STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS
OF BILIRAN GOVERNOR
DR. ROGELIO J. ESPINA
July 6, 2001

Honorable Vice Governor Carlos L. Chan, Sr., the highly esteemed Presiding Officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Biliran, equally respected members of this legislative body, Honorable Getolio Solite, Honorable Romulo Bernardes, Honorable Lucila Curso, Honorable Ricardo Kho of the First District; Honorable Edgar Igano, Honorable Guido Raagas, Honorable Orencio Gervacio, and Honorable Alberto Enage, Jr. of the Second District , Honorable Reynaldo Estacion , the ABC President and Honorable Jerry Jumetilco, SK Federation President, the very distinguished gentleman from this province, Honorable Congressman Gerry Espina, representative of the lone district of Biliran to the House of Representatives, Father Tony Sevilla, my fellow local chief executives, Honorable Mayor Gerardo Espina of Naval, Honorable Mayor Rolando Ty of Almeria, Honorable Mayor Melchor Maderazo of Caibiran, Honorable Mayor Arnelito Garing of Cabucgayan, Honorable Mayor Uldarico Macorol of Maripipi, Honorable Mayor Rodolfo Espina of Kawayan, Honorable Mayor Edgar Fumar of Culaba, Honorable Mayor Pablo Mejia III of Biliran, my First Lady Cecil, officials and representatives of national government agencies, non-government and people’s organizations, local officials, department heads and employees of the provincial government, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – I wish you all a very pleasant morning!

A milestone in my new life as a government official - as the new Governor of Biliran - occurs today as I deliver my first State of the Province Address before you, the honorable members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, on the occasion of your first regular session, as a duly constituted local legislative body. My heart is filled with hope, joy and enthusiasm for this opportunity to present to my colleagues in the Sanggunian, and to all the Biliranons, the programs and projects that my administration intends to pursue. I am also happy for this chance to meet with the Sanggunian members in this gathering – friends, partymates, as well as political adversaries, to whom I offer my hand in friendship and cooperation. How I hope that this time, the executive and the legislative branches of the provincial government could set aside their regressive misunderstandings so that we can finally move toward attaining our dreams and aspirations for a much better province.

Many of you know that I am a doctor by profession. For many years I have been a public servant, although not in an official capacity. In all those years, I have been known as a man of action and not a man of words, and I do not pretend to be. And so I know that you will excuse me if I get down to business at once and avoid the lengthy rhetoric that characterizes so many an address.

Understandably, my blueprint for effective governance is inclined towards the development of the social sector which are health care, education, housing, and livelihood. However, economic development, especially in agriculture, and a rationalized infrastructure development, will complement these programs. By rationalized infrastructure development, I mean that infrastructure projects shall be constructed where they are really needed so that they can contribute to the improvement of the lives of the Biliranons.

I will advocate a change in the character of leadership by promoting professionalism among our officials and employees and a harmonious and productive relationship of the provincial government with the national government agencies and the different sectors of our society.
I am asking every government official to become involved in our development efforts. The ideals of duty, sacrifice, commitment and loyalty will find expression in all of us. We will be working hand-in-hand, taking part and pitching in – from the congressman, the vice-governor, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, municipal mayors, barangay officials, national government agencies and the people. Nais po nating maitaas ang antas at kalidad ng serbisyo natin para sa ikabubuti ng ating mga kababayan. Kalimutan po natin ang politika at tayo ay magtulungan para sa ating mahal na probinsiya.

My fellow Biliranons, there are new grounds to be broken and new actions to be taken.

My first priority as your Governor will be our health. Health care for Biliranons has been neglected in some ways and as a physician it is my duty to provide quality health care service to our people. Getting sick causes suffering not only to the person affected; the suffering also extends to the immediate family members. Illness and diseases likewise diminish the capacity of a person to be productive in his or her livelihood and thus would endanger the subsistence of his dependents. Moreover, getting cured nowadays is not that easy due to the high cost of medicines, operations, lack of medical facilities and medical personnel.

The geographic location of our province also prevents us from having immediate quality health care from medical centers. Men, women and children have already suffered so much and some have even died unnecessarily due to the lack of medicines, personnel, facilities and equipment in our hospital. Last year's malnutrition percentage among children aged 0 to 6 years was a very high 63.59% while the mortality rate was 13.85 per thousand population. The hospital bed to population ratio of 1 is to 5,740 is extremely undesirable by any standard. These conditions urge us to prioritize programs directed at improving and expanding our service delivery on health care.

The hardship and suffering of our people must end. Toward this goal, I will sincerely pursue my promise to the Biliranons to upgrade our provincial hospital in Naval. With the help of our Sangguniang Panlalawigan members and our medical staff, we will provide adequate medical facilities, medical personnel, laboratory equipment, and enough power and water supply. We will make medicines available and affordable and we will maintain a high sense of professionalism among our medical staff. We will also seek whatever assistance we can get in order to achieve this promise.

I believe too, that education is a very essential part of development. Without a well educated, informed and skilled citizenry, we will lag far behind the other provinces in terms of employment and economic progress and ultimately, in terms of the quality of life.

There is a need to extend our support to the education sector. The functional literacy rate, based on the latest data, slipped to 78.20%. Our schools lack teachers and classrooms. School buildings are dilapidated. These are serious concerns we cannot afford to ignore. Thus, in support to this sector, we will consult our school officials and the Provincial School Board, regarding the needs of our schools and our children, and then we will do the best we can, to help them. In doing so, we can contribute to ensuring the bright future of our children.
Adequate housing and water supply are also necessary for the betterment of the well being of our people but these have not been fully addressed by the previous administrations. Our government employees deserve to dwell in a decent and affordable house. Hence I have already tasked the Provincial Planning Officer, to review and prioritize the submission of the needed documents. Afterward, development of the housing projects in Brgy. Larrazabal can finally start.
It is also imperative that we find ways to uplift the economic status of our people. By October 2000 alone, 27.4% of the Biliranons were unemployed. Meanwhile, the majority of the population is living below the poverty threshold. To address this, we will embark on livelihood projects, some of which may entail cooperative development, specifically in agricultural endeavors. Intensified promotion of the tourism industry can also greatly contribute, since it will benefit favorably the services sector.

Also, we will seek assistance for the employment of our professionals and graduates of technical and vocational courses, by proper coordination with government agencies, and if possible with foreign countries.
And since many of the unemployed are women, we will also support the efforts of the women’s groups at gender equality and development. The barangay health workers will be assisted to enable them to function to their fullest capacity in their respective communities.

Another very important concern is about addressing the needs of our farmers. They need to be attended to, because they toil hard to produce the food that nourish us. Our land is blessed with fertile soil and abundant water, but it needs to be nurtured and developed, in order to maximize the fruits of our farmers’ labor. We will therefore conduct research studies for improving agricultural productivity and access to markets. We will procure additional units of heavy equipment for the purpose of maintaining properly our farm-to-market roads, in the two districts of the province.
Drug abuse, will not be allowed to endanger the future of our people. In this regard, the provincial government will support the PNP, the barangays and the communities to monitor drug abuse and to enforce the law against illegal drugs and criminality.

The preservation of our environment, is one legacy that we should be able to pass on to our children and our children’s children. With efficient management and sound policies, we can ensure, that the future generations can enjoy our province's bounty and resources, as we do now or even as we did before. To protect the environment from destruction and wanton exploitation, we will launch a vigorous campaign against illegal logging and illegal fishing. We will secure our fish sanctuaries, our forests and other protected areas. Thus, despite pressures brought about by the increasing population of the province which rose by almost 20% for the last ten years, and the unwarranted conversion of our agricultural lands to other uses, we will try to achieve a harmonious balance among population, environment and resources.
My administration shall obey the regulations and policies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the quarrying of sand and gravel. Stiffer penalties will be imposed for illegal fishing, particularly dynamite fishing, and illegal cutting of trees in our forests. In this respect, I need your sincere cooperation and assistance.

The implementation of these programs, in order to attain our goals, requires an adequate budget. For the year 2001, the tentative total budget amounts to Php159,008,142.19, from which only Php 30, 546,330.04 will be allocated for the Development Fund. The budget may not be enough to fund our development projects and so we, have to endeavor to generate additional income. This can be done, by adopting revenue-generating policies and programs, and by adhering to the principles of sound fiscal administration. Further, these programs can be realized with your help, by doing your responsibilities as policy makers.

Now all these programs require commitment on the part of all of us Biliranons. We must work hand in hand. We must move in unison. Your commitment to change, has been demonstrated with your vote. I now humbly ask you once again to work with me to move Biliran to the twenty-first century.

Our province offers tremendous opportunities. We have the people and material resources. All we need to do is harness these manpower and natural resources and then we can prove to the rest of the world that the Biliranons have the will and the capacity to succeed.

Biliran’s future, however, does not depend entirely on its own hands. What happens elsewhere can affect us greatly. But if we are to develop and crystallize the potential that there is for Biliran, we must take control of our destiny.
That destiny does not happen by chance; rather, it happens by choice. We can choose to be lazy and stagnant, but we would rather choose to be hardworking and prosperous. As the essence of courage is to stake one’s life on a possibility, so the essence of faith is to believe that the possibility exists. Biliran can choose to be great.

I believe that getting ahead in a difficult situation requires an avid faith in oneself. I have faith in my ability to lead, but more importantly, I have faith in the Biliranons.
Maraming salamat po sa inyong suporta at pagtitiwala sa aming partido at sa aming pamilya. At maraming salamat din po sa inyong pagdalo ngayon.