SP slams VP Robredo for tagging Pangasinan as ‘poor province’

April 21, 2018 Provincial

LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) was dismayed over the recent speech of Vice President Leni Robredo that branded Pangasinan as among the top 20 poorest provinces in the country since 2004.
Fourth district Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario, in his privilege speech delivered during the SP regular session on Monday, April 16, admitted that the SP felt bad on the “irresponsible statement” from the second highest official of the country, which she mentioned in her recent speech in London.
The collective sentiment of the SP members was carried through a provincial resolution passed by the august body on its April 16 session, which strongly refutes the statement of VP Leni Robredo, tagging Pangasinan as among the top 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines.
“It’s high time that we invite the Vice President to visit Pangasinan. We will be joining her to go around Pangasinan for her to see for herself how beautiful and progressive Pangasinan is,” BM Rosario said.
Responding to VP Robredo’s pronouncement, Governor Amado I. Espino III on Tuesday last week, debunked allegations that Pangasinan is among the top 20 poorest provinces in the country. On the contrary, the province is actually one of the top 25 country’s richest, Governor Espino said.
“The Vice President should have checked her data carefully before branding provinces like Pangasinan as among the poorest,” Governor Espino said.
It was noted that based on the latest data (2015) by the Philippine Statistics Authority, Pangasinan is one of the 25 richest provinces in the country.
Poverty incidence in Pangasinan in 2015 was 11.2% compared to the country’s 16.5%. The decline in poverty incidence was significantly noted when Pangasinan registered a sharp decline from 21.8 % in 2006 to 11.2% in 2015 or a 49% drop in poverty incidence compared with statistics on the national scale which went down from 21% in 2006 to 16.5% in 2015 or a 21% dip.
Noting that Pangasinan is now on its “Golden Era,” BM Rosario said that the province under the Espino administration holds the distinction as a best implementer of poverty reduction programs which were launched by former Governor and now 5th district Representative Amado T. Espino Jr. and are sustained by his son and namesake, Governor “Pogi” Espino.
The Regional Development Council, a multi-agency group spearheaded by the National Economic Development Authority, likewise conferred to the provincial government of Pangasinan the Best Poverty Reduction Program Implementer award (provincial LGU category) in 2009, 2013 and 2015, and various governance awards.
Unveiled during the 438th Agew na Pangasinan celebration, the Abong na Dayew now houses the Hall of Fame exhibit of the international, national and regional awards conferred by various agencies and institutions to the province of Pangasinan since 2007, to include the Seal of Good Local Governance award which was awarded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to the province in three consecutive years (2015, 2016, and 2017). MARK GERRY NAVAL OBLANCA, PIO / ABN