Sa dili pa ko mosugod sa akong inaugural address,  akong  gi-awhag ang tanan sa pagtindog (PAUSE TO GIVE TIME FOR EVERYBODY TO RISE) ug karon, duyogi ninyo ako sa paghatag sa atong hiniusang pagyukbo ug pasalamat sa atong Labawng Makagagahum  by saying  “TO GOD BE THE GLORY.”  

Daghang salamat ug mahimo na tang mobalik sa paglingkod.

Regional Trial Court Executive Judge – the Honorable Fe Lualhati D. Bustamante; Members  of clergy, pastors and ministers of the different Faiths; Vice Governor Edward Mark L. Macias; Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan;Tinahod nga  mga bisita; Pinalangga kong mga lumolupyo sa atong mahal nga lalawigan sa Negros Oriental;

MAAYONG HAPON . . .

Sa akong pagsugod, akong ipaabot ang akong mainitong  mga pasalamat kaninyong tanan,  pinalangga kong mga lumulupyo sa Negros Oriental, labina gayod sa mga pangulo sa mga  nagkalain-laing  simbahan lakip na sa Muslim Community,  sa inyong  dakong pagtoo ug pagsalig  nga gihatag kanako sa milabay nga pinili-ay. Ako kining gidawat sa dakong pagpaubos.  Mao kiniy  naghatag kanako  karon ug  inspirasyon ug bag-ong  kadasig  pagtahak sa atong mga damgo ug pagtrabaho para sa kaayuhan sa tanan.

At this juncture, I would like to congratulate all our newly-elected provincial officials and I extend my hand in invitation of friendship and cooperation—to the Honorable Vice Governor Edward Mark Macias– all the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan– the entire provincial government—all the local government units– and the private sector—to be one with me in our pursuit to bring Negros .Oriental to its rightful place. It is my hope that we could all work harmoniously together  to advance the best interest of our people and province.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank my family who have been supporting me all the way, especially my wife – Janice, and my son Carlo, who stood by me in the most difficult and trying times of my political career.

Ang atong nakita karon  dili mao ang kadaugan sa usa ka tawo o sa usa ka partido.  Ang atong nakita karon mao ang hiniusang pagto-o sa atong mga katawhan  nga nangandoy ug naglantaw sa usa ka maayong  kaugmaon. Kapin sa  kinyentos mil ka mga botante dinhi sa atong lalawigan ang migula ug mibotar sa milabay nga May 13, and they delivered  an explicit message:

They want leaders  who are motivated by the common  good, not  ideology; and, who reject the politics of  division and intolerance.

The campaign season is over.  The people have spoken.  And I realized that the test of a man is not how well he campaigned, but how effectively he meets  the challenges and responsibilities of his Office.  

It is my hope that we could all work harmoniously together  to advance the best interest of our people and province.

For someone who only desired a few years ago– to serve his constituents as Board Member of the Third District of the Province, his election to the highest position of the Province is quite a big leap.  As one newspaper aptly puts it—our  first 30 months in office was like an On-the-Job Training or OJT  because we were plunged into the governorship without our wishing for it. BUT with God as our guide— we were able to hurdle the test of time.

KARON, PANAHON NA SA PAGDUMALA.  PANAHON NA NGA KITA  MAGHUGOP.  PANAHON NA NGA KITA MOHATAG GIBUG-ATON UG BALOR  SA ATONG PAGSERBISYO. PANAHON NA NGA UNAHON ANG KATAWHAN. Kay ang tawo una man  kay sa politika.  Andam ako nga maminaw ug motrabaho uban ni bisan kinsa nga mohatag ug tinud-anay ug saktong mga solusyon nga makahatag benepisyo sa tanang molupyo sa Negros Oriental. 

We should remember that the test of a government is not how popular it is with the powerful and privileged few, but how fairly and justly it deals with the many who must depend upon it.

As the  former U.S. Secretary of State – William Jennings Bryan puts it, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice: Destiny is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

Ang mosunod nga tulo ka tuig sa atong pagdumala dili sayon nga sagubangon. Ug ang mga problema nga atong atubangon dili masulbad ug iya ra.  Kini nagakinahanglan  sa atong hingpit nga dedikasyon ug  kinasingkasing  nga pag-atiman.  Ang mga katawhan mao  ang bulawanong bahandi sa atong lalawigan  ug dili kita maka-ako  nga  mahimutang sa wala lamang ang mga  talento ug abilidad nga gihatag kanato sa atong Labawng Makagagahum.   Ato kining  ipahimutang sa saktong paggamit.

Today, as I take my oath as the 30th Governor of Negros Oriental,  I invite you to please join me in my call for Unity  and Cooperation as we  continue to pursue our flagship program dubbed   “Sa Probinsya, Magdegamo Ta”  bannered bythe word HELP — which is an acronym for Health — Education – and Livelihood Programs and Projects for peace and development.

We will continue to find innovative and doable  solutions to  improve the health of our people through effective service delivery. We are now in  the process of acquiring a mobile clinic to bring basic medical services at your doorstep,  especially in times of disaster and  calamities.

The four-storey OPD Building is  now  nearing  completion. In the next three years, we hope to put in place the Central Block Building at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital.  This  was conceived by the late Gov. Emilio C. Macias II in order to decongest the existing OB-Gyne and Indigency Wards. 

We will continue to  provide our schoolchildren  greater access to education  by putting up more classrooms in areas where needed and expand our scholarship programs for poor but deserving students. We will also maintain the medical scholarship program which, as of today, already has a total of 42 scholars. This  Program is a big boost to our health service delivery where it is currently facing a drought of physicians. Financial support  to our valedictorians and salutatorians will continue.

Training  is another important component of the “Magdegamo Ta Program.” Training our young people – our manpower resource in a trade or skill they can make use of for their future,  is a path to a good living. 

My vision is to see a province where every individual is joined with opportunity; where every person who wants a job has a job; where dependence on government is not a way of life, but a temporary stop on the road to self-sufficiency.  We will endeavor to maximize the utilization of our livelihood  training centers  in Talay and the Provincial Nursery  so that   our young and the not- so-young employable  people can acquire livelihood skills  for employment here and abroad. May I also inform you  that we have relocated our  Public Employment Service Office or PESO  back to its original  location to make it more accessible to its various  clientele. But we will not limit ourselves to what we have started.  We will explore and open  avenues for job generation such as inviting investors to put up shop in the province.

Further, on the area of Gender and Development, we have put in place various programs and projects to protect and/or advance the rights of our women and children.  On the mainstream, is the establishment of a Women’s Crisis Center  to attend to and provide temporary shelter for abused women in the province. We hope to accomplish this during our term.

Mga pinalangga kong lumulupyo sa Negros  Oriental,  karong adlawa akong gidawat ang hagit ug oportunidad pagpadayon sa pagserbisyo kaninyo bilang inyong Gobernador sulod sa tulo ka tuig.

I promise you my best.  I ask you for your best!

Tala na. .  . Sa Probinsya, Magdegamo Ta!

Daghang salamat.   God Bless our people!  God Bless Negros Oriental!   #