All roads led to Amancosiling Sur for officials and employees of the LGU and even locally based national agencies on June 24 for the ‘latest edition’ of Komprehensibong Serbisyo sa Bayan.

Komprehensibong Serbisyo is originally the brainchild of the Local Health Board headed by Dr. Henry Fernandez and co-chaired by ex-Councilor Levin Uy and Local Civil Registrar Ismael Malicdem Jr. It is meant to bring local government closer to the people, especially in far-flung barangays.

As in other Komprehensibong Serbisyo outreaches, the same suite of medical-dental and social services was on offer, plus new ones including application for police clearance. Some 787 people from the district came over to avail of these services.

Leading the LGU team was none other than Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao, Vice-Mayor Raul S. Sabangan, Councilors Martin Terrado and Amory Junio, Uy, and the various department heads. They were welcomed by four Punong Barangays of District 3.

MCTQ gave a long inspirational speech, taking pains to inform the people of the third district about the many ongoing projects and the benefits that can be availed of under his administration:

– crime prevention through the installation of CCTV cameras and creation of police precincts in 8 districts, not to mention the ease of reporting illegal activities through a call to #4357;

– massive emergency employment program by hiring skilled construction workers, among others;

– college scholarships for 157 students, increase of the Special Education Fund to P9.6M, and establishment of Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open, to offer Masters in Public Administration to LGU employees and soon two four-year courses (Entrepreneurship and Broadcast Communication);

– bigger budget allocation for 2017 at P411M from P220M in 2015 (the highest municipal budget in entire Pangasinan), which was made possible by the bigger local revenues collected;

– bigger allocation of funds for health, from P10-15M before his administration to P32M;

– massive infrastructure projects (as a result of a bigger budget), from expansion of cemetery, to renovation of the public market, to core local roads project, tricycle terminal, bagsakan, etc.;

– removal of Bayambang from the infamous top 10 child malnourishment list (i.e., state of nutrition in the first 1,000 days of the child) and the creation of Kusina ng Balon Bayambang, a municipal canteen catering to indigent malnourished children to avoid reverting to being No. 1 in the region and No. 4 nationwide;

– etc.

“Ang Komprehensibong Serbisyo ay patunay na hindi tumitigil ang inyong municipio sa pagsilbi,” Mayor Quiambao said.

He shared through an anecdote the importance of praying, dreaming big, and making an express wish. “Noong minsan, naikwento ko ang inis ko sa pagpunta sa Barangay Pantol dahil kailangan pang dumaan sa mga bayan ng Bautista at Alcala. Kaya sabi ko, sana naman magkaroon tayo ng kalsada from Pantol to San Gabriel. Ngayon ang panaginip maaari nang magkatotoo dahil, salamat sa Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project, mayroon nang technical document para magawa na ang kalsadang iyan.”

Later on, he told the locals, “Ipagdasal nating malabanan naman natin ang kahirapan.”

In his closing remarks, Uy referred to MCTQ as the “Transformer of Bayambang,” adding that, “Say Balon Bayambang, aliwan sakey labat ya salita, sakey itan ya gawa – nanenengneng, nalilikna.”

“Angapo niy sakey taon na administrasyon tayo, mayamay lay agawan kamaongan,” he added, pointing out that various investors have come to Bayambang expressing keen interest, infrastructure projects and other plans that seemed impossible before have become possible, and so on.

“This is what it means by bringing the government closer to the people,” he said.