LUBAO, Pampanga—The municipal government, led by Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab, is adopting the policies and “best practices” of a progressive county in South Korea to further improve the delivery of basic services here. In her speech at the launch of the “Formation of Cooperative Relationship” between Lubao and the Jeongseon County on Tuesday at the historic Saint Augustine Parish Church, Cayabyab said the improvement of the “standard of living” of the at least 150,000 residents of Lubao is the priority of the town’s government officials.
The Jeongseon County in Ganwon province, host to the 2018 Winter Olympics Alpine Skiing, was represented by Shin Hyang-suk, women and youth director. Cayabyab said they are inviting business entities to invest in the first-class town, which is the host of the highly successful annual Lubao International Balloon Festival in Pradera Verde, Barangay Prado Siongco. “We want more businesses and other livelihood opportunities for our people to hasten the eradication of poverty,” Cayabyab said in the dialect.
“We are adopting the ways, equipment and best practices of the Jeongsen county to further improve our system in serving the people and enticing more economic activities,” the two-term mayor added. The daughter of Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda is transforming her town into a haven not just for agricultural and livestock production, but for investments related to tourism, real estate and retail services.
Cayabyab and the town council, led by Vice Mayor Robertito V. Diaz, earlier revised the tax code of the municipality resulting in high revenues since the mayor took office in 2010. Local taxes were P3.9 million in 2011. Last year the total collection was almost P5.2 million, the highest-ever registered by the municipality with 44 barangays.
Councilor Jun John Susi said he and Lubao officials led by Cayabyab visited Jeongseon in 2012. He said the delegation was “impressed by the beauty and cleanliness” of the county, home to the High I Ski Resort. The resort at 1,345 meters is at the highest altitude of the Korean ski resorts.
“The mayor and the other local and municipal officials are, indeed, going into the direction of attracting more quality and bigger investments which provide more jobs,” said Susi, adding that the visit of the delegation is a “prelude” to the signing of the sisterhood pact between Jeongseon and Lubao.
Korean Community Association-Pampanga Chapter President Kim Ki Young and Choi “JP” Jong Pil of the Korean chamber of commerce also graced the event at the 17th-century neoclassic and Spanish stone-and-brick church. The National Museum of the Philippines declared Pampanga’s oldest church as an Important Cultural Property in 2013.
A green-colored hot-air balloon, bearing the name of the Lubao municipal government, was displayed at the church compound. It was showcased to the visitors by Lubao balloon festival event organizers Noel Castro Jr. and Steve Kim.
The delegation also visited the municipal hall, material recovery facility, public market, Pradera Verde (to fly hot-air balloons) in Lubao, Amare Oxford Hotel, Clark Museum, Nayong Pilipino, Puning’s Hot Spring and Matam-ih in Clark.