LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Fresh hopes are in store for the province of Pangasian and its 1.5 million inhabitants with the assumption of office last Saturday of Amado Espino, Jr. as governor of the province for the next three years.

A two-time congressman of the second district of Pangasinan, Espino is the first former military and police officer in modern times to become governor of Pangasinan.

The first of course was Vicente Prado from San Jacinto who was appointed first as military-politico government of Pangasinan in 1898 but replaced a year later by his second in command, Juan Quesada from Dagupan and another Katipunero, Daniel Maramba from Sta. Barbara who reigned as governor from 1916 to 22.

Espino was a member of the Phiippine Military Academy Class of 1972 but left the police service before he can earn a star rank to respond to the more demanding challenge of public service.

On the eve of his formal assumption to office, Espino called on all Pangasinenses to help him build a better province, one that can equal with all the best in the entire country in all phases of undertakings.

“I call upon all leaders and Pangasinenses to help the province make a fresh start. We have a lot of catching up to do to reclaim our foothold as a premier province,” Espino urged his province mates.

The 1.5 million Pangasinenses are pinning their hopes on Espino to make their once premier province reclaim its vaunted leadership in the areas of agriculture, tourism and investments after allegedly being left out by neighboring provinces for nearly a decade after the Ramos presidency.

Espino’s electoral victory in the May 14 elections was unprecedented as he battled major institutions, one of them the Agbayani name which ruled the province for more than three decades starting from the late Aguedo to the outgoing Victor, now congressman of the province’s second district.

On top of this was the Iglesia ni Cristo that endorsed Victor’s wife Dr. Jamie Eloise Agbayani, and the Catholic Church that likewise endorsed either Jamie Agbayani or Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino.

More popularly known as Spines, both in the military and in the campaign trail, Espino campaigned on a platform of efficient and transparent governance, a strong economic program to solve widespread poverty and joblessness in the province, human resource development with emphasis on upgrading basic education, building of strategic infrastructure projects which were mostly suspended during the Agbayani  years.

To show his firm resolve to put Pangasinan back on the right track to progress and development, Espino along with new Sta. Barbara Mayor Reynaldo V. Velasco, himself a retired three star police general, succeeded in getting the early release of P10 million from the Department of Transportation and Communication for the rehabilitation of the Lingayen airport.

They got this when they paid a courtesy call early this week on Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro R. Mendoza, himself former police director general.

Aside from this, Mendoza approved the dredging of the Sual Port as a preparation for making it an active commercial port in the near future that can complement other major parts in Northern Luzon.

Mendoza also committed to allocate funds for the engineering design and feasibility studies for a proposed commercial airport project in Sta. Barbara.

At the same time, Espino vowed to restore peace and order in Pangasinan in the wake of unsolved recent political killings of San Carlos City mayor Julian Resuello and San Manuel Vice Mayor Bonie Apilado.

In the campaign, Espino vowed to also put an end to cattle rustling which is still rampant in some towns of central Pangasinan, particularly in San Carlos City.

Espino also outlined his other top priorities for Pangasinan which are tourism and investments promotions, environmental protection, sports development and hosting of national and international events using the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen, venue of the 1995 Palarong Pambansa.

At the same time, former President Ramos welcomed the election of Governor Espino as he called his fellow Pangasinenses “to move ahead and together perform reform and transform for a more bountiful Pangasinan and more competitive Philippines.:

Ramos called upon the people of Pangasinan “to meet the needs for an aggressive and pro-active investment, trade and tourism promotion plan and programs – one that is specific enough to tell potential investors where they can put in their investment capital, what types of business to go into, and how to get started.”

He said: “The provincial officials must come out and market an investment Master Plan. If present and future leaders of Pangasinan are to address grinding poverty effectively, they must first hammer out a workable plan and strategize how to do it through consistent team work.”  (PNA)