Fiesta 2003 and 15th anniversary SESAA Veterans Hall Terra Bella California August 31, 2003.
Guest Speaker Vice Mayor Norman V. Mendoza.

        Ayayatek a kailian, napateg a sangsangaili, kakabagyak, gagayyem ken kakabsat, kablaawan kayo amin ti naragsak a rabii.It is indeed a great pleasure to have me as your guest speaker for tonight, the 15th anniversary celebration of the San Esteban Schools Alumni Association highlighted by the coronation of the queen of the night and her princesses who are close to my heart. Queen Aida is a cousin of mine, 1st Princess Patrocinia is a good neighbor back in San Nicolas and 2nd Princess Evelyn is a suki of meat products at the Sta. Maria Market. I would like to congratulate Manong Rudy Europa for coming up with this annual event that brought us all to Terra Bella. Likewise, I salute the mother club the San Esteban Circle led by the untiring Nana Rose Cabatu for their efforts in making this annual celebration a memorable event for all of us.

        Tonight should be extra memorable if i were accompanied by some members of the municipal council but despite the tremendous support and assistance provided by the association they were unfortunately not issued visas. Their misfortunes are a learning experience to us and we will never loose hope to bring town mates eager to join you here in Terra Bella to feel and witness for themselves the warmth and nostalgia meeting our kababayans from all over the United States. The only councilor who has a visa and was supposed to join me, the Hon. Florence Ramirez is still indisposed due to a surgical operation and is recuperating at home.

        I'm sure you are interested to know what's happening to our hometown of San Esteban. Before I left, the mayor convened the town fiesta steering committee and decided that for this year we will have simple celebrations because of the tight economic situation prevailing in the country. There will only be 3 candidates for the popularity contest because all of the barangays were clustered into 3. Cluster 1 comprise the coastal barangays San Pablo, Villa Quirino, Bateria & Apatot. cluster 2 comprise the highway barangays San Rafael, Poblacion and San Nicolas. Cluster 3 the eastern barangays Cappa Cappa, Ansad and Cabaroan. The Harana Singing Contest Finals will be on Dec. 25, the coronation night with cultural presentations from each barangay on Dec. 26, balikbayans and other homecomers night on Dec. 27 and the school principals requested that they too will have their own popularity contest on Dec. 28 called the DECS Night.

        The peace and order situation is normal except for isolated incidents caused by drunkenness. The drug problem is under control since all pushers and users have been identified and under surveillance by the local police. The tobacco industry which barely made it may normalize next year but tobacco planted on salty lands is a no no and will not be bought. The Mayor expects to receive a windfall of funds this last quarter of 2003 and our some of the major projects are the rehabilitation of the Tapaoan road where spans of cracked roads will be scraped and repaved with new concrete, the purchase of a landfill area to address the growing garbage problem, incidentally the municipal administration with all the barangay captains made an educational tour to the City of San Fernando who operates a model sanitary landfill and learned how to successfully operate such thing and taught us also how residents nearby should minimize opposing it and instead use it to their advantage, develop the access road leading to the new cemetery site just east of the old one, continue with the construction of the Farmers Public Market at the Facoma site and build new school buildings for the national high school whose population now is nearing 500.The tourism industry is on the rise and this inspired me to come out with the Glimpse of San Esteban, the first tourist information brochure of our town where the Website Chairperson and Webmaster Mrs. Susan Abad Europa played a vital role by arranging the designs.

        I would like to take this opportunity to thank the benefactors and donors of the Municipal scholarship Fund, a pet project of the Mayor & the Vice Mayor in coordination with the Sangguniang Kabataan. We have 3 college scholars now in their second year. SESAA recently gave $300, Manong Ramon and Manang Violy Lores gave P25,000, The San Esteban Website gave $100 and many other generous people and associations supported the scholars. I enjoin you to please continue supporting our less fortunate town mates finish their education.

        On the communications side, it is very unfortunate that at the moment Digitel, the franchise holder of landline telephones in the province, is not yet convinced to put up the landlines because they foresee a slow return of investment caused by the saturated patronage of cellular phones. Although San Esteban cannot enjoy the advantage of surfing the internet at the moment our communication facilities thru the cellular phones provide adequate and cheap service. At this point let me commend the efforts of the Webmaster and her entire staff for their dedication and hard work that keep us binded and intertwined. It has caused us to be closer with each other and updated with important events that are relevant to every San Estebanian around the world.

        On the political front since the elections are less than a year from now, let it be known that it is our desire to concretize our mission of making San Esteban a comfortable and safe place to live in for you and for me, the very reason the Mayor and I have decided to continue serving our constituents the best way we can by running again in the forthcoming elections in the same capacities or present positions that we occupy with the platform of good government and transparency. We will once more face the challenge put up by the electorate trusting that our performance is sufficient reason for people to retain the confidence they have in us.

        I hope and pray that the unity and cooperation that is now unfolding in Terra Bella creep all the way to San Esteban. Intrigues, greed and jealousy has no place in our hearts. Let us plead to the Almighty that He will always bless us all and keep us in his care.

        Agbiag ti San Esteban! Agbiag ti SESAA! Keep up the good work. Naimbag a rabii tay amin. Agyamannak launay.