PBBM IN DINAGAT. Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. waves to residents of Dinagat Islands province on Friday afternoon (Sept. 29, 2023) during the launch the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program, welcomed by Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. (2nd from left) and other local officials. He reassured Dinagatnons of the government's commitment to ensure food security. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands – Improved connectivity will help isolated areas, such as Dinagat Islands, ship food, materials and other basic needs.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized this during his visit to the island province on Friday afternoon, during which he led the distribution of rice to 1,000 beneficiaries as part of the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program.”
Marcos led the launching of the program in the Caraga Region early in the day in Dapa, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.
“Ang bansa ay binubuo ng maraming kapuluan, kabilang na dito ang Dinagat. Madalas ay may kahirapan sa paghatid ng mga pagkain, mga gamit, at pangangailangan (The country is composed of many islands, including Dinagat. Often, we face difficulties in bringing in food, materials and other basic needs),” Marcos said.
He said the government is implementing concrete steps to address the problems that continue to hinder the delivery of food supplies and other needs in Dinagat and other isolated areas in the country.
“We are banking on trucks, boats, machinery, and other implements on farming and fishery for increased production and connectivity to markets),” Marcos said in Filipino.
He added that the government is also building infrastructures to support the transportation sector and systematize the delivery of supplies and services to the country's farthest parts, including the Dinagat Islands.
Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. thanked the President for his concerns about securing food security in Dinagat Islands, and for his commitment to support local initiatives "to improve our ports, the establishment of an airport, and the plan to connect Dinagat Islands to mainland Mindanao."
Demerey said the infrastructure proposals for the island province are already incorporated in the approved six-year development plan of the Regional Development Council in the Caraga Region (RDC-13).
“The general plan of the RDC is anchored on its 12FAME strategy which focuses on industrialization and innovation of the region’s opportunities on agroforestry, mining, and ecotourism,” Demerey said.
Some residents interviewed by the Philippine News Agency were grateful to the President for personally handing out financial assistance.
Among them was Imelda Dumay, a 54-year-old single mother from Barangay Jaquez, San Jose, who said the event was unusual seeing the President distributing rice to the beneficiaries.
Another beneficiary, Gina Ceballos, 44, from Barangay Don Ruben, San Jose said it was her first time to see in person a Philippine President.
“I listened to his message and found hope that our Dinagat Islands will receive more infrastructure projects from the government to improve our ports,” Ceballos said in the dialect.
A construction worker from Barangay Poblacion, San Jose, Ian Panerio, 37, said more infrastructure projects to be implemented in the province means job opportunities for workers like him.
“I was excited to hear from the President on infrastructure projects for Dinagat Islands. This is an opportunity for us construction workers to ensure more jobs to support our families,” Panerio said. (PNA)
