Identity, Synergy, Resiliency underscored in La Union Day

Adhering to the demands of the new normal, the 171st La Union Foundation Day was celebrated through hybrid activities on March 2, 2021 highlighting the province’s Identity, Synergy and Resiliency.

The celebration kickstarted with a Dawn Watch Prayer for a Stronger La Union where intentions offered in prayer and worship were the vaccination program, economic recovery, tourism and agriculture, environment preservation, job opportunities, families, leaders and officials in the province and in the country. It was aired live in the Facebook page of the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU).

A face-to-face flag raising ceremony was only attended by Provincial Officials headed by Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III and few employees followed, strictly adhering to the minimum health standards. Part of it were the turning over of rescue vehicles to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office strengthening the resilience of the province. It concluded with a ceremonial tree planting activity of all the provincial officials.

As a part of preserving the La Union history, Kasanayan sa Kasaysayan, a ceremonial relaunching of La Union History Book, was also conducted where the signing of a commissioning contract was done between Gov. Pacoy and La Union: The Making of a Province 1850-1921 author Dr. Adriel O. Meimban.

Enjoining kaprobinsiaan at home to be part of the celebration, online games were aired in the PGLU Facebook page coming up with a total of 171 winners of cash prizes with the grand prize of P20,000.00 for business starter pack.

Highlight of the La Union Day celebration is the online show aired through Facebook live featuring performances of the Saint Louis College Samtoy Dance Troupe, Dulaang ELYU; Marvin Aquino, Nooreen Noordin, and Myk Kairuz.

Performances of the top three entries for the KANDUSA contest were also shown where they were awarded at the end of the show together with the Top 5 winners of the Sirmata contest.

The show earned 122,404 Facebook Reach and 47,774 Facebook Engagement.

In his message, Gov. Pacoy emphasized La Union’s identity, synergy and resiliency as he acknowledged the need to adopt in the new normal way to celebrate the province’s anniversary saying, “Natatangi at kakaiba man ang magiging selebrasyon natin bilang pagtugon sa hamon ng pandemya, let us indulge ourselves in our unique, yet equally meaningful ways, to celebrate.”

Other activities conducted as part of the celebration were Bahay Pag-asa Inauguration; La Union Skills Olympics; La Union Trabaho Negosyo Kabuhayan Webinar; La Union MSMEs Bazaar; Launching of Bougainvillea Propagation Project; and Tawid Taoid Activities – Sirmata, Inaig and Kandusa.

La Union La Unay activities including Ridge to Reef Challenge: Unlocking Elyu’s Hidden Sceneries; LOVE La Union Digital Travel and Tourism Fair; Search for the Cleanest, Safest and Greenest local government units; Inaig; and I Love La Union, I Love My Barangay Program are scheduled to be launched and will be continuing projects of the PGLU.

Photos by: Sonny Buenaventura, PIO