"Visionary"*
A Tribute delivered during the conferment of the Golden Press Award on Aklan Rep. Florencio T. Miraflores by the Aklan Press Club on July 29, 2006 at the Ten Commandments Bldg., Prov’l Capitol, Kalibo, Aklan.)
The incumbent officers and members of the Aklan Press Club led by President Edwin Pelayo could not have chosen a better way of commemorating the golden anniversary of this prestigious organization of media persons in Aklan than tender testimonials of honor in tribute to the great men and women of this province who have greatly contributed in shaping the destiny of Aklan and her people.
A number of them came from the ranks of media practitioners but, of course, the greater number of them are our political leaders in this province who are tasked in charting the state of our province into the path of progress and economic stability.
Several weeks back, the Aklan Press Club honored two of our elders in media profession, former Assemblyman Jose "Soning" Tumbokon and the Honorable Vice Governor Ronquillo "Kel" Conanan Tolentino. They were cited not only for their outstanding achievements in the field of community, national and international journalism but were extolled by their phenomenal rise to the field of political leadership and public governance.
Last night, the club also honored Kalibo Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo, the youngest mayor the capital town of Kalibo ever had who was cited more particularly in wielding political will to ably steward public governance over the fast developing municipality of Kalibo.
Tonight, the Aklan Press Club takes pride on bestowing similar honor to the triumvirate now presiding over the affairs of a unified political leadership and public governance I the Province of Aklan, a state of political leadership which characterized the landscape of public administration in the province for more than a decade now, and fortunately so, unity, harmony, and cooperation among political leaders can do wonders for the fast-paced progress of a small province like our dear Aklan.
Today, honors are due to Congressman Florencio "Joeben" T. Miraflores, Governor Carlito "Lito" S. Marquez and again, to Vice Governor Ronquillo "Kel" C. Tolentino (all July born).
Am also deeply honored to be always chosen by our club to say some tribute to the club honorees. First, in recent weeks for the Honorable Vice Governor Kel, last night for Kalibo Mayor Raymar, and now for Congressman Joeben.
Modesty aside, if there is one among active media practitioners in this province who has written extensively and regularly in praise and criticism, in recent years, about then Governor Joeben, about his political career and public administration count me among one of them.
Those years when I was still actively writing for newspapers, for regional dailies like Panay News, for National Broadsheets like the Philippine Daily Inquirer, for news agencies like the Philippine News Agency, it can be surprising for readers to read my stories without then Governor Joeben and his administration as subject. Most likely, news reports, feature stories, columns bearing my by-line, a newspaper reader can read the name of then our Provincial Governor.
Throughout the stretch of his political career, he remains the darling of the Aklan media. In one of my columns, I attributed to him the moniker "Mr. Cool" because no amount of criticism hurled against him can get his ire and temper in public. He always remains calm and soft-spoken.
Indeed, our honoree tonight is himself a phenomenon in Aklan politics. Leaving his career as a national government agency executive to trudge the thorny path into political stardom, he was elected Mayor of Ibajay at age 38 in 1988 and Governor of Aklan at age 45 in 1995 and Congressman of the Lone District of Aklan at age of 54 in 2004.
I was indeed fortunate to be part of his political media bureau, when he was first elected Governor in 1995 and in 2004 when he was elected Congressman.
When he clinched the governorship of the province, he toppled a well-entrenched scion of a political clan. When he wrested the province’s lone representation in Congress, he displaced the incumbent.
To me, he is a visionary political leader of the province. Except for Cebu Province, when no local government unit dares to float bonds or a public indebtedness, then Gov. Miraflores did it, floated a P40 million Boracay, Aklan bonds to construct a jetty port and terminal. At first, it was scary for the province’s financial condition as the facility seem to be heading to come out as a "big white elephant". But true to his vision, the seaport is now the busiest among the stations of RORO nautical highway and as a jump-off point to Boracay Island resort. Now, under the administration of Governor Lito and Vice Governor Kel, the jetty port and terminal is raking in an average of P2 to P3 million a month for the province. The bonds are already fully redeemed.
In his full three terms as Governor, our honorees has provided the basic essential foundation and framework of Aklan’s provincial development. Name many physical, social and economic infrastructures surfacing in Aklan, most likely, it was former Governor now Congressman Joeben who either completed and jumpstarted them.
Being the first Aklan politician to serve the full-three term as Governor and the first to rise from Mayor, Governor, to Congressman, he was responsible in converting Aklan from being a 4th class province into second class. Now, under the administration of Governor Lito and Vice Governor Kel, the Aklan Provincial Government has attained a lofty credit rating from the Department of Finance, a rating that financial and banking institutions can entrust to the province a total loan of not less than P250 million.
The twin development priority thrusts of Aklan anchored on tourism and agricultural development started when then Governor Joeben first assumed the Governorship in 1995. Now tourism in Aklan is a P4 billion peso industry while agriculture remains the main generator of economic growth of the province.
Today, let us keep an eye to another development brainchild of our honoree, the P139 million peso tertiary Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital.
As envisioned by Congressman Joeben and through the baton of Governor Lito and Vice Governor Kel, this upgraded hospital can become another milestone of the unified political leadership in Aklan. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment