By Anthony A. Araos
Kiangan! It’s summer time and this municipality offers a lot of sites for local and foreign tourists to visit.
You want a change of scenery in congested Pasay City or a chance to do something quite different during your vacation?
The town’s attractions, which are numerous and diverse, include rice terraces, museums, churches, schools and historical sites.
Another attractive point of the town is its proximity to the capital town of Lagawe. No more than 20 minutes away.
However, major transport firms like the Ohayami Trans and ITAG (Indigenous Transport Alliance Group) vans are not offering Baguio City to Kiangan and vice versa trips. Curiously, there are no longer jeepneys or tricycles in the late evenings and one had to take a costly tricycle ride at the Kiangan and Lagawe junction. But something clearly can be done about it. Seeking their (said firms) support and cooperation is “step one” in addressing this problem.
Transportation rentals of vans, multi cabs and jeepneys should be considered here. Likewise, a program entailing trans-in and out (to and from noted destinations) of said vehicles should be introduced.
A short fall in transportation provision will force tourists to go elsewhere, which is what is happening.
For 2017, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is aiming for 6.5 million international visitors. Need I say more?
Kiangan should be cashing in on a booming tourism industry market that has led to the surge in revenues in destinations like Baguio City, Sagada in Mountain Province, Tagaytay City, Boracay, Cebu City, Puerto Princesa City and Davao City.
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Ifugao Board Members attended recently the “Seminar on the Budget Operation Manual for Local Government Units (2006 Edition) Manual on the Setting Up and Operation of Local Economic Enterprises (LEE) and the Internal Audit Manual for LGUs” at the Newtown Plaza Hotel in Baguio City.
The three-day seminar was intended to develop and build their competencies in budgeting, LEE operations and internal management audit with the manuals for LGUs, prepared by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), as main references.
The mention of the word “budget” is bringing to the local level a national issue and raising a question that could mean a lot to people- what is the benefit of such an activity?
Many in Ifugao don’t even know, much less understand the underpinnings of budget preparations.
This perhaps is the foremost challenge for members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan. It’s time for them to echo to a broader audience the enhanced learning experience offered by their Baguio City trip.
Anything that helps make this vital information easily accessible to the people is valuable. I’m sure that the board members- who are now better equipped with the updated information on this concern, shall do everything to secure the financial future of Ifugao.
But first, present a report on your trip!
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Enrollment in Ifugao’s public institutions last year was relatively satisfactory. Yet, many still stayed out of school. Largely due to financial constraints, this problem persists.
The provincial government, henceforth, should now prioritize the education agenda.
For short, the people’s right to education should be given utmost importance. It is their right to avail of all means and opportunities to help them develop physically, intellectually, spiritually and sociall develop.
Obviously, additional funds are needed as a capital outlay for the construction of student dormitories and faculty housing. I also see the urgency of such an initiative for the construction of school buildings especially in far-flung areas of Ifugao.
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According to a 2015 report of international Internet speed testing company Ookla, the Philippines is 176th out of 202 countries. In Asia, the Philippines ranked second, next to Afghanistan, with the slowest internet speed.
Fact: The average internet speed of the Philippines is at 3.64 megabit per second. The global average is 23.3 Mbps.
Singapore has the world’s fastest internet speed with 122.43 Mbps. Followed by Hong Kong at 102 Mbps.
You don’t have to be a genius to see the problem. Unfortunately, this difficulty in using the internet is prevalent not just in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR) but throughout the Philippines.
Imagine how things are even worse in rural Philippines. How much more in a town like Tinoc in Ifugao?
Most businesses are presently transacted through the internet, which the government should readily consider essential infrastructure in trade and commerce.
When your internet service is the second slowest in Asia, and the Philippines is even hosting the ASEAN Summit just around the corner of 2017, don’t you ever think how the Malaysians, Indonesians, Thais or Singaporeans are going to cope with the troubling experience of communicating with the outside world through their computers and laptops?
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The advocacy of Councilor Raldis Andrei Bulayungan for just, responsive and efficient governance is known not just in Kiangan but in many other towns in Ifugao province.
I wish to commend young public servants like him for their dedication and hard work that have contributed to the municipal government’s effort in achieving its noteworthy goals.
Councilor Bulayungan has an illustrious history of public service. Unlike other officials in the province and even the region, he is truly blessed with a more holistic learning experience as a legislator.
Today, Kiangan and Ifugao need men and women who are capable of decisive leadership that will serve the said municipality and province and truly prioritize the poor.
Ifugao’s upcoming leaders should focus on local economic development. It should have strategic leaders who will guide the local governments in becoming competitive, efficient and responsive.
I’m optimistic it will meet its overall development goals. I’m referring, of course, to Councilor Bulayungan. The thrust in educating the public of future power wielders have been integral to my mission and vision and serves as a source of hope for underserved people.
It is my hope and prayer that for now, Councilor Bulayungan continues to spearhead functional and quality legislation that will protect the poor and needy. The spirit of the law is to aid the have-nots or less fortunate and encourage development in marginalized communities.
Kiangan’s soil is very fertile, and agricultural products include rice, vegetables and fruits. But why are the farmers poorer than ever?
So conscious efforts to uplift the lives of farmers should be pursued.
Agriculture accounts for 17 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product). But it accounts for less than two percent of the total Php3.34 trillion budget.
Farmers are at the mercy of unscrupulous lenders. The government should provide them low-interest and accessible credit. Difficulty in gaining access to credit is a major factor in the agriculture sector’s decline.
Attending to this concern certainly is in line with the government’s effort to further improve the agriculture sector. More capital expenditures will be disbursed in the coming years to help farmers and to implement strategies for growth while pursuing the completion of on-going projects.
Councilor Bulayungan hopes to transform Kiangan into a bustling town in the future. He knows whereof he speaks. He is a lawyer by profession. He is in a position to do efficient implementation of programs and projects as well as dispense competent advice to co-government workers and the people, all moored on ethical standards.
I have nothing but admiration for his having advanced the cause of good governance among his colleagues in a period of great challenges. His passion to serve his constituents pushes him more to make a big difference.
Leaders who are imbued with selfless work and dynamism, like Councilor Bulayungan, should be at the forefront of promoting the welfare of impoverished farmers.
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By May, ice cream is a still a top favorite in the Philippines. Grilled fish, beef soup, rice, vegetable salad and blue berry cake should be tried for dinner, plus chilled pineapple juice. It is what it is, just enjoy the summer season.
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Finally, some thoughts for our readers: “Social justice means the promotion of the welfare of all the people, the adoption by the government of means calculated to ensure economic stability of all the competent elements of society, through the maintenance of the proper economic and social equilibriums in the interrelations of the members of the community.” This is quoted from the late President Jose P. Laurel during the Japanese Occupation period in the Philippines.
“I know a politician who is so windy that he can give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.” Late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago
“Historical personages are the products of their times, emerging from the connection between contemporary and preceding events.” Russian Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace**
