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The weeklong celebration, from the Provincial Agro-Trade Fair, the Search for Outstanding Police Officers, the Next Singing Idol, the Bike Fun Ride, the Pandang-gitab Festival, the Search for Miss Oriental Mindoro, Blessing of CORE Housing Units, Inter-Color Sports and Cheerdance Competitions, the Drums and Glockenspiel Competition, among others, showcased the province's bountiful resources, the beauty and strength of its people and its rich and varied culture.
Highlight of the festivities was the Thanksgiving Mass that was offered as gratitude for the blessings and progress the province had achieved in its fifty-eight years of existence. The Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated at the Sto. Niņo Cathedral in Calapan City in the morning of November 15, the anniversary of the creation of the province.
Governor Panaligan said that the celebration's theme, "Building Bridges for the Future" reflects the efforts of his administration to pursue development programs and projects that will serve as bridges in attaining a more progressive and peaceful future for the province.
In his post-communion remarks before the end of the mass, the governor stressed that the province has always triumphantly emerged after every challenge and crisis that came its way. He exhorted the Mindoreņos to continue working together to ensure a better and more prosperous future for every Mindoreņo family.
He added that because of Oriental Mindoro's vast potentials, it is on track to become one of the progressive provinces at par with the other provinces of the country. Oriental Mindoro is now the regional government center of the MIMAROPA region that is expected to further boost the development of the province. It has become the vital link of mainland Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao via the Strong Republic Nautical Highway that provided impetus for inter-island trade and commerce and promoted tourism in the province.
The governor also said that he is proud that Oriental Mindoro today has a booming capital city and vibrant municipalities with tremendous potentials for development. As a major food producer in the Southern Tagalog Region, the province supplies the food requirements of the population-rich regions of the country. Blessed with natural attractions, the province is likewise primed to become an eco-tourism hub.
As, Oriental Mindoro marks its 58 years of existence, the Mindoreņos can face the coming years with renewed confidence that their province is heading in the right direction because of the vision and determination of its leaders and the active collaboration of the people.
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