Mariano Marcos
State University

'True progress is measured by how lives change': Gov. Marcos charts policy directions in State of the Province Address

By Ian Paul Villanueva

Grounding her administration’s roadmap on human-centered growth and institutional trust, Ilocos Norte Governor Cecilia Araneta - Marcos presented her policy directions in her first State of the Province Address (SOPA) on August 3 at the Ilocandia Cultural Center, City of Batac, Ilocos Norte.

In a show of support for Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos and her provincial development priorities, CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis, MMSU President Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr., and MMSU Office for Strategic Communication Director Herdy Yumul were present during the SOPA.

The governor started by reporting the provincial government’s recent accomplishments in governance and local economic development, as well as its recent strides in the education, tourism, agricultural, and health sectors.

Looking ahead, Governor Marcos also laid out her policy priorities. She highlighted the provincial government’s continued commitment to modernizing the province’s infrastructure, including the Laoag International Airport, the district hospitals, Phase III of the Ilocos Norte Transport Hub, a new cold storage facility, and agro-processing hubs, alongside the expansion of the province’s renewable energy sector.

On the educational front, the governor’s policy directions are poised to impact local institutions such as the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU). Governor Marcos shared the province’s initiative of connecting MMSU with Alabama institutions during their diplomatic and trade mission in the United States.

In concluding her address, Marcos shared her “dream for Ilocos Norte,” where she narrated her vision for the province, highlighted by the planned establishment of standalone Cancer and Kidney Centers, a Children’s hospital, and other developments.

“True progress is not measured only by the projects we build, the roads we pave, the airports we develop, the hospitals we establish, or the investments we bring. True progress is measured by how the lives of our people change for the better,” she said.