DILG lauds Pangasinan for COVID-19 curbing efforts

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Oct. 27 (PIA) - The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) lauded the provincial government of Pangasinan for continuously instilling measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In the Laging Handa Network Briefing today, DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano said Pangasinan is at the center of things and is the gateway to northern and central Luzon but fortunately, active cases for the virus continue to drop.

"We want to congratulate the governor because of their good handling of the COVID-19 situation, their active cases are going down," Secretary Ano said during the October 27 episode.

Governor Amado Espino III, who discussed the interventions and strategies of the provincial government to fight COVID-19 said that as of October 26, there are 351 active cases in the province but 1,200 have already recovered and new cases have lowered.

"Nagpapasalamat tayo sa ating mga kababayan na nakikinig at sumusunod sa alituntunin at sa mga LGUs na nakikiisa sa mga programa. Sa guidance po ng national IATF, maganda ang pagkakaisa at komunikasyon po namin dito," Governor Espino said during the live Network Briefing.

Espino went on to say that an umbrella program called "Abig" or Heal Pangasinan was conceptualized to cover all existing programs implemented by the different departments of the provincial government like the Kalusugan, Kalinisan and Kabuhayan Karaban.

"Under the program, we go around the entire province, we give out financial assistance, we buy vegetable produce, and offer food-for-work, trainings and gave out seedlings so our constituents can be self-sustaining," Espino explained.

Also ongoing is the Pamanang Yaman program where the provincial government buys the products of the micro, small and medium enterprises in a locality and bring these to different towns in the province.

"The idea is that our constituents here in Pangasinan are helping their co-entrepreneurs. Kapwa Pangasinense ay nagtutulungan para makabangon," Espino added.

The governor also thanked the national government for the recently held aggressive community testing in Pangasinan that transpired from October 19-24, 2020.

He said out of the 1,526 tested for COVID-19, 10 yielded positive results and were immediately given the required attention and care.

The Laging Handa Network Briefing, anchored by Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, is organized by the Philippine Information Agency and airs from Monday to Friday in all digital platforms of attached agencies of the Presidential Communications Operations Office. (JCR/AMB/VHS/PIA Pangasinan)