For next year; Dino vows to implement more projects in Siquijor

SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR, Philippines — Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Michael Lloyd Dino, had assured the people of Siquijor that more infrastructure projects will be carried out in the province next year.

Dino, in his recent visit to Siquijor, said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is committed to a comfortable life for all and provide them their needs, as much as possible.

The government is mandated to listen to the Filipino people and Duterte wanted the bureaucracy to be more responsive to their needs, the reason why the president is urgently implementing the Philippine Development Plan, under the socio-economic agenda of “build, build, build,” said the presidential official.

Dino also said that, under the proposed budget of 2018, Siquijor will have 103 more classrooms equipped with seats and sanitation facilities.

“Filling in of 130 new teacher positions for elementary and high school and 32 more for senior high school is lined up. Another 924 computer units is budgeted for senior high school with 84 schools to be provided with internet connectivity,” Dino told The Freeman.

A total of P26 million is also budgeted for the completion of the two-story academic building for maritime education and industrial technology in the Siquijor State College, while another P10 million is proposed for the criminology building, he said.

Dino said he will be watching and monitoring the implementation of these projects to ensure that Siquijodnons will have the best quality service to the people and the best education to children.

Siquijor Governor Zaldy Villa and Vice Governor Mei Ling Quezon thanked Dino, as they pledged full support to his outlined projects for the province.

In an interview with The Freeman, Villa said Siquijor is now seeking funds from the national government for the purchase of a 22-hectare lot for the province’s sanitary landfill facility, a sports center, and a government center to house the provincial offices of the national agencies.

Dino, as an inter-agency coordinator for the Visayas, said Duterte tasked him to shorten the bureaucratic gridlock that has been hampering the delivery of efficient government service, in order to reach out to the poorest of the poor, the underprivileged, and the marginalized sector.

For Panay Island in Region 6, Dino said the Panay River Basin Integrated Development Project will be implemented to provide hydroelectric power, bulk water, farm roads, and irrigation in that area.

Duterte, in his Administrative Order No. 5, also named Dino as co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Unified Implementation and Monitoring of Rehabilitation and Recovery Projects and Programs in the Yolanda Affected Areas.

Thus in Eastern Visayas, Dino said he is now working on providing a million houses for government workers, especially the police and the military. He added that Visayas regions will be inter-linked in terms of health services.

“Region-8 will have a kidney center, Region-7 a heart center, and Region-6 will have a children’s center. With these, the Visayas people don’t have to go to Manila to avail of these services,” he added. (FREEMAN)