During the 58th Charter Day Anniversary of Calbayog City

PGMA to give ‘special’ SONA for Samar people

By RICKY J. BAUTISTA
October 14, 2006

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  In her second visit to this city’s 58th Charter Day Anniversary on Monday (October 16), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has prepared a very special day, as she is expected to deliver her “special” State of the Nation Address (SONA) exclusively for the constituents of three provinces of Samar Island.

Using a private plane, Mrs. Arroyo will be arriving at the Calbayog City Airport located at Brgy. Trinidad, here at around 10 a.m. which would be welcome by Rep. Reynaldo S. Uy (1st District-Samar), Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento, among other city officials.

In an exclusive interview, Calbayog City Administrator Edgar Isidro yesterday informed this writer that the visit of the president is now confirmed.

“It’s all systems go for PGMA’s visit her as her advance party (PMS) will be on their way now to this city, which is the only city of Samar Island,” Isidro said.

Apparently, the absence of two of Samar Island’s governors, namely Samar Governor Milagrosa T. Tan and Northern Samar Raul Daza in last July’s SONA of President Arroyo at the House of Representatives triggered the president to have her special SONA delivered which initially would include all priority development and tourism plans for the three Samar provinces.

According to Isidro, these development plans for the Samar provinces were, in fact, deliberated and approved by members of the Regional Development Council (RDC) recently.

Being part of the Central Philippines Mega Region dubbed as the tourism center under PGMA’s Medium Term Investment Plan, Samar Island expects the president to include in her special address SONA the government’s flagship project One Town One Product (OTOP) which taps a particular industry and assist every town to develop such.

OTOP is a government program that seeks to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs through identification by local chief executives of specific products and services that have competitive advantage.

Still being part of the tourism center of the Central Philippines Mega Region, the promotion of Calicoan Island in Guiuan, Eastern Samar which was mentioned during PGMA’s July 2006 SONA, the three provinces is pushing for it to be packaged with other good tourist destinations in other Western and Northern Samar towns.

“We would like for other tourist destinations nga mahilakip in the promotion of the Calicoan Island in a sort of a tour package that would feature other tourist destinations in Samar’s northern and western provinces,” City Administrator Isidro said.

Meanwhile, top priority infrastructure project that would be unveiled by President Arroyo is the rehabilitation of the Calbiga-Calbayog road network, which according to Samar Congressmen Reynaldo Uy and Catalino Figueroa, may start soon after the ‘notice to proceed’ from the JBIC has arrived.

Aside from delivering the special SONA, President Arroyo’s visit would also see to the unveiling of project markers for the Cagbayang Bridge, Sakay Na Project of the Department of Education, TransCo Lines, Botika ng Bayan, Tindahan Natin, Calbayog City Sports Complex and the Mariculture for the Poor Livelihood project.

The president would also distribute secure tenure certificates for about 1,700 informal settlers represented by eleven homeowners’ association presidents.

She would also grace the barangay assembly awarding ceremony for the Susbaranan 2006 Brgy. Best Practices Award of the City of Calbayog.

A Sarakiki-Hadang Streetdance would likewise be performed in honor of the President.