Presidential Assistant for Visayas meets Samar officials

TACLOBAN CITY, July 29 (PNA) - Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Diño visited Samar province on Thursday to link the needs of local government units (LGUs) to Malacañang.

Upon his arrival, he had a brief meeting with Major General Jet B. Verlamino, commander of the Army's 8th Infantry Division.

The two officials discussed priority projects to fully address insurgency in remote communities.

Diño also thank the military for being a strong partner in peace and development in the region.

He also gathered all local chief executives in Samar province. Local officials asked the present administration to continue the implementation of bottom-up budgeting, the government’s reform program institutionalizing people’s participation in the budget process.

"He was here to listen and particularly find out the needs of Samar LGUs," said Imelda Bonifacio, 

Samar area manager of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, one of the participants.

Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan handed to Diño a three-year irrigation plan and the proposed roads that will link remote towns to the national road.

The roads are among the needs to respond to the development gaps that would lift Samar from being the 10th poorest province, according to Bonifacio.

Tan asked all mayors set aside politics and encourage everyone to support the socio-economic agenda drafted by the province.

All mayors in the province were present except Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino and Matuguinao Mayor Melissa Dela Cruz, but both of them sent representatives.

After the gathering, Diño had a private meeting with Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan on programs that the city needs.

The city mayor lauded the present administration for giving priority to impoverished Samar province.

Uy-Tan said that with the focus now of the government to help Samar, she hopes that this will meet the dreams of Samar residents for sustainable development.

Diño is the second cabinet member of President Rodrigo Dutere who visited Samar after Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.

The three Samar provinces is on the list of top 10 poorest provinces in the country. Eastern Samar has a poverty incidence of 55.4 percent while Samar and Northern Samar share identical poverty rate of 43.5 percent. (PNA)
RMA/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR