La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy “R, Ortega installed Provincial Agriculturist Ramon F. Laudencia as 2019 opened. Laudencia’s appointment to the agricultural portfolio spells out a promising agricultural landscape which is expected to continuously respond to the major program components in the field ranging from rice production, fishery development, cooperative enhancement efforts, corn production, farm mechanization, and high value crop development packages.

Truly aware of the role of agriculture as a banner program of the Agri-Tourism vision of the provincial leadership, “Mon,” as he is fondly called by his close relatives and friends, started his provincial cabinet post through a general acquaintance staff meeting of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAg) with an exchange of pleasantries and personal introduction of every employee as PA Mon intently listened. It was, indeed, an opportune time for every staff to meet the newly-installed department head.

Following his initial meeting with the OPAg employees was his first official ocular visit to the department’s agricultural facilities (provincial nurseries and techno-demo farms) to see for himself, and assess what has to be done in alignment to the Governor’s vision of positioning La Union as the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025. Joined by the units heads and OPAg Governor’s Press Corps (GPC), PA Mon managed his way to confer with the nursery staff and walked through the perimeters of the facilities followed by a simple yet sumptuous lunch offered late noon of January 11, 2019.

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FROM A CITY LEGISLATOR TO A DEPARTMENT HEAD POST

Former City Councilor Ramon F. Laudencia assumed as the Provincial Agriculturist (PA) after Governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III inked the appointment on January 7, 2019 as the newest member of the Governor’s Cabinet. It was on the same date that the first Cabinet meeting was held for 2019 at the Diego Silang Hall, Provincial Capitol, City of San Fernando, La Union.

The new appointee was the former Vice-Chair of the San Fernando City Council’s Commitee on Agriculture that paved the way for the legislation of landmark agricultural support services while enhancing the city towards progressive march in making the lives of the farming and fishery communities more convenient and at par with the middle stratum of the civil society.

Among others, Laudencia is a holder of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (BSA) from the University of the Philippines-Los Banos and a Diploma in Agri-Business Management from the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU). His four government eligibilities include Career Service Executive Examination (CSEE) in 2003, Agriculture Office Examination in 1980, Career Service Professional in 1980, and the Career Service Sub-Professional in 1977.

PA Mon had likewise been a commissioned reserve military officer being a holder of Masters in National Security Administration (MNSA), the most notable of which is his present post as Batallion Commander of the 1st La Union Ready Reserve Batallion of the 103rd Command Defense Center , 1st Regional Command Defense Group (ARESCOM).

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LAUDENCIA EYES OPAG AS A STANDOUT PGLU DEPARTMENT

Banking on his vast work experiences and technical trainings and courses in agriculture, Laudencia remains focused in making the OPAg as a performing department of the provincial government. Laudencia’s initial messages to the agricultural stakeholders are centered on a serious attempt to collectively put all efforts towards realizing the Governor’s vision to position La Union as the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025. With a refined and determined stance towards this end, the new agriculture head comes into play even outside the comforts of his air-conditioned office and reaches out to the remotest villages just to deliver what could be best for the farming and fishery communities as he sends the message of inclusiveness where every achievement of the department will always be credited to ALL who have spared their efforts day in and day out.

True to his words, Mon carries the torch of agricultural greatness as he performs his mandate as the newest member of the Governor’s Cabinet – an assignment that will showcase the fulfilment of a dream after the final term of Governor Pacoy as the Champion of Transformative Local Governance and Leadership in the North.