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Voted
to office by an overwhelming number of Negrenses in 2001
through his campaign slogan, “Beyond the Basic”, Gov.
Joseph G. Marañon is the first and only governor of
Negros Occidental coming from the ranks of local chief
executives.
Having transformed Sagay from a municipality into a
progressive city, Mayor Marañon knew that people
expected their leader to be good, dynamic, visionary and
creative. For him, a true leader is one who possesses
not only the integrity and competence to define and
formulate people-oriented and people-driven programs,
but more importantly, the courage to confront the
obstacles to success. Throughout his two terms at the
Capitol, he demonstrated these qualities of a true
leader. He mobilized the provincial bureaucracy,
efficiently and effectively utilized financial resources
steering Negros Occidental towards the attainment of its
full potential as a province. |
Guided
by his strong spirituality and convictions, Gov. Marañon
started his first term of office by reaching out to all
sectors of the community, motivating them to actively work
in partnership with government.
Together with Vice Gov. Isidro P. Zayco, the members of the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan and Capitol department and office
heads, the governor went around the 31 component cities and
municipalities of the province to consult with the mayors
and other local officials on their priority development
concerns. These meetings resulted in his administration’s
Seven-Point Priority Development Agenda for the Province of
Negros Occidental, namely: Food
Security; Agricultural Productivity; Health, Education,
Housing & Other Basic Social Services; Infrastructure
Facilities; Environment Conservation, Rehabilitation &
Protection; Investment & Trade Promotion; and Tourism
Development.
Food security and agricultural
productivity are his top priorities to attain food
sufficiency especially in rice and corn, high value crops,
vegetables and fruits, as well as increase the volume of
livestock, poultry, fishery and aquatic products. The
governor facilitated the establishment of a branch of the
Philippine Rice Research Institute in the province in 2003
as part of his goal of rice sufficiency, Negros Occidental
being a net importer of rice. In its three years of
operation, PhilRice Negros has produced and distributed to
farmers 7,970 bags of seeds worth P11 million. Now, more
farmers adopt high yielding rice varieties and production
has greatly increased, with a record high of 10.26 metric
tons (MT) per hectare by a farmer in Brgy. Quezon, San
Carlos City.
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