400 mayors thank Arroyo for LGU projects

CITY OF SAN FERNAND0—I think I’m still dreaming when I reached Manila in just seven hours.
Thus said Renaldo Bitong, the 78-year-old mayor of Casiguran town in Aurora, when he came to Manila to join some 400 mayors in Malacanang Tuesday to convey their collective thanks to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the various projects that benefited their respective constituencies .
Bitong was teary-eyed as he recalled the ordeal he and his people would had to go through for decades when traveling from his town to Manila which used to take them 14 hours, by sea and land.
But with the completion this year of the P2.73 billion Baler-Casiguran Road, a major infrastructure project of the President under the Northern Luzon Agriculture Quadrangle (NLAQ) concept, travel from remote Casiguran according to Bitong has been effectively reduced by several hours by land.
“I came here to personally thank the President for the Baler-Casiguran road that cut down our travel time to Baler from eight hours to 2.5 hours,” Bitong said during the luncheon at the Heroes Hall of Malacanang.
“At my age, I still cannot believe that I reached Manila this fast. If you experienced how difficult it was to come here, you would definitely cry for help. But now, no more. You will just cry of joy,” he added.
The P2.733-billion Baler-Casiguran Road project, that includes 19 newly- designed bridges, was one of the priority programs committed by Arroyo during her State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) in 2008 in an effort to bring development to Aurora, one of the 20 poorest provinces in the country.
The President led the inauguration of this 120-kilometer road project last February which is one of the vital regional road linkages under the Arroyo’s NLAQ program.
“Our town is a remote area that many have not reached or even known. So, we are very thankful to the President when she gave our small town such big attention,” Bitong said.
During the luncheon, Arroyo, casual in violet pantsuit, table-hopped to greet the mayors and gamely posed for souvenir photo as goodbye gesture to the outgoing President.
“Thank you for all the support,” Arroyo said as she shook hands with each of the more than 400 mayors.(OPS thru PIA 3)