PGMA showers Eastern Samar with more anti-poverty goodies

By ALICE NICART (PIA Eastern Samar)
November 12, 2007

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar  –  President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo brought more financial assistance to Eastern Samar in her recent visit to this province on the occasion of their 42nd Founding Anniversary.

In spite of the province’s giant leap from the country’s poorest provinces (from rank 17 to 33), the President said she still opts to accelerate aggressively the trend of progress not only in this part of Region 8 but in the entire nation.  Thus, for Eastern Samar, she was happy to note that it held the first ever Provincial Anti-Poverty Summit, where the province’s top priority problems were given attention to.

She also said in her keynote speech, that for the coming holiday season, she will bring rice to those who need it most and work hard to protect the poor from high prices.  She added that her long term vision is for the Philippines to reach the verge of first world in 20 years by putting in place a robust middle class, world class infrastructure and strong institutions of government.

Before she even went to Borongan City for the Founding Anniversary Celebration of the Province, the President inspected first the P20M road project in Jipapad, the tip most town which is one of the most depressed areas of the province.  Here, she was happy to note that after two years or so, the road which connects Eastern and Northern Samar will open the town’s gateway to progress by the end of November, the expected day for completion.

Mrs. Joy Catamco, a BIR employee was happy to hear the good news about Jipapad.  According to her, once she had the chance to visit Jipapad, and there she noted that the place really needs the attention of the national leadership.  She said, that her sank for the people seeing them feeling just happy and contented with what they had then, despite the gap in living standards that she surmised in just a few hours that she was there.  With the President’s recent personal attention and visit, Catamco concluded, Jipapad town and people will surely change their lives for the better.

Aside from Jipapad, the President also reported that she is extending financial assistance to the roads of another tip most town-Arteche. Some of the assistance awarded by President Arroyo to the respective beneficiaries are as follows: For DSWD, checks worthP1.4M under the Core Shelter Project, P575,000 for the Cash for Work Program and P300,000 for SEA-K.  DA also received P4M check under the Calamity Assistance Rehabilitation (CARE) and P1M under the Infrastructure for Rural Productivity Enhancement Sector (INFRES);  BFAR: 8 units of Deep-Sea “Payao”, 50 Units gill Nets and 1-multipurpose vessel under the Bantay-Dagat Program; DAR: Certificates of Completion for 5 bridges and newly rehabilitated farm to market roads worth P48M from ADB-ARCP fund. DOH: Awards of Certificates for Medicines to operators of Botika ng barangay at 25,000 each Botika, while DENR awarded land titles under the “Handog Titulo”.