GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/05 March) — President Benigno S. Aquino III will visit anew this city on Wednesday to assess the progress of the national government’s priority development projects in the area and join a scheduled campaign sortie of senatorial candidates under the administration’s Team PNoy.
Cathy Apelacio, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Information Agency here, told MindaNews that the President is expected to arrive at the city airport at around 10 a.m. Wednesday and will immediately proceed to the project site of the P1.1-billion city circumferential road in Barangay Mabuhay.
She said a briefing on the project’s progress and status will be made in the area by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Romeo Momo.
DPWH has allocated around P300 million this year for the completion of the project, which was earlier endorsed by the Regional Development Council of Region 12 as among the region’s priority infrastructure initiatives.
In the last two years, the national government already released around P700 million for the project.
The road network starts from the diversion road along the General Santos-Davao highway in Barangay Katangawan and stretches to the Sinawal road along the General Santos-Isulan highway in Barangay Apopong and the airport road in Barangay Fatima.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) already completed the construction of the road network’s component bridge that connects Barangays Fatima and Sinawal and the concreting and upgrading of about a kilometer of the eastern section of the Sinawal road in Barangay Apopong.
After the site visit, Apelacio said the President will make a stop at the scheduled campaign sortie of Team PNoy at the city gymnasium in Barangay Lagao.
The President was expected to spearhead the proclamation of the senatorial bets and local Liberal Party members who were seeking various posts in the May 13 mid-term national and local elections.
On Tuesday, Team PNoy opened its campaign swing in the area with a proclamation rally in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat.
Three team stalwarts — former senators Ramon Magsasay Jr. and Jamby Madrigal, and former Akbayan representative Risa Hontiveros — joined the area sorties, which also covered Koronadal City and Polomolok town in South Cotabato.
Apelacio said Senator Loren Legarda was already in the city for several engagements while the other Team PNoy members were expected to arrive on Wednesday morning along with the President’s party.
Before joining Team Pnoy’s sorties in Davao City, she added that the President will meet with local government officials and business leaders, specifically members of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)
