* Response of Vice Governor Gabrielle V. Calizo-Quimpo to the
Executive Priority Thrusts of Aklan.
Hon. Gov. Carlito S. Marquez, who started his third and final term as provincial chief executive; Honorables Selwyn C. Ibarreta, Gerick M. Templonuevo, Nemesio P. Neron, Daisy S. Briones, Jean O. Rodriguez, and Rodson F. Mayor, welcome back and congratulations to all of you who gained the extended mandate of our people; welcome honorables Jose Enrique Miraflores, Phoebe Clarice Cabagnot, Victor M. Garcia and Raymar A. Rebaldo.
We extend our open arms to embrace you as part of the SP family. Of course, the Hon. Teody M. Masangya, Sr. and the Hon. Jun Rey I. Tordecillas have to stay put until their successors have been elected and duly qualified; for the Hon. Plaridel M. Morania, Hon. Jose S. Yap, the Hon. Ramon S. Gelito and the Hon. Wilbert Ariel I. Igoy, welcome to the four of you just for this morning as you have all gone out of this chamber.
But we are still holding the four of you today as we will be paying our final tribute to you as expression of gratitude for your very valuable service to this institution and our people; my everdearest friends in the Aklan Media, ladies and gentlemen.
To Gov. Marquez, please accept our sincere thanks for gracing with your presence and your much awaited presentation in this inaugural session of the new Sangguniang Panlalawigan composed of four newcomer-members and the reelected ones. Since my assumption in 2007 as regular presiding officer of this August body, we made it a point that you be invited to provide the honorable members of this institution the general framework of gover-nance and priorities which may need legislative authorization and or appropriate statutory action for the next three years. In effect, and in many ways, we will be harmonizing the movement and direction of both the local executive and legislative departments.
I was not able to prepare appropriate and specific response to your presentation, as we only received the copies of it this morning, but rest assured that the presiding officer and her colleagues in this chamber had intently listened to your program and strategy which will certainly guide us in the daily grind of the legislative mill in this 2010 – 2013 Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Your presentation will form part of our official records, so that from time to time be made as reference materials for future deliberation of this chamber.
I would like to think, and the records of this body will bear me out, that since my assumption as regular presiding officer in 2007, and with the cooperation of my colleagues, this chamber has never taken the position of an obstructionist institution. Rather, it has always placed itself in a position of being a catalyzer and a team builder which will always push towards final consummation of provincial programs and projects initiated by the provincial governor and designed for the greater welfare of Aklan and Aklanons. This has been true in the speedy review of the executive annual budgets of the province and their passage and enactments on or before statutory deadlines.
This has been true in the various enactments of the past chamber of resolutions authorizing the governor to enter into contracts of loan to generate funds from outside sources to finance much needed programs of the provincial government that cannot be funded for locally-generated revenues. To cite some, this August body, without too much hassle, though perused and incised meticulously, has done it in our fund generation, for hospital infrastructure and equipment, school of nursing facilities, program automation, jetty port and terminal facilities development, sports facilities among others.
This chamber, too had been very liberal, though indispensably critical, in granting request for authority to enter into agreements with national government entities and agencies in the implementation of social, economic and infrastructure programs needed by our people.
Likewise, we, too, had been very cooperative to the executive’s initiatives in upgrading our province’s outdated tax and revenue base, creation of offices and plantilla positions through appropriate passage and enactment of corres-ponding ordinances. And even, we have taken the cudgels to ensure the passage of landmark legislations like the Environment Code of Aklan, the Aklan Tourism Code, Aklan Children’s Code and the Aklan Investment Incentive Code.
I am sure that in this new set of provincial legislature, the same path shall be trudged by this chamber as far as dexecutive–legislative cooperation is concerned. That is why I always advocate for a permanent framework for this collaboration – the executive – legislative agenda. (I) am hopeful that the secretariat and the executive’s PPDO can sit together early and initiate the crafting of this vital document, a substantial omission noted by the evaluators for the outstanding local govern-ment units from the region.
I think I have also to mention the concept of a unified political leadership in this province which greatly helped cement productive executive – legislative collaboration in our provincial government, (the) main reason why when the concept of a united coalition was brought up, without much hesitation, I joined the ranks.
A new era has unfolded …in the sphere of national governance with the assumption of President Noynoy Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay into office.
A new era is also dawning in this chamber with the entry of the young blood or the new generation of politicians to this August body as local legislators, three are former Governor’s children: Joen, former Governor Miraflores’ son; Neng, former Governor Cabagnot’s daughter; Victor, former Governor Garcia’s son, and Raymar A. Rebaldo, also the grandson of Emiliano Acevedo, member of the judiciary, former mayor of Kalibo, former assemblyman and former governor of Capiz when Aklan was part of it.
I am certain that all these entire four young legislator(s) have been exercised with the eight motivation and values critically important to become honest and effective public servant following the tradition of their parents and their forefathers.
Hon. Gov., your honors, as the presiding officer of the SP, I look forward to a harmonious, effective and happy working relationship with and in this chamber.
Thank you very much and great new beginning to all of us! /MP
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