Ebdane urges Zambaleños to unite for change and progress

Gubernatorial candidate Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has called on residents of Zambales to unite under his action agenda for change and progress, pointing out that the province has remained stagnant in terms of development for too long.

“What Zambales needs is direction, action, and purposive interaction,” Ebdane said in a media interview during a campaign sortie here the other day.

“And I am ready, willing and able to lead the charge for change. We will build the Zambales of our dreams, together,” he added.

Ebdane, who is a civil engineer, as well as a soldier by profession, said Zambales has lagged behind other provinces in developing infrastructures, building facilities and creating livelihood opportunities because of “too much partisan politics.”

“That’s what’s killing Zambales and all the potentials and opportunities for its residents,” Ebdane rued. “The past several years has seen too much politicking, even when elections have long been ”

“We should stop that negative preoccupation, and instead move forward towards a new direction that will provide better opportunities and realize life-changing projects for a greater number of Zambaleños,” he also said.

Under Ebdane’s action agenda, priority has been placed on tourism and agriculture, two sectors that Ebdane said “represents the present and future of the province.”

To complement the development of these sectors, Ebdane said that “appropriate focus” should also be made on the proper utilization of natural resources, education and skills training, and the introduction of technology suitable to local situation.

“Zambales is literally begging for change to take place after several years of stagnation. This is what I’ve seen and heard as we made the rounds of the province,” Ebdane related.

“The lesson that Zambaleños must realize is that we don’t need politicos — we have seen so much of them already, and look where our province is now. What we need, from the provincial level down to the barangay level, are leaders who have the political will and the capability to take the community to the next level,” he added.

The task to unite the people and instill both inspiration and discipline aptly falls on the shoulders of Ebdane, who has served as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and national director of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said Zambales board member Wilfredo Paul Pangan.

Pangan, who is seeking re-election under the Ebdane’s Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka (PMM), said the former Cabinet member is a known problem-solver, who would bring to Zambales “more solutions rather than more problems.”

Pangan also said that unlike most problem-solvers, Ebdane “makes it a point to get a consensus from all concerned — so there is more interaction, more inputs from everybody.”

Meanwhile, Bernard Echon, a coordinator of the Youth for Ebdane Movement, said that leaders from the youth sector are now actively campaigning for Ebdane “to ensure a voice for the succeeding generations in the administration of Zambales.”

“As stakeholders of the future, the youth have to make their stand in this election,” Echon said. “It is the right time for a new leader to emerge and bring Zambales forward,” he added.

With this, Ebdane reiterated his commitment to lead Zambaleños toward progress. “This local boy has come home to serve his fellow Zambaleños and his province,” he said. “And this local boy is also ready to be accountable for every decision and every action that will be taken under his watch.”