Cebu province to help Southern Leyte in setting new tourism directions, says Gov. Garcia

By BONG PEDALINO (PIA Southern Leyte)
July 3, 2008

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  The tourism program in the province of Southern Leyte has found an ally in Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the first lady chief executive from the renowned queen city and province of the south.

“Count us in setting new tourism directions for the province,” the lady Governor intoned in her keynote address here Tuesday at the anniversary program highlighting the 48th founding day celebration of the province.

Noting that the anniversary theme revolves around “destination Southern Leyte: Setting new directions,” Gov. Garcia drew parallel circumstances when she first assumed the post in 2004.

She said the first thing she did was to transform the Cebu tourism program from the familiar and usual sights to involving the various municipalities, and so the “Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbu” program was born.

From then on, she had made it a point that every town should have their own festival, said Garcia.

She added that this coming August 9 there will be a showdown of 47 various festivals of Cebu which they called “Pasigarbo sa Sugbu”.

Gov. Garcia was already here last Monday night as one of the guests who crowned the new Miss Southern Leyte 2008, Marie Ann G. Maraon, 18, from Macrohon town.

Her extended presence was widely understood as a last-minute replacement for the supposed guest, Bayani Fernando of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), who came early on Saturday to beg to be absent for a Cabinet meeting with President Arroyo at Ilo-ilo on Tuesday.

But presidential assistant for Region 8 Vic Domingo, who was publicly acknowledged as the person to take the place of Fernando, also came, albeit a bit late, and so he was also given time to speak.