THE House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously passed House Bill 23-88, which would rename the Ma’afala Breadfruit Program after one of its main proponents, Ivan Blanco, the late Precinct 3 representative.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Thomas Manglona, now goes to the Senate.
According to the bill, Blanco was a “man committed to establishing a sustainable future for generations to come.”
The breadfruit program was established in 2013 by the late Gov. Eloy S. Inos, who created the Breadfruit Initiative Task Force with Blanco as its chair.
Ten years after the task force was created, the Ma’afala Breadfruit Program now has dozens of breadfruit trees in Kagman.
“As we all know, [Blanco] was a champion for this program and a champion from our community,” Manglona said. “I’m thankful we can move this forward and hopefully keep his legacy and his name alive for years to come.”
Ivan Blanco
