CARE conducts 1st provincial interface in Abra
by Redjie MElvic Cawis
BANGUED, Abra (22 September) -- For a rare experience, local chief executives and other representatives from the different towns of this province came in unison together with the different provincial and municipal department heads and employees, and members of the military and the police force to attend the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives(CARE) 1st Provincial Interface at the Abra Provincial Capitol last week.
The Provincial Interface, which aims to bring the services of the government from the national and regional level to the local government units of the Cordillera Region, is first conducted in Abra in cooperation wit its provincial government under governor Estaquio Bersamin.
According to CARE president and Department of Tourism regional director Purificacion Molintas, this program will give the local government units a chance to have better idea and ask queries to the different regional line agency directors and representatives especially on the services and programs they can give to the people in their respective municipalities.
This is one way of promoting Abra and bringing it back into the limelight said Governor Estaquio Bersamin. With all the violence that occurred over the years in the province, this is a good start of again promoting Abra as a peaceful place and as a tourist destination erasing the bad impression of people that Abra is a killing zone of politicians and private individuals, he said.
Being new in government, Bersamin appreciated the power point presentations of the different line agency directors which he said gave him a him a better idea of the programs and services of the different line agencies, as well as other pertinent information about governance.
He specifically mentioned the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation cards of indigent Abrenians which he learned was not paid completely during the time of his late brother, Congressman Luis Bersamin, the ancestral land claims of the indigenous people of Abra and the inclusion of the Tingguian tribe of Peņarubia in the list of indigenous people under the National Commission on Indigenous People.
He is happy to know of the construction of the road network particularly the Abra to Apayao road and the Abra to Laoag City in Ilocos road which he said would be of great help to farmers and traders if these were completed. Particularly the programs of e brother Abra Congressman Luis "Chito" Bersamin.
Bersamin also received promotional tourism materials of Abra and the Cordilleras from the DOT to help promote the province in the tourism industry.
Other agencies present were DOLE, DTI, DBM, DENR, DAR, PhilHealth, DepEd, NAPOLCOM, DOTC, DOH, BIR, TESDA, DOST, DA, DSWD, NCIP, NEDA and PIA. (PIA) [top]
