Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon yesterday asked rebels who remain at their camps in the mountains to consider the peace negotiation offered by the provincial government.

The governor said his administration has been trying to reach out to the rebels for many years and he is hoping they will evaluate the offers made to them this year.

“A peaceful 2008 and a more progressive Negros is what I am wishing for,” Marañon said.

He also said he hopes that the impressive tax collection posted by the local government units in Negros Occidental, reflected in their Internal Revenue Allotment from the national government, will be sustained next year.

The earnings of the LGUs should also be translated into more services to the people, he said.

“We should always give back to the people in terms of productive enterprise to prepare ourselves for globalization,” Marañon said.

Looking back, the governor said Negros Occidental has been lucky to be spared from calamities even with two major typhoons passing the country.

“The two elections this year, the May 14 national polls and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan election in Oct. 29, also went by peacefully and we have to be thankful for that,” Marañon said.

Meanwhile, he reminded the public to be careful in celebrating the holidays since it will spoil the occasion if they find themselves in hospitals on Christmas Day or the New Year.

Those who are fond of pyrotechnics should be very careful, he said.*NAB

back to top