LA TRINIDAD, Benguet– Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap underscored that the province must have its distinct identity in terms of products, tourism destinations among others that will contribute in spurring overall economic growth so that it will not always ride on the popularity of nearby Baguio City to be able to entice investors to conduct business in the different parts of the province.
In a surprise meeting with farmers and concerned stakeholders held in front of the Benguet Agri Pinoy Trading Center Thursday morning, Yap, who chairs the powerful House committee on appropriations, stated that Benguet has a bright future in establishing its own distinct identity from Baguio City primarily because it is the major source of most of the products being sold in the Summer Capital aside from being the main gateway to the highly urbanized city.
While it is true that the development of Baguio and Benguet should go hand in hand, the lawmaker pointed out that the province should continue working on the implementation of high impact development projects that will elevate the status of Benguet as one of the first-class provinces probably during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte and even beyond because of the enormous support being provided by the concerned government agencies to improve the prevailing condition provincewide.
He claimed that significant development in the different parts of the province had been implemented last year, this year and the coming years that it is possible that Benguet will be able to be reclassified as a first-class province in the future for the same to enjoy the benefits of the development projects that will be infused for the priority development projects that were identified in coordination with the 13 municipal governments.
According to him, he will continue making the appropriate representations with the concerned government agencies to convey to them the importance of providing adequate funding support to the identified priority development projects in the different parts of the province so that people will be able to feel the presence of government in their midst for them to be able to trust in the programs, projects and activities of the government geared towards countryside development.
Congressman Yap asserted that there will come a time that the vegetables, fruits and other processed products being actually produced in the province will be known as Benguet products because of the ongoing aggressive campaign to inform and educate foreign and domestic tourists that the same are produced in Benguet that is adjacent to Baguio City.
He stipulated that on his part, he is doing his best to advertise Benguet as a prime tourist destination so that tourists will be able to consider going beyond Baguio City for them to witness the beautiful tourist spots and experience the warm welcome of the peace-loving people of the province and that the visit of the candidates of the Miss Universe – Philippines 2020 to the province last year is just the start of the aforesaid aggressive promotion geared towards placing Benguet into the tourism map of the world. By HENT