PARACELIS, Mountain Province – Former Sabangan Mayor Jupiter Dominguez underscored the importance of working for the development of this province’s eastern town as a food basket because of the vast track of agricultural lands that could be improved to sustain the needed food security not only of the province but also the Cordillera as a whole.
Dominguez, who was a 3-term mayor of Sabangan, stated that there is a need to first put a stop on the disposal of vast track of lands to moneyed individuals from neighboring towns in the Cagayan Valley so that the same could be developed into productive lands by no less than the residents to ensure stable food supply for the region.
He claimed that it is important that the bright prospects for the agriculture industry has not yet been tapped but with the improved roads leading to the province’s eastern most town, the development of agriculture will likely flourish with the appropriate support from concerned government agencies and the provincial and municipal governments.
Dominguez recommended for the crafting of a comprehensive master development plan for agriculture and infrastructure in the municipality to ensure the preservation of the vast track of lands that will be used to entice to consider placing their appropriate businesses in the locality that will contribute in generating employment and enhance the agriculture and economic activities of the people.
Aside from corn, the former local chief executive stipulated that there should be variety of crops and fruits that will be produced in the municipality to help in providing the people with stable income that will be augmented by the investments that will be infused by potential businesses wanting to engage in economic activities in the area.
According to him, there is nothing wrong with the expected influx of investors wanting to establish their businesses in the municipality but what is important is that the potentials of the town being a producer of agricultural crops will be maximized to serve as the major economic driver in the eastern part of the province which must also have its share of the development that some municipalities in the western part of Mountain Province had been enjoying over the past several years.
Paracelis is one of the towns in the province with a vast track of agricultural lands apart from being less than an hour drive to Tabuk City, Kalinga and some towns of Ifugao and in Isabela in the Cagayan Valley. It is also a producer of corn and other tropical fruits that is being traded in the said areas.
Dominguez explained that he is saddened to learn from sources in the locality that there are moneyed individuals from some areas in the Cagayan Valley who are now buying vast tracks of lands in strategic areas in the locality which is detrimental to the planned development of Paracelis as the region’s food basket as it will be the business people who will be dictating the pace of the type of development in the said place.
He emphasized that the people should realize the importance of the land to their lives so that they will not just sell the same at the price that will be dictated by the moneyed individuals but instead put premium on the development of their properties that will help them earn decent income from maximizing the use of their lands for agriculture and for other suitable endeavors.