31/07/2025
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ "๐๐๐๐ค": ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Alfredo Sasi, Jr. and Charlene Mae Luces (PIO)
Published July 31, 2025
For most new leaders, the first few weeks in office are a time for settling in, forming teams, and charting the course ahead. But for Antique Governor Paolo Javier, the word โweekโ has taken on a whole new meaningโone that feels more like a whirlwind than a calendar entry.
In just a matter of weeks, Governor Javier found himself juggling financial woes, a large-scale health emergency, back-to-back storms, and a devastating fire, all while learning the ropes of provincial executive leadership.
๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฒ
Straight from his inauguration, Governor Javier hit the ground running. Coming from a legislative background as a three-term Congressman, he knew executive governance would be unfamiliar terrain. But he didnโt expect to confront a fiscal crisis on Day One: July 1, 2025.
Upon meeting with the Provincial Health Office, Chief of Hospitals, and the Provincial Finance Committee, he was told the provinceโs eight government-run hospitals were facing a funding shortfall that could leave them unable to operate or pay their workers before yearโs end. Without hesitation, the newly sworn-in Governor appealed to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for a supplemental budget to save the provinceโs most vital services.
And the week was only beginning.
๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ-๐๐ง๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ
Just a day later, Antique was rocked by a health crisis. On July 2, 2025, hundreds of students from Pis-anan National High School and Pis-anan Central School in Sibalom were rushed to nearby hospitals after inhaling an unidentified noxious gas. Panic swept the community as the Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital (RMSMDH), the areaโs primary health facility, was overwhelmed as more than a dozen rescue vehicles continue to bring students in need of medical aid.
Governor Javier rushed to Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in San Jose to monitor patients being transferred from Sibalom. Meanwhile, Congressman AA Legarda and Sibalom Mayor Gian Carlo Occeรฑa responded immediately at RMSMDH. Later, Governor Javier joined them and other local leaders, including San Jose Mayor Paul Joseph Untaran, Belison Mayor Christopher Piccio, and SP Member Vincent Piccio III.
He also visited Barangay Pis-anan, where the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) had set up a triage area. With Legarda by his side, he personally engaged with residents, promising a thorough investigation into the source of the mysterious gas.
Tents were soon erected at ASMGH to accommodate the growing number of patients. As night turned to dawn, Governor Javier remained on standby, making public appeals for folding beds, foam mattresses, and electric fans. It did not take long for the Antiqueรฑo spirit to provide the needed relief.
๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฐ๐จ: ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐
๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ
No sooner had the Pis-anan emergency calmed than Mother Nature unleashed her fury. A week later, Severe Tropical Storm โWiphaโ (locally named โCrisingโ) lashed northern Antique. The rains, intensified by the southwest monsoon, caused flooding, landslides, and mudslides in Sebaste, Culasi, Tibiao, and Laua-an.
Just hours after arriving from a trip to Manila, Governor Javier skipped rest and drove straight north. From one evacuation site to another, he assessed the damage, met displaced families, and ensured food packs from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) reached the affected barangays.
It was another exhausting week, one where leadership was defined not by statements, but by presence. Now with the whole province under state of calamity, Antique is anticipating the next steps of its governor.
๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐: ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ข
As the province continued to grapple with the rainy season and the ongoing investigation into the Pis-anan incident, tragedy struck again. On July 20, a fire engulfed a Muslim compound in Barangay Jalandoni, Culasi, leaving families homeless.
Relief came swiftly as ukay-ukay store owners stepped in with clothing donations, which Governor Javier personally received. These donations were then delivered alongside essential goods like rice, non-perishable goods, water, and home repair kits.
The fire may have razed homes, but once again, the communityโs generosity and the Governorโs swift coordination provided a spark of hope.
๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
Throughout these crises, it became evident that Governor Javier was not leading alone.
He has the strong support of dependable partners, with Antiqueโs key leaders at the forefront. Among them, siblings Congressman AA Legarda and Senator Loren Legarda have stood by the Governor from the beginning, aligning their programs and initiatives with his to serve the Antiqueรฑos more effectively. Even Uswag Partylist Representative Jojo Ang, from the neighboring province of Iloilo, has been seen in Antique alongside the Governor, reinforcing a broader spirit of friendship and cooperation.
Most importantly, Governor Javier enjoys the wholehearted support of the Antiqueรฑos themselves. They have been deeply moved by his brand of leadership. One that echoes the sincerity and people-oriented legacy of his uncle, Evelio B. Javier, during his own time as governor.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ง
Governor Paolo Javier may be new to executive administration, but the past few weeks have shown he is not new to serving his people.
Each week brought a new challenge, a new opportunity to rise. And rise he did.
Whether facing a province-wide hospital funding crisis, a mass casualty gas incident, devastating floods, or a community displaced by fire, Governor Javier proved that leadership is not about position. Itโs about presence.
And through it all, he lived out the core of his governance mantra:
Effective in decision-making, efficient in mobilizing resources and responses, economical in maximizing what little was available, and always empathetic, standing beside his people when they needed him most.
If these first โweeksโ are any indication, the people of Antique can rest assured: their Governor shows up, stays up, and leads from the front, whether in rain or fire, flood or fear.
What a week, indeed. And what a beginning. #
For additional information and content, you may visit the following:
Website: www.antique.gov.ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KulturaKinaadmanKatawhan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovPaoloJavier
