LA TRINDAD, Benguet -- Governor Crescencio Pacalso underscored the current status and pressing needs of the province which need immediate attention in his recent State of the Province Address.
Pacalso said among pressing issues the province is presently confronted which include war on drugs, efforts to prevent possible entry of bird flu-infected poultry products and repercussions of the rainy season on road condition, on health and on small scale miners.
On the anti-drug campaign, Pacalso announced almost all barangays is declared drug-free except for barangays Badeo and Tacadang in the town of Kibungan. He hopes all will be declared drug-free after the accounting of wanted drug personalities in said areas.
As to the bird flu virus which affected some parts of Central Luzon, the Provincial Government is doing intervention efforts to prevent its entry in the area. Pacalso said quarantine checkpoints are in place in entry points.
Other efforts the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian is undertaking include poultry blood sampling, information education and continuous animal disease surveillance.
To beef up such efforts, an ordinance regulating the entry of livestock and poultry is on second reading at the Provincial Board.
He hopes there will be no substantial effect on the vegetable industry as there are other options to procure chicken dung used as soil conditioner in farms. Pacalso urged suppliers not to purchase chicken dung from quarantined areas.
With the onset of the rainy season, one of the main concerns of the Provincial Government is to keep the roads open to traffic in cooperation with the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure the continuous transport of vegetables.
With the expected increase of dengue cases during the rainy season, Pacalso also urged the public to cooperate in the prevention of the outbreak of dengue by not allowing breeding grounds for mosquito vectors.
Last year, there was an overflow of patients at the Benguet General Hospital due to rise of dengue cases.
Another perennial concern during the rainy season is the danger posed to small scale miners entering their tunnels.
Recently, Pacalso through an order issued a protocol in the issuance of advisories to small scale miners delegating it to the municipal mayors.
The provincial officials and the various departments including concerned agencies shall work hand in hand to address the identified pressing concerns of the province.
Moreover, among the programs and projects the provincial government plans to sustain and pursue as mentioned by Pacalso are social programs and projects on education, health, social services, support services, agriculture, veterinary services, hospital services, environment, infrastructure, livelihood, agriculture, and tourism. (PR)