Rep. Rosanna Vergara personally leads the distribution of food packs for the 2nd round of relief operation of her family’s Kalinga Para sa Distrito in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija. Photo courtesy of Santa Rosa LGU
CABANATUAN CITY – A Nueva Ecija legislator branded as “a great initiative” the national government’s Balik Probinsya Program which is aimed at decongesting Metro Manila.
3rd District Rep. Rosanna Vergara said, however, that the campaign must be coupled with creation of job opportunities.
“Unless there are job opportunities in the provinces,this program will be unable to achieve its objective,” she said, citing the case of Mary Jane Veloso, a resident of this city who is now in death row in Indonesia for alleged drug trafficking, who had to look a job outside the country for lack of opportunities at home.
Balik Probinsya will work if the national government together with the local government units and the private sector come together and create jobs, she said.
“As an example, if the government together with San Miguel or even Dole Philippines do Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and put up a canning/ bottling factory in Cabanatuan so that vegetables that are abundant during harvest season can be canned and marketed nationwide, these kinds of partnerships will work,” Vergara stressed. She noted that before the Covid-19 pandemic, the excess of harvested vegetables like eggplants, green pepper, tomato went to waste because the cost of transport is more expensive than the retail price if brought to Manila.
She added that Balik Probinsya, with government support, incentives for the businesses, and incentives from the LGUs will work wonders for Filipinos, “so long as each sector contributes.”
