By Leonardo Micua

 

TWO persons, two different strokes. These could be the reason, to my mind, why Pangasinan failed to bag this year’s Seal of  Good Local Governance  (SGLG) because Governor Mon-Mon Guico works differently from former Governor Pogi Espino, or even the Governor before him, his father, Amado Espino Jr.

Don’t get me wrong. Mon-Mon has his own style of governance  and, targets because he dreams of giving Pangasinan big ticket projects worth by the billions of pesos, which the two Espino father and son failed to give during their combined five terms of office or 15 years.

But with their own modest projects and with the mass support of the people, the father and son Espinos never stopped hoping that someday, Pangasinan could be the number one province in the entire country soon.

This was gleaned from the hand signal with the forefinger pointing up popularized by the elder Espino and adopted by the son when it was his turn to live at Urduja House, drumbeating the number one sign at all opportunities.

Of course, Mon-Mon does not believe in hand signal as he has his own style of making Pangasinan the number one province in the Philippines. and of bagging the SGLG title.

He hopes to jumpstart his first term as governor of Pangasinan through his many mega projects, but unfortunately, these still have not happened even if he already secured billions of pesos in standby credit from the Land Bank of the Philippines.

Clearly, Mon-Mon is biding his time before he soars high like an eagle and clinch the coveted SGLG. He has two more years to get it and more if he makes good on his vision.

We should not expect him to win an SGLG outright when he has not yet warmed his seat. Besides, he clearly doesn’t seem to care if the province gets such an award as long as the programs and projects he had in store for the province that will dramatically improve the situation and the lives of Pangasinenses, are put in place.

We know that during his first six months in office and the last sixth months in office of his predecessor, Pogi Espino, were put together by DILG as basis for this SGLG award,  and judging from assessment of evaluators of the agency, Pangasinan did its best to shore up its performance, but sadly, its best was not good enough. Besides, there was another six months to contend with.

However, before he got clobbered in the last polls, Pogi left a legacy that no one can forget—SGLG awards in 2018, 2019, with the exception of 2020 which was a pandemic year, and in 2021  and the cash and project incentives that went with these.  Let’s not forget, he was instrumental too in winning for the province its  2022 SGLG award.

So, was his father Spine who presided the province when Pangasinan clinched the SGLG also in a grand slam fashion, the first was in 2015, repeated it in 2016 and in 2017.

Sadly, it is only this year (2023) that Pangasinan failed to win the SGLG title and this  happened during  the term of Gov. Mon-Mon, which  could mean he did not work doubly hard at the beginning of his term Or,  Mon-Mon did not purposely go after the SGLG because he had his priorities – to put the house in order. He lamented that he inherited a bloated bureaucracy, Mon-Mon introduced some right-sizing at the expense of even Capitol old timers.

But methinks, what really pre-occupied him was to give flesh to all the programs that he and Vice Governor Mark Lambino, outlined during the campaign: the Pangasinan Link Expressway (formerly Pangasinan East-West Expressway), the Pangasinan Technology College, a Five-Star International Hotel and a high-rise building, both at the capitol compound.

He also intends to build a new airport in Bolinao to replace the existing Lingayen Airport.

His vision is entirely different from the Espino father and son.

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Congratulations to our good friend Jeremy Regino who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as new Transportation Undersecretary. He is the son  of retired Court of Appeals Justice Teddy Regino of Dagupan City. 

He first worked with the Philippine Tourism Authority and when I saw him next, he gave me his card identifying  him as the City Assessor of Caloocan City. 

Then I heard Jeremy was promoted as administrator of the Land Registration Commission, and lastly manager of the PNR.

Former Gov. Osong Colet must be happy about Jeremy. #

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