By YOLLY Z. SOTELO

WHAT I firmly believe elected officials must address in Pangasinan. As in, now na. We hope that after the meanest black propaganda and mudslinging that can make even a beast of a politician puke, the winners will buckle down to work and address the list.

1. Irrigation systems. Pangasinan is basically an agricultural province but most irrigation systems constructed by the National Irrigation Administration are no longer working. The NIA admitted it does not have enough resources to rehabilitate them, much less construct new ones.. The provincial government has stepped in to rehabilitate some of the systems but it does not have enough resources either, although it had established communal irrigation systems which can irrigate limited areas of land.

2. Tourism facilities. Pangasinan has plenty of tourism potentials but facilities such as hotels are scarce. An airport would also boost tourism in the province as foreigners could fly in directly from other countries.

3. Environmental protection. There is already a high awareness on protecting the Lingayen Gulf and rivers especially among residents along the Lingayen Gulf . But this should continue and even boosted as people dependent on the Gulf grow yearly, thus depleting the gulf’s resources.

4. Solid waste management program that works. Despite laws on solid waste management, highways all over the province are marred by wastes dumped there and are never collected, creating mini-dumpsites everywhere.

5 Flooding. Almost every year, the province is inundated resulting in loss of lives and properties. While flooding in the Agno River basin had been minimized because of the construction of the San Roque multi-purpose dam in San Manuel town, flooding along the basins of Sinocalan Rivers in central Pangasinan towns and Dagupan City has yet to be addressed.

6. Potable water supply. Flooding pollutes the residents’ sources of potable water especially in central Pangasinan. Plans to establish sources of clean water had yet to see reality.

7. Livelihood programs. Employment is in short supply in the province, thus people must have access to livelihood programs, especially on food processing and manufacturing.

8 Processing plants. Agriculture produce such as mangoes and tomatoes are usually in abundant supply during harvest time and farmers complain that the prices hit rock bottom. If processing plants are available, they will have ready market and prices may be at least be controlled.

9. Population program. Pangasinan is a model of population program in the country, especially its contraceptive self-reliance program. But it is on its own, without any help from the national government. Congressional representatives can help by allotting a part of their countryside development fund to provide contraceptives for couples who need but cannot afford to buy.

10.Post-harvest drying facilities. Highways are turned into drying facilities every harvest time, endangering lives of both motorists and the farmers.

At marami pang iba