Marcos calls on Visayas officials to prioritize dev’t projects, ignore distractions
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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday reminded governors and other elected officials in the Visayas to prioritize development projects and to finish them on time.
Marcos made the call in his speech during lunch with the Visayas governors and political party One Cebu at the Cebu Provincial Capitol in Cebu City.
“Kaya naman ang aking panawagan ay masusi ninyong pag-aralan ang bawat programa at proyekto na inyong ipapatupad. Planuhin nang maayos ang pagpapatupad ng mga ito. At tapusin at maumpisahan sa tamang schedule, lalong-lalo na ang mga priority development project,” he said.
(That's why I urge you to review every program and project that you will implement. Plan their implementation properly. And finish and start on the right schedule, especially the priority development projects.)
Marcos also advised the officials to focus on their job and ignore distractions from issues.
“We must not waste precious time to deliver the reforms that people need. Let’s not be distracted by issues that would only deter our work and affect the people who are counting on us,” he said.
Marcos identified the key government infrastructure projects in the Visayas as the New Cebu International Container Port, the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project, the fourth Cebu-Mactan Bridge, and the coastal road project.
Airport improvements will be undertaken in Bohol, Dumaguete City, Iloilo, Antique, Siquijor, and Tacloban.
Meanwhile, roads and bridges will be built to enhance connectivity in Panay, Guimaras, Negros, Bohol, Siquijor, Biliran, as well as in Samar and Leyte.
Marcos said Central Visayas was the fastest-growing region in the country in 2023 with an expansion rate of 7.3%, followed by Western Visayas with 7.2% and Eastern Visayas with 6.4%.
“At the national level, ambisyon lang namin ‘yan na umabot ng 7.2% (that's just our ambition to reach 7.2%). Congratulations for the good work that you have been doing,” he said.
“We will do more. Our duties as public servants are never-ending so we continuously push not only to maintain this growth but also to leverage on the momentum that it has given us,” he added. —RF, GMA Integrated News