GUIGUINTO, Bulacan— Bulacan Gov. Joselito Mendoza went high-tech on Friday as he delivered his first state of the province address (SOPA) with flair.
Thanks to the multimedia presentation that required less talk from the neophyte governor who is not as gifted as her older sister, former Governor Josie dela Cruz as far as public speaking is concerned.
Mendoza made an introduction that lasted for about eight minutes, then sat down with local officials and some 2,000 invited guests and watched a presentation of video documentary of his accomplishments in first 15 month of his administration.
He said that his first months in office was marked with challenges that include widespread hog cholera on back yard farms in the province, followed by prolonged drought that led him to declare a state of calamity in the province last year.
Controversy also hounded his first months in office last year with the disclosure of Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio that it was Mendoza who handed his aide the controversial brown bag that contained the P500,000 cash as they were leaving Malacañang.
“Maraming pagsubok ang dumating sa aking panunungkulan at lahat ng iyan ay napagtagumpayan ko dahil sa inyo,” he said in his introduction.
The video presentation highlighted Mendoza’s accomplishments on the province’s five performance areas including employment, productivity and income; peace and order, continuing reforms in government including financial management, system and process improvement; social services including health, education, social welfare, disaster preparedness and emergency response; and environment covering pollution control and rehabilitation of degraded resources.
The said video presentation was punctuated by a number of testimonies by people who directly benefited from his programs and projects.
The testimonies were flashed live on a wide screen, while beneficiaries face the cameras in the middle of the crowd.
The video documentary was dismissed by some quarters as mere updates on the previous programs initiated by Mendoza’s older sister (Dela Cruz) in her nine years of reign as the chief executive.
This includes updates on Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project, and the North Food Exchange Project.
Dela Cruz, a known gifted public speaker who used the aide of Powerpoint presentations in delivering her nine state of the province addresses, was also present during her brother’s Ulat sa Lalawigan.
But what Mendoza can claim his own was the Barangay Good Governance Program that pushes for the capability building of barangay officials, provision of internet access and the Agapay sa Barangay Project, a twice a week visit with consultation and delivery of social services to barangays.
The said programs, sources said, come naturally as Mendoza first served as barangay captain from 2002 to 2007 when he defeated former governor Roberto Pagdanganan in the gubernatorial race.
