The following article was taken from the Paniqui Town Fiesta 2010 Souvenir Program

“The municipality is envisioned as the center of northern Tarlac for trade & commerce and education with God-fearing, healthy, & well-disciplined citizenry who lived in a globally competitive, peaceful & environment friendly community ready to take advantage of the opportunities of the modern technology”.

This is our moving vision formulated during the Executive-Legislative workshop for economic development priorities of our beloved town of Paniqui. Our mission is to boost our trade and commerce, provide affordable health care and unwavering social services, and give quality education and employment opportunities for our constituent. Well, it’s easily said than done, but “How can we realize these inspiring words? What can we do?”  So perhaps it’s a question of political will.

Progress in the community starts from the people inhibiting the community, without manpower there is no driving force to step forward. So we started to prioritize on the health sector of the population banking on PhilHealth cards which subsidize the cost of medical bills, the target is to reach eight thousand (8000) card holders or almost half of the household population of Paniqui. Presently, around three thousand (3000) families have members registered as Philhealth card holders. Another is the installation of six (6) health centers and another dental center which will improve healthcare services. Promoting affordable, even free medicines is very significant at this coping time. The blood donation drive has produced over sixty five (65) gallons of healthy blood since it started in 2007. Continued surgical, dental, and medical mission contribute immensely to sickly indigents which for the past years have never seek treatment.

In sync with the health program is the sustainable growth of the social services sector by promoting livelihood assistance programs for women, youth, and senior citizens. The water lily livelihood program helped over one hundred (100) individuals to gain income from handicrafts made from the water plant. Self-employment assistance program gives financial support to women entrepreneurs of Paniqui.

Education will then be treated as a necessity in the coming years, and as early as this present administration is concern, it has been allotting funds to sponsor scholarship for deserving students in high school and college. Currently, one hundred eight (108) scholars are benefiting from the financial assistance of the LGU. The population is expected to increase as we empower further for the future of our youth. Construction of Daycare Centers and educational facilities will help fill the deficiencies on the educational sector.

Job seeking becomes a semi-annual event in our municipality which will improve employment for the working class. Over 700 applicants were pooled and 40 persons hired on the spot last year. The skills training program co-sponsored by TESDA, Provincial Government, and our LGU produced over one thousand three hundred seventy (1370) unemployed composed mainly of out of school youths are graduates of basic computer, motorcycle mechanic, salon and beauty services, haircut, dressmaking, massage therapy, practical electricity, cell phone repair, food processing, shielded metal arc welding, and bartending.

In local administration, we’re looking at a more conducive system to efficiently increase local income and manage fiscal collection. Business permit transactions include the step by step processes of application, assessment, approval, payment, and release of business permits and licenses. Computerization of business permits transactions, community tax certificates, and collection, the feature of Electronic Business Permit and Licensing System (eBPLS) incorporate data of ownership, business name, nature of business, date of last transaction, kind of transaction, and application history. eBPLS can generate reports like collection summary, comparative annual and quarterly report, individual tax delinquent list, notices of business tax collection, and order of payment for a particular a business.

Computerization of real property tax declaration and payment includes transactions for subdivision, consolidation, new discovery, reassessment/reclassification, payment collection, and change of ownership for a certain real property. The program reveals the property information comprising of the ownership, real property information, and tax-related data. Electronic Real Property Tax System (eRPTS) can generate Real Property Tax Order of Payment (RPTOP). Also, it can produce reports like the list of properties per classification, list of newly declared properties, and list of taxable properties, daily transaction listing, permanently cancelled real property units, and list of residential buildings with market value below 175, 000.00 pesos.

In local governance, transparency is a necessity. The formulation of the “Paniquinians Charter” will lead to the abolishment of “red tape” and translates to good and proficient public service.  Communicating to the public through various means, i.e., bulletin board, public information desk, print, broadcast media, website, and forum, is important. “Paniqui.. lipad ng umunlad” radio program is running successfully for one (1) year now informing and educating our fellowmen on issues and concerns happening around the municipality. The epaniqui.com.ph website poses a significant tool of information on current events, activities, news, and much more for all Paniquinians around the world.  

Community development in the barangays is number one priority. Farming and environmental protection must adapt and develop simultaneously. Organic farming is the new technology to fight the rising prices of commodities and farm inputs, food shortage, and environment degradation. Sustainable agriculture technologies are promoted through dispersal of hybrid rice seeds, hybrid corn seeds, high value commercial crops, the Cattle Fattening Project, and the Farm Youth Development Program. Organic fertilizer is produced in the MRFs (Materials Recovery Facility), which also manages the problem of solid waste around the clustered barangays.

Progress, they say, is evident through infrastructure development. More than three (3) kilometers of road network were concreted in a single year, and will be consistent for the years to come until we reach 100% concreted farm to market roads. Electricity has reached the farthest places for families to benefit from. Rehabilitation and maintenance of key structures (e.g. Evacuation Centers, Public Plaza, Auditorium, Municipal Buildings, etc.), drainage and flood mitigation measures is programmed yearly. Closure of the Open Dumpsite will be implemented before the second quarter of this year, to eliminate the hazardous effect of waste in the environment and particularly to the health of our kababayans in Brgy. Dapdap.

Indeed our town is taking off to higher grounds, fulfilling our mission with every step of the way, like the flying “paniki” (bat) soaring the sky. In just a matter of time, our vision will be within our grasp, the fruits of our labor harvested fresh and plump.