Wednesday, March 26, 2008 PGMA, Noli to visit Cebu Friday
PRESIDENT Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro will be in Cebu City later this week to grace two events: the awarding of Lupong Tagapamayapa members and a dialog with the urban poor.
On Friday, Arroyo will give recognition to 800 members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa from 80 Cebu City barangays.
The city’s barangay justice program in the grassroots recently won in the Galing Pook Awards. Osmeña was given an award for this in Malacañang. City Councilor Edgardo Labella received the mayor’s award and a P100,000 check for the City Government.
The President is expected to deliver a speech during the awarding ceremony at the White Gold House at 10 a.m. on Friday.
“We already received the award in Manila earlier but this time, the President will give recognition to the real winners, the close to 800 Lupong Tagapamayapa members of the city. We are honored that the President will be here and at the same time challenged to perform even better,” Labella told Sun.Star Cebu.
Labella, chairman of the City Council committee on laws, ordinances, accountability and good government, spearheaded the training of Lupon members for the implementation of the barangay justice system.
Arroyo is also scheduled to attend the wedding of the son of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Felix Guanzon in the afternoon, where she is one of the principal sponsors.
On Saturday, de Castro will be in the city for the Cebu City Urban Poor Congress, which will be held at the St. Theresa’s College auditorium.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said de Castro would be asked to listen and respond to the concerns the urban poor sector will raise during the congress.
Among the issues that are expected to be discussed are housing and the implementation of presidential proclamations.
Communities in B. Rodriguez St., Barangays Duljo Fatima and Apas are beneficiaries of a presidential proclamation that supposedly awarded the lots they are occupying to them, but some have yet to get their properties.
“The presidential proclamation is being implemented but not fast enough and the urban poor sectors want it hastened,” Fernandez said. (LCR)
