IBA, Zambales – More development projects to improve public service delivery, create more economic opportunities, and further push for development sustainability in the province were cited by Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane in his 2023 State of the Province Address (SOPA), on Jan. 23.
Speaking before the Zambales provincial board and other local government the governor said his administration will continue to build facilities to address infrastructure gaps and improve the delivery of social services and public health, as well as meet requirements for business and ancillary services.
Among the proposed infrastructures are a state-of-the-art annex facility for the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital and a new Capitol building, Ebdane said.
The development program, he added, will be funded under the LGU-Omnibus Term Loan Facility Program of the Land Bank of the Philippines.
“It is high time that we must implement identified priority development projects as embodied in our comprehensive development plan,” Ebdane enthused.
Aside from implementing infrastructure projects to sustain development, the provincial government has also identified four other priority areas that it will focus on under his direction.
These include improving health and social services by establishing a state-of-the-art hospital with more doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals; strengthening education and youth development to bolster youth participation in community-building; capacitating human resources and upgrading technological resources to promote excellence among government workers; and providing livelihood and support to social enterprises to create opportunities for sustainable income-generating activities for various sectors.
Ebdane is confident of success in these endeavors following an increase in local income from dredging activities in three river systems in the province. The dredged materials are used mainly for ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay.
“The key to achieving these goals is intensified revenue generation program, including efficient tax collection,” he said.
“We expect more revenue to be generated through proper management of dredging, which have become a viable source of income for the province.”
“We must be bolder in our ambitions for the province… We must not only win in our fight against poverty; instead, we must end it! We must not only lay down the foundation of good governance; rather, exemplify and demonstrate it in our decisions and actions.
We must not only fulfill our duties as public servants, but engage our people in building a community and inspire actions of change for sustainable development,” Ebdane added.
