Performance Budget

We are expecting to submit the Performance Budget for year 2007 by this week. The said budget, amounting to P1.3 Billion delineates the sources of funds and the list of expenditures that the Provincial Government foresees for fiscal year 2007.

For the last two years, the Provincial Government’s budget was devoted to major infrastructure projects. For one, we embarked on the restoration of the Provincial Capitol buildings and the renovation of the Capitol Complex. Second, nine major Provincial bridges linking various towns were replaced with stronger structures. Third, the first batch of two-story schoolbuildings with a total of 94 classrooms were constructed. Fourth, a beautification campaign was launched targetting the municipal halls of the 31 component towns of the province.

Hand-in-hand with these infrastructure projects, the government started the capability building program of the Provincial Engineers Office. The procurement of heavy equipment has been started and by year-end 2006, the PEO would be able to undertake the massive rehabilitation of all provincial roads and the dredging of rivers and canals and other waterways.

We are looking forward to next year, what with all opportunities beckoning. What then can we expect from the Provincial Budget? What projects would be earmarked for funding then?

We would be starting the delivery of various infrastructre projects to the 1078 Barangays of Batangas. As a matter of fact, a good number had already been started. These consist of barangay roads, multi-purpose halls and waterworks systems.

The revitalization of the 12 hospitals in our provincial health system is now in order. We have already kick-started this by putting up the CTScan and Dialysis Centers at the Provincial Hospital in Lemery, Batangas. Likewise, the Provincial Drug Rehabilitation Center is being operationalized as of now.  In the pipeline are the Trauma Center and Ortophedic Centers in two different District Hospitals. hand in hand with all these, we are aiming for the full implementation of the Health Card program of the Governor. The program gives free medical services to pre-selected residents of Batangas.  A modest target of 30 thousand families has been set for this.

Finally, we would be focusing on a major water resource of the Province, the Taal lake. We have had successes in taking care of Batangas bay and have started work on Balayan Bay. It is high tijme that the ecologocal integrity of Taal lake be taken cared of. We would try to revitalize the efforts of the PAMB of this protected area, and would be starting some catalytic projects in order to encourage the private sector to put in investments in the area. By this, the vast potential of the lake would be harnessed and the environmental concerns would be preserved.

After the Storm

Typhoon Milenyo displayed its strength for only a brief span of time. Two hours at the most, I reckon, but it left a wide swath of destruction in its wake. Partial reports indicate that at least 2 people died, 4 injured and 4  are still missing.  Property damage includes 18 houses wrecked and 54 houses damaged.  We are still awaiting the data for crop and livestock damage. Again, for that 120 minutes, we were at the mercy of mother nature’s wrath. Batangas, except for the northeasternmost town of Sto. Tomas, was largely spared from being directly hit by the strong winds and yet, the damage incurred is staggering.

It is the morning after the storm and I am back at my computer, power having been restored bit by bit the electric company. Again, as is wont after every calamity, we would be assessing the entirety of the damage and gathering all the statistics for our records.  

Move on we must. The lessons learned would serve us well in future, though not hoped for, emergencies.  I am personally thanking the people at the Provincial Disaster Operations Center who spent the entire day yesterday braving the caresses of Milenyo.  Di ko na kayo iisa-isahin, baka makatampo pa ang di mababanggit.

A New Baby-Batangas Ngayon

This morning the Information Office of the Provincial Government of Batangas started its blogsite, Batangas Ngayon. It is a relief that we have finally found an alternative to the cumbersome task of maintaining a website. I have gone on record that it would be better for us not to have a site at all rather than maintain a non-updated one.

We have been quite persistent in our belief that a constant flow of information, which I equate to transparency,  leads to good governance.  A better informed constituency is a better governed one.

I am hoping that this small effort taken by our PIO would lead to a better Provincial Government, a Government attuned to the times, a Government adept with technology.

To the people of the Batangas PIO, continue blogging and Mabuhay

The Battle for Hearts and Minds

It has been a week since the the NBI & the CIDG filed cases against the suspected perpetrators of the dastardly attempt against the life of the Governor. I have desisted from posting any comment regarding the case, giving myself some time to digest the deluge of information I have been made aware of.

Emotions have been running high hereabouts. I can only commiserate with the families of the slain driver, Louie and the Security Officer, Eric. What could I tell them that they have not heard yet? What more could I add to the litanies that have been delivered about their senseless deaths?

When we took our oath of office on 2004, we were of the thinking that good governance is the only answer to the problems besetting the Province of Batangas. We knew from the start that with this mindset, feathers would be ruffled, toes would be stepped on and egos might be pricked. It is only now that we are beginning to realize that the feathers, toes and egos that we encountered along the way would have the gall to make the ultimate decision of having the Governor killed.

Killing would never make sense at all to us. Having somebody killed would never solve any problem even if the problem has been caused by that very person about to be killed. Murder would never be an answer to any question in this world.

In the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Batangas, we dare say that it is the formulation of ideas that matter. It is in the battle of ideas that the best proposition emerges. It is in the contest of all propositions that the better way appears. And aren’t we all but looking for the better way?

Crime

This afternoon, we would be convening the Provincial Peace and Order Council for a meeting. The last time we met with the Council was just after the bombing and attempt on the life of Governor. It is quite ironic that the said meeting was called by the Governor since he was already alarmed then about the prevailing crime situation in Batangas. He didn’t know that he would not be able to preside over the meeting because by then he would be in a hospital bed recuperating from the second degree burns he suffered.

We were focusing then on our efforts to prevent criminal syndicates from proliferating in our industrial zone.  We do not want that the gains we have made in our efforts to achieve growth through investments promotion would just go down the drain because of criminality.

Crime is evil; we should never ever allow it to persist in society. It demeans the self and is a blot to decency. For us in Government, it is an affront and a challenge to the authority vested in us by the people.

The government’s drive against criminal syndicates nearly cost the Governor’s life. Likewise, it has placed many lives in danger and peril, a very fearful reality for those in government service. If one would succumb though to fear then crime would have its heyday.  This we could never allow.

We would be starting the meeting with a prayer, a prayer for peace, a prayer for hope. Peace for Batangas and hope that criminality would not hold sway over the lives of our beloved  Batanguenos.

Back to Work

7:35 a.m. September 4,2006. I am back at work here at the Batangas Provincial Capitol. Once again, I am confronted with the stark realities of the Government bureaucracy.

The daily amount of paperwork that  I have to contend with amazes me. My working table is an elongated oval that is roughly three meters square in size; this working table that just greeted me is laden with three days worth of backlog.

This is the price I have to pay for atending the training at Makati.

Checks, vouchers, Permits, payrolls, leave forms, travel orders, notices, meemoranda and some personal mail were neatly piled on the table, waiting for my perusal and signature. This would be a looooooong day!

Not that I regret the break I took. Mind you, I went on official leave so that no government time and money would be spent for my personal edification. The training was such a welcome respite from the day to day grind that I undertake here in Batangas. The friends and acquaintances I made during the three day training would help me in good stead.

And back to work therefore I go.

Perceptions and Economic Development

It is day two of the Liberal Leadership Training. Am still here at AIM Conference Center.

It has been quite sometime since I saw and heard Congressman Mandanas. This morning’s lecture gave me a chance to see and hear HIM. His lecture was on economic development and he focused on his Batangas experience.

Now that I am managing the Batangas Provincial bureaucracy, I have my own views on how our Province could achieve its hoped for development and, this surprised me quite a bit, my views differ with the Congressman.

His thesis on development being a matter of perception bothered me. Development should be felt by the people and not just left to some of the senses to be perceived. I have no way of knowing if he really meant it that way but that is not the way I would want to usher in development for the communities of Batangas.

AdminBat

Am at AIM Conference Center, attending the Liberal Leadership Training. Just thought of starting this blog a while back. Will see where this will lead to. Who knows? Maybe this would be the start of the greatest ever Filipino novel. He he. The continuing saga of the Administrator of the Provincial Government of Batangas. 

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