Our Greatness is found in the small, common Pangasinense

INAUGURAL MESSAGE

OF

GOV. AMADO T. ESPINO, JR.

LADIES  & GENTLEMEN:

With great honor and humility, I stand on these historic steps of the majestic Pangasinan Provincial Capitol… where many illustrious Pangasinan leaders had come before me… and many more would pass its way in the years to come.

In my youth, I had often gazed at this stately Capitol Building… almost with awe and veneration. I saw it as the symbol of all that was great and noble in our beloved province.

Not even in my wildest imaginings as a poor boy from the small town of Bautista, Pangasinan had I expected that someday I would stand before it as an elected Governor of the Province.

For many of us, this occasion is a moment of proud achievement… if only for the reason that SERVING at the Capitol is a great honor.

But today I come before our beloved people NOT as a conquering hero. Winning the governorship is NOT my personal triumph. The governor may be the highest symbol of Pangasinan leadership and authority, but I am overwhelmed NOT by the power and the glory, but by the awesome responsibility this transfer of leadership signifies.

In taking my oath of office administered by a leader of my personal choice, Honorable Jon-Jon Montemayor of the municipality of Sta. Barbara — the youngest among Pangasinan's 1,364 barangay captains — I wanted to convey the message that the Governor is only as great as the lowliest official in our province.

As public servants, we are ALL sworn to serve the needs and interests of our constituents. Public office, no matter how lofty, does not bestow exclusive power upon one single leader. The power can only arise from a citizenry that OBEYS the CALL of serving the Community.

The oath of office I repeated here word for word… "tutuparin ko ng buong husay at katapatan…. and mga tungkulin ng aking kasalukuyang katungkulan . . . " is but a re-affirmation of this DEDICATION… LOYALTY to duty, in the service of our fellowmen and country. A resolve to use all the resources of PUBLIC OFFICE to create an environment where people can HELP other PEOPLE.

A Governor may effectively express this SPIRIT, but only the people can provide it.

It has been said that "Great men cause great events." But let me say here and now that great men achieved great results only because of the support and approbation of the people. They achieved exceptional feats ONLY because they were able to harness the people's energies — enlisted their commitment NOT only for great ventures, but also in SMALL but sustained endeavors that brought about POSITIVE CHANGE in the people's lives.

In this sense, a leader should be able to INSPIRE people to perform honest and productive work.  People support him because he knows what he wants… clearly knows the direction where to lead the province, not for personal gain, but for the good of all.

It is a humbling thought that people everywhere in Pangasinan could be looking up to this new beginning with great expectations. Workers, farmers, fishermen, parents and children in their respective homes. The silent majority, so called. The suffering masses, the impoverished, the downtrodden.

To all of them, we make this CALL… no matter who your are… wherever you may be  . . . ALL THIS is for you… you are the BE-ALL and END-ALL of this occasion… you are part of the life of our great province.

For the past many years, from my days as the TOP COP of the pro-vince as PNP Provincial Director and then as two-term Congressman of the Second District, I have  travelled the length and breadth of Pangasinan, reaching the farthest places, conversing with ordinary people.

In these countryside tours and consultations, I saw many enormous tasks that needed to be done.

Pangasinan remains a rich province, blessed with one of the largest and most diverse economies in the land.

But sadly, we are faced with the grim prospect of inheriting an economy that has been weakened by years of stagnation, unexploited potentials, low wages and poor income-generating opportunities, increasing inequality, rudderless political leadership and declining productivity.

Without blaming anyone, let us start anew, with the courage to face up to the hard truths about where we are, so that we can take strong steps toward a better direction.

Certainly, Pangasinenses — a proud race — deserve better. And I believe we are not lacking in right-thinking Pangasinenses who WANT to do better. This faith in our people, our unwavering will to attain our dreams was — in fact — the core message of my campaign for the Governorship.

So, today, while we rejoice in celebration, buoyed up by the PROMISE of this NEW CHAPTER in our long quest for betterment, we also BRACE for a hard struggle. There is much to be done and tomorrow our HARDEST WORK is about to BEGIN.

First and foremost, our leadership must again find its bearings and set a steady course toward economic growth. It is unfortunate that while most of our neighbors and other provinces elsewhere that constitute what is known as the Super Regions, now enjoy a state of vibrant flux, Pangasinan progress has been slow and imperceptible.

There remain areas in the province where law and order has been a weak point of governance. Agricultural and industrial productivity has gone down to an all-time low.

While Pangasinan possesses some of the most beautiful and priceless natural treasures in the land, the volume of tourism and investments has dwindled to a trickle.

The marine resources of the vast Lingayen Gulf and our countless communal waterways have suffered an inexorable decline due to harmful fishing methods. Rapid urbanization and lack of protective measures have inflicted a systemic devastation of our forests.

Development of key industries and infrastructure aimed at generating jobs and revenues remain below acceptable levels. Travel and commerce is slow. For many years the Lingayen airport had been unsuitable for aviation. The Sual seaport, perennially hailed for its supposed strategic value for navigation and trade, has remained inaccessible to large sea-going vessels.

We are  proud of the label as a regional educational center, annually producing the biggest number of college graduates in the whole country, but most of our professionals and highly trained, skilled workers invariably move elsewhere to find more lucrative jobs and better income opportunities.

Right now, one of Pangasinan's biggest hurdles is how to mobilize the biggest asset the province possessed — its human resources.

I am not inclined to list down what I hope to accomplish here, or boast of my past achievements. As has been said, our destiny as a province and our future as a people depend not upon one single person, much less the Governor, even with all the powers in his hands.

Let this inauguration ceremony be viewed, therefore, as a CALL to GREATNESS for all Pangasinenses. Let me start our collective response to this summon with a SOLEMN pledge that as your Governor I WILL LEAD OUR PEOPLE… and TO DO MY LEVEL BEST to LEAD them to where they can be a lot happier, more secure and more capable of improving their circumstances.

I won't start by OUTLINING grandiose plans or a FANTASTIC VISION. My FIRST ACT as Governor is to LISTEN… seek out the crying needs and concerns of our people… listen to their voices of despair… the  plaintive cries  of a long neglected, misgoverned citizenry.

Out there, there are many number of ideas that we, the leaders, should hear. And I'm sure there are an infinite number of people who would love to bring these great ideas to the Capitol.

But given the urgency of our people's concerns, let us not wait for these ideas to be BROUGHT to our attention. Rather, "Let’s bring the Capitol to the People to whom it rightly belongs."

Let us reverse the tradition of allowing people to take pains in trooping to our offices to air their problems. Government must NOT only be ACCESSIBLE. It must be able to reach out to even the remotest places… where attention is needed most.

I will personally GO to the people. I will go to the people NOT only to lead, to teach and guide, but also to LEARN and to be LED. And in carrying OUT the programs of government I will ask every member of my administration to become INVOLVED. I will see to it that my co-workers in the Capitol will be high-energy individuals who don't believe in ambling along, who will content themselves only by TANGIBLE RESULTS.

All must function like silent but effective players of a seasoned championship team. Not prone to grandstanding, keeping a low profile, but determined to get the job done.

All must share in the task of SERVING our people… participate in productive work… and most importantly, all must share in the fruits of our labor.

This is the Capitol I WANT. This is the Capitol that could best serve the needs and interests of the citizenry. A Capitol that leads the effort to make Governance move forward.

This is not to say that under our stewardship, the festering problems that have come upon us over the years will swiftly disappear.  The results we want may not come within days, weeks, months, or in the next year or so.

But as your Governor, I promise you… these problems will be addressed properly and resolutely… until THEY GO AWAY.

It will not be easy, it needs a lot of hard work, perseverance and sacrifice. BUT IT CAN BE DONE.

If we come together as one big caring and compassionate family, there is NO LIMIT to what we CAN DO.

I thank you.

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