CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Rotary Club of San Fernando and City of San Fernando’s multi-sectoral governance council, together with the City of San Fernando Water District and the City Government on Friday broke ground and kicked-off the first phase of the riverwalk and eco-park project in the Sta. Lucia village portion of San Fernando River.
Rotary Club of San Fernando president Fer Caylao said the project, launched in time for the celebration on his 60th birthday, is actually a private undertaking which gained support from the other groups that manifested their interests in helping develop the now elevated riverbanks as recreational areas.
“This has long been a dream of mine which I shared with our friends and fellow Rotarians. It was like, it’s my 60th birthday so I voluntarily and personally shelled out P60,000 for the initial paving of the first phase from Sta. Lucia up to hopefully, the portion at the back of city hall at poblacion,” Engr. Caylao said.
Caylao told SunStar Pampanga that it was apt time such a project be undertaken, to primarily maximize use of idle areas in the city, and at the same time protecting the environment and providing jogging, biking and some sort of a promenade area for Fernandinos.
“It’s just gratifying that all our colleagues and friends, who agreed with the idea, are coming together to make this dream a reality. This is actually everyone’s project so those who want to chip in may do so until hopefully, we can stretch this riverwalk and eco-park all the way to Pandaras village which as you know, has already been developed through the previous administration’s Sagip Ilog project,” Caylao said.
Various groups like the Rotary Club of San Fernando, MSGC and CSFWD, including officials like Mayor Edwin Santiago, Vice-Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, former House Representative Oscar Rodriguez, CSFWD General Manager Jorge Gumba, and Sta. Lucia village executives on Friday converged at the kick-off site to help set the pavers and have their hand prints marked on the concrete pathwalks. (JTD)