along the Parua and Loong rivers which are sources of flooding during the rainy season, affecting no less than 200 agricultural lands.
Lacson recalled that the flood control system was built at the Parua river about 20 years ago, but it was never fully completed, as it left some 10 kilometers of dikes unfinished. “Puro sariling sikap (We merely rely on our own initiatives),” he said.
Lacson recalled, however, that in one of his state-of-the-nation addresses, the President had apologized in advance to his provincemates in case he would not be able to prioritize projects in Tarlac amid his responsibility as president of the entire country.
He said, however, that despite the apparent lack of support from the Aquino administration, the local government has been doing financially well, amid prospects of big investors moving in by next year. He noted that like most of Tarlac mayors, he was elected to office under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) which was a pro-Aquino party in the last local polls.
The President is a registered voter in Concepcion. His father Ninoy was one a mayor of the town.
