LINGAYEN–“This moment did not come easy.”

Thus said re-elected Governor Amado Espino Jr. in his inauguration speech after his taking his oath at the Sison Auditorium on June 28, 2013.

“In order to get here, we had to endure, and survive, all kinds of psychological pressures, mental agony, and many other forms of political harassment, orchestrated by people who had easy and convenient access to the awesome powers of the state,” Espino added as he thanked the people who continued to support him and stood by him.

To serve on his third and last term, the governor called on his constituents to take part anew in is vision towards the making the province number one and “the best place to invest, work, live, and raise a family.”

Presently, Pangasinan ranks fourth among the best performing provinces in the country with six regional hall of fame awards and a poverty incidence rate in 2012 of P17%, down from 26.5% based on the Family Income and Expenditure Survey of the National Statistical Coordination Board.

“But as I have always said, all of us must accept that governance is a shared responsibility, where each one has a role to play, and each of us has a specific job to do. The provincial government cannot do the job alone,” Espino told his audience.

He urged local government units to address  “nagging and persistent community-based problems such as lack of potable water, sanitary toilets, and decent shelter, widespread malnutrition, environmental sanitation such as lack of or ill-maintained drainage canals and improper solid waste disposal, traffic management, and the establishment and maintenance of order, decency, and cleanliness in local government centers and offices, and other public places such as streets, parks, plazas, and public markets.”

Espino also reiterated that winning in the last 2013 elections, despite the 554,351 margin of votes over his rival, did not make him feel victorious but simply relieved, saying, “Ironically, this time, I did not savor the sweet taste of victory, any more than I experienced an overwhelming sense of relief that finally, it’s over.”

Earlier, the governor’s youngest son and newly elected mayor of Bugallon, 24-year old Jumel Espino, called on Pangasinenses, particularly their political rivals, to halt any politically-motivated plans and to start working towards progress.

He remarked, “…yong mga pinangakong programa, as much as possible, masimulan na agad,” he said.

PLANS

The provincial chief executive, for his last three years, vowed to develop the natural resources of the province into economically-significant endeavors without sacrificing environmental concerns to provide for the human resources.

Among the priority projects he cited are the establishment of the Port of Sual as a containerized sub-port and the eco-tourism zone in Lingayen.

Along with the governor, re-elected Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr. and the elected members of the 8th Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) took their respective oaths of office before Regional Trial Court Lingayen Executive Judge Teodoro Fernandez.

Re-elected members of the SP are Napoleon Fontelera (1st District); Raul Sison (2nd District); Generoso Tulagan Jr. (3rd District); Mojamito Libunao (4th District); Clemente Arboleda Jr. and Danny Uy (5th District); and Ranjit Shahani and Alfonso Bince Jr. (6h District).

Comebacking board members include Rene Sison (1st District), Nestor Reyes (2nd District) and Riby Villegas 4th District).

Outgoing SP member Angel Baniqued Sr. will be replaced by his son and namesake Angel Baniqued Jr.–Johanne R. Macob

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