By HENRY EMPEÑO

IBA, Zambales — Health, education, livelihood, housing, and infrastructure will be the priority for the Zambales government in the next three years, as the provincial administration sets out to create inclusive growth and capacitate the community for self-reliance.

This was outlined by Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. during the mass induction of newly-elected provincial and municipal officials here at the capital town on Tuesday, wherein he urged local leaders to join him in “marching together for greater public service.”

“We are here to start a new term as leaders,” Ebdane said. “We pledge to serve, and this is what we must do. Therefore, it is imperative that we must plan ahead, to map the future of our province.”

Ebdane, who is on his fourth term as governor after a brief hiatus in 2016, said he wanted to leave as legacy “a Zambales that could stand on its own—progressive, forward-looking, competitive, capable, empowering, and proud.”

To build a self-sustaining community, Ebdane said his administration’s first priority would be a comprehensive health program that would bring about a state-of-the-art hospital with more doctors, nurses, and other health personnel, so that patients won’t have to go far for medical help.

He disclosed that a P100-million budget from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will initially fund Phase 1 of the upgrading project. “In due time, upgrades for the two district hospitals, to include the Ospital ng Sta. Cruz, will be done,” he added.

Next priority, Ebdane said, is free education for college students by way of improving the facilities and capacity of the President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU). The local tertiary school, he said, should offer courses relevant to local needs like tourism, agriculture and fisheries, as well as technology.

Ebdane revealed the provincial government recently provided some P46-million worth of financial assistance to 23,000 college students in the province with funding from the Office of the President and some senators, and additional funds from the provincial treasury.

In terms of livelihood development, the third priority, Ebdane said Zambales should aim for bigger and better equipment, and the latest technical innovations and applications to modernize agriculture and make it work. “There has to be a paradigm shift in this generation if we are to survive as a people,” he pointed out.

He added that housing should also be a priority program to provide safe and decent homes for residents, especially informal settlers. He asked municipal officials to identify and plan for the establishment of resettlement areas for those in need of housing.

Infrastructure development should also be prioritized to further enhance commercial activities, provide access to production sites, enhance revenue generation, and promote supply and market distribution, Ebdane said.

At the same time, the governor pointed out that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Zambales has increased its financial performance from a budget of P1.62 billion in 2019, to P1.9 billion in 2020 and P2.42 billion in 2021, with environment revenue collection steadily growing from P75.2 million in 2019, P118.5 million in 2020, and P201.8 million last year.

Because of the steady financial growth, he said, Zambales was recognized by the Bureau of Local Government Finance as the top performer in Region 3 in 2020 and Number 4 in the national level in 2021 for year-on-year growth in locally sourced revenues.

He further urged municipal officials to make an inventory of local products and services that could be developed to increase revenue stream and create more jobs for residents.

“Because we have identified additional sources of income, I believe we are on our way to building a self-sustaining community in the future,” Ebdane said, also citing P1.22-billion worth of infrastructure projects in the last three years. ~