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Thursday, December 21, 2006
Arroyo opens San Fernando public market, flyover
By Albert B. Lacanlale
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Wednesday led the inauguration in this city of two important government projects seen to boost the economies of Pampanga and the neighboring provinces of Bataan and Zambales.
After attending dawn mass (simbang gabi) at the San Fernando Metropolitan Cathedral, the President inaugurated at 7 am the newly constructed P25-million wet section of the 105-year-old public market in Barangay Sto. Rosario.
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The President, accompanied by San Fernando City Mayor Oscar "Oca" Rodriguez, later inspected the premises of the Pampanga market, which was first constructed in 1901.
The rehabilitation of the old market, Mayor Rodriguez said, started on September 14, 2006 and was completed last week.
The rehabilitation work included the upgrading of the market's elevation, sectioning and improvement of 287 stalls, construction of a service road and retaining wall. It got part of its funding from the P120-million loan contracted by the City Government from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
Before returning to Manila, the President, who spent the night at the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), also inaugurated the newly completed southbound lane of the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo (GSO) flyover in Barangay Dolores.
Joining the President in the inaugural drive-thru flyover ceremony were British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham, Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, Mayor Rodriguez, and Dolores barangay chairman Melchor Caluag.
The southbound lane of the flyover was completed December 18 while the northbound lane is scheduled to be finished in February 2007. Both lanes are programmed to be fully operational in March next year.
The GSO flyover is being constructed under the "Tulay ng Pangulo sa Kaunlaran" project of the British government-assisted President's Bridge Program supervised by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The project involves the construction of rapidly erected permanent urban flyover supplied by Mabey and Johnson Ltd. of the United Kingdom.
The San Fernando flyover is designed to help decongest traffic at the Dolores junction of the GSO Road and the Manila North Road, and reduce the travel time between Metro Manila and the provinces of Bataan and Zambales.
Once fully operational, the GSO flyover is expected to attract more investments in the city and thus improve the socio-economic situation in Pampanga and the rest of Central Luzon. (Sun.Star Pampanga/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (December 21, 2006 issue)
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