LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – Governor Ramon V. Guico III highlighted historic “firsts” accomplishments in his first tenure during his third State of the Province Address (SOPA) on April 5 during the province’s foundation day celebration at the Sison Auditorium.
Entitled: ‘Era of First Times, Era of Lasting Accomplishments,’ the SOPA bespeaks of the spirit of an era of doing things for the first time leaving lifetime effect for the people of Pangasinan.
Gov. Guico dedicated all the accomplishments achieved in his maiden tenure to the 3.2 million Pangasinenses.
“As your public servant in the province, please accept my heartfelt gratitude to all your prayerful and unfailing support.
This State of the Province Address 2025 is not a chronicle of what the Governor has done alone. It has always been the accomplishment of the whole province,” the governor said.
Gov. Guico identified key programs that are “firsts” in tourism, agriculture, health, education, peace and order, infrastructure, environment, livelihood development, investment, employment, social services, disaster risk reduction.
Some of the significant ‘first time’ legacy projects include the conversion of the historic Casa Real into a provincial museum named Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum; the revival of the long-slumbered salt industry via the Pangasinan Salt Center; launching of Corporate Farming; active support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises; establishment of the Pangasinan Polytechnic College; innovation of the Pangasinan Provincial Jail; redevelopment of the Capitol Complex; launching of the Green Canopy Project; the establishment of the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotion Office; establishment of the One Response Command Center in Malico, San Nicolas, among others.
Medical support giving utmost emphasis on his signature projects like the Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultation (GUICONSULTA), he cited that his administration included the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act or Republic Act 11223 to maximize health benefits for the Pangasinan people like never before.
The governor said the Guiconsulta is a support project of PhilHealth’s Konsulta program.
GUICONSULTA aims to fast track the enrolment of two million Pangasinenses into their preferred accredited Philhealth-Konsulta Providers,” he said.
Also, Gov. Guico reported that in 2023, under his term, a total of P495,401,375.65 for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) was downloaded to the province and benefitted 182,679 patients admitted in the 14 government hospitals throughout Pangasinan.
Under his administration, the 14 government hospitals were modernized and equipped with state-of-the-art equipment like the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine in 2024, 19 stationary X-ray and 21 mobile X-ray machines seven Ultrasonography machines, and two Computed Tomography or CT Scan machines.
Modernization of health facilities has started with the Super Community Hospital in Umingan as benchmark followed by the construction of the 15th government hospital which broke ground recently in Alcala town.
The establishments of hemodialysis centers in all provincial government hospitals have likewise started. It can be recalled that under the previous administration, there was only one existing dialysis center run by the provincial government.
Financial Management
Transparency, integrity and accountability in financial management are some of Gov. Guico’s hallmark of excellence that lead to increased revenue collections that led to various awards earned by the province.
These include Philippines’ Kampeon ng Kalusugan Sa Mga Komunidad; Outstanding Provincial Jail; Best Educational Program Implementing the Alternative Learning System; Top Performer in Highest Locally Sourced Revenues; Top 1 in Year-on-Year Growth In Locally Sourced Revenues; Most Active PPMI-I BUILD Component; Top Performing Province for Highest Average Increase in Taxable Assessed Value for Three Consecutive Years; Most Disability Inclusive Province; among other citations.
Aside from the various ‘historic first times,’ the provincial government continuously implement regular projects like employment services; construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, school buildings and public facilities; technical and financial assistance for farmers, unemployed, displaced OFWs; persons with disability, women groups, solo parents and other less-privileged sectors of society.
“There is so much more that needs to be done. We will continue raising the bar of excellence with our present achievements. And we have more legacy projects and programs that will benefit many generations of Pangasinenses long after we are gone. Three years is really short, but they are nevertheless loaded with outstanding performances from our Pangasinan Ang Galing Team!
You and I—all of us—belong to this Team!,” he said.
Gov. Guico’s SOPA serves as the highlight of the province’s 445th Founding Anniversary (Agew na Pangasinan) celebration. Pangasinan was founded in April 5, 1580. (Ruby F. Rayat, JP De Vera PIMRO)
