Kapihan sa Kapitolyo tackles budget priorities, local issues

(L-R) 1st District Rep. Francisco Matugas, 2nd District Rep. Guillermo Romarate
DBM Sec. Florencio Abad and Gov. Sol Matugas. (Photo: PIA-SDN)

The Kapihan sa Kapitolyo held on March 13 at the provincial capitol garden opened the topics on budget priorities and local issues in the presence of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad as the resource speaker.

The activity was also graced by 1st District Rep. Francisco Matugas, 2nd District Rep. Guillermo Romarate, Gov. Sol Matugas, Vice Gov. Arturo Carlos Egay, Jr., members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, city and municipal officials with the division superintendents and DepED officials of the region.

Prior to the open forum, everyone, including the former DepED Secretary now Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Cong. Matugas, Cong. Romarate, Gov. Matugas, and the local government officials and guests planted trees on the landscapes of the provincial capitol garden.

In the discussion, they came to the educational part of which Sec. Abad primarily talked about the construction of school classrooms and buildings. That with the help of the local government, construction of these infrastructures would be fast and less problematic within 2013 with an allotted budget allocation of P21Billion for the DepED to use.

With regard to agricultural and tourism concerns, they tackled the guarantee of future projects for Siargao which is still relying on the help of Sec. Abad, in a way of laying concrete on the remaining 23 kilometers of unpaved circumferential roads and a direct flight of Manila-Siargao through Airphil Express. With these, eco-tourism is expected to be boosted.

City Mayor Ernesto Matugas also spoke about the upgrade of the Surigao airport – where he punctuated that this has been the “common denominator” of the investors and visitors in which it is hoped that their coming in to the city would be “more comfortable.”

After the press conference, everyone in the gathering witnessed the blessing of the newly-renovated chapel at the provincial capitol garden. (Walter Andit, Jr)

Share: