Marinduque looks to a bright future
Marinduque Governor Presby Velasco Jr. on Friday delivered his State of the Province Address (SoPA), highlighting the provincial government’s achievements and baring plans for the future of the province.
In his speech, Velasco has pushed tourism and empowerment of basic needs as part of his solid plans for the province, saying that they have come a long way from becoming a fourth class province.
“Our province suffered from lack of reliable and clean potable water, erratic energy supply and sporadic brownouts, inadequate irrigation water due to lack of dams and water impounding facilities, lack of jobs, lack of promotion and weak development of tourism areas, poor hospital system, minuscule revenues and a 90 percent IRA depended on budget,” said Velasco.
The Marinduque governor also stressed that he is also pushing for the return of the “golden era of Marinduque” with innovative changes and drastic reforms throughout the province, especially at this time when the country is feeling the adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Velasco disclosed that the provincial government is set to open Marinduque Export Zone or MAREZ which will go hand in hand with building an International Port in Balogo pier and cited how the recent pandemic has paralyzed not only the businesses and citizens around the world.
He acknowledged the loss of the majority of jobs in the province such as in manufacturing, farming, and fishing, but with the help of the Public Employment Service Office or PESO, the province was able to minimize its unemployment rate.