Proudly Pangasinan

 

As we humbly receive our award from the Philippine Press Institute as the 2006 Best Edited Weekly Community Newspaper, we pay tribute to our dear province, Pangasinan.

We extend this recognition for excellence to all our kabalayen, especially as we deliver the good news that with just two weeks to go before the May 14 polls, no election-related violence has been put on record and gun ban violations have been cut down by more than 75% compared to the last plebiscite in 2004.

Our local politicians and their supporters have somehow come of age. Despite the persistent mudslinging, it is apparent that the aggression has been confined to exactly just that – verbal tirades. Kudos is also due for the most part to our police force under the leadership of Provincial Director Senior Superintendent Isagani Nerez and Regional Director Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil.

We are crossing our fingers and keeping high hopes, along with the police force, the church and the entire Pangasinense community, that the peace we have achieved this far will endure.

Beyond the peace, we need to keep our vigilance to ensure that the mid-term election will be clean and that the results will be credible. Peace without truth and justice, as it has been repeatedly said, is false and hollow.

Moreover, political stability will send off a positive signal to investors that Pangasinan, a province rich in human and natural resources, is an excellent location for setting up their businesses. And needless to say, increased capital inflow should result in an improved economy and better living standards for the locals.

We are standing at an important turning point in our province’s history. Voters must choose well in the coming election. We must be able to look beyond the rhetoric, the gifts, and especially the cash. We must also begin to let go of our clutch on patronage politics. We need to seriously assess who among the candidates can ably bring to fruition the vast potentials of Pangasinan.

We need government leaders who have plans and proposed policies that will improve the economy, who can institutionalize a system for the delivery of public services, and who can ably manage a genuine kind of development that will be felt at the grassroots level.

Let’s not waste our opportunity on May 14 to cast a vote for a worthy public servant who can lead us towards a step forward and a move up; leaders who can help us become more proud of ourselves and Pangasinan.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments