BONTOC, Mountain Province – Governor Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. urged provincial government officials to craft Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) towards economic upliftment during his 2021 State of the Province Address (SOPA) to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Mountain Province held at the Multipurpose Building Conference Hall during the SP’s first legislative session this morning.
The activity was attended by department heads of the Provincial local Government Unit (PLGU). In the past, the annual event was usually attended by all municipal and barangay officials. However, due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the province and in adherence to minimum health standards, the activity was limited to the PLGU personnel only.
In his report, Gov. Lacwasan underscored the accomplishments of the various offices in response to the global crisis. Also, he gave a comprehensive report on the interventions done by the PLGU, in partnership and in coordination with other government agencies and with the private sector.
“…The actions of the Provincial Government and its collaborative efforts with other entities have proven that we continued to be true to our battle cry, “Barangay Muna.” All our actions have directly or indirectly helped uplift the living conditions of our people in the barangays and more importantly, our concerted efforts helped enable our people to breeze through the health hazards and economic impact of the coronavirus disease,” he said.
Lacwasan also gave emphasis on what still needs to be done.
“However, the major challenges remain. We still have to deal with helping our people rebuild their respective livelihoods; thus, I am appealing to all of our departments in the Provincial Government to direct your projects, programs and activities towards economic recovery and towards a healthier Mountain Province.
We need to keep our economy afloat. We need to shelter our people, especially the vulnerable sector, not just from the COVID-19, but from all kinds of debilitating diseases. We need to ensure that our children will be able to continue with their education amid the challenges of the current alternative learning interventions in the various educational institutions. We need to continue building more resilient and more productive communities through viable interventions and sustainable livelihoods. We can do these by giving our unwavering support to holistic barangay development programs. We need to continue to do more,” he appealed.
By PGO