STATE OF THE MUNICIPALITY ADDRESS | page 2

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As part of our concern for education, we had a literacy program conducted as well as trainings for out-of-school youth. And in coordination with TESDA, all our training programs projected for 2002 were implemented. As a consequence of which our municipality was awarded the KABALIKAT Award during the TESDA anniversary last August 2002.

On the peace and order side, our PNP has not been remiss in its duty in preserving the peace and order situation in our town in spite of the lack of personnel and the limited resources. Arrests were made of persons involved in drug use and trafficking including persons involved in illegal gambling.

Last June 11, we held the 1st Mini-Economic Summit here. This was realized thru the efforts of the Gubatnons of Northern California and this administration in convincing the Ayala Foundation Inc. thru its chief operating officer, Madame Vicky Garchitorena, formerly head of the Presidential Management Staff and presently Presidential Adviser to President GMA, to take the lead role in discussing the promotion of Gubat's agricultural products namely: abaca, coconut, pili and handicraft industry. This affair was part of our Balik-Gubat 2002 where a number of our folks in the U.S. came home to participate. As a result we now have a feasibility study on activated carbon which has a wide market in the U.S. and Europe. A coco-flour subject has been submitted to DAR for funding for its project study. A coco-flour company is now in existence in the province of Davao. On abaca, FIDA has already started its rehabilitation program and, hopefully, funds will be released for a full-blast rehabilitation program. An abaca farmers cooperative has already been engaged and the LGU has purchased 30 pieces of modified stripping knives that can produce better quality of abaca fiber. We need to plant more pili trees to make our pili products sustainable to meet requirements for pili confectionaries. Studies should be made regarding the use of pili pulp, extracting its oil and tapping its sap.

On the cottage industry side, we are able to engage the services of a trainor/designer from DTI. A group of women from Panganiban was trained to make bags. The group is now actively into business and their products are selling briskly. We will seek assistance from other agencies in order to expand the opportunity of those engaged in the industry for more products.

However, in spite of our efforts for good governance and move our town toward progress, a big problem continues to stare us in the face. I refer to the huge amount of money invested in the proposed public terminal project of the past administration. Two million one hundred thousand pesos shelled out last 2001 and it has not in any way benefited our municipality. Before payment was effected there was an opinion rendered by the Provincial Prosecutor's Office dated March 2001 that the project is not to the best interests of the municipality and yet advance payment was effected on March 29, 2001. Aside from legal problems and a contract consummated but not ratified by the SB which disfavors the LGU, this administration has misgivings regarding this project like the absence of an engineering plan to undertake the project, in-depth feasibility study as to the viability of the project, its effect on the barangays wherein it is located and the project's conformity with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan of the municipality. But somehow we have to meet the problem squarely. I intend to create a committee of concerned Gubatnons to study and decide how this problem can be solved

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