Mindanao railway will lead to economic boom – Sen. JV Ejercito
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The City Council has declared the city police director here as persona non-grata for failing to stop the operation of illegal numbers game and killings in the city. City Councilor Franklin Gacal, who authored the resolution declaring Senior Supt. Romeo Ruel Berango as persona non-grata, said the police chief has not acted on the resolution earlier passed by the City Council ordering the local police to apprehend the operators of the Small Town Lottery which is operating without the approval from the local government. Despite the cease and desist order issued by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera stopping the operation of STL outlets in the city, Gacal said Berango did not comply to implement such closure order issued by the mayor. Gacal said Berango has defied the lawful order issued by the mayor and failed to act on the resolution of the City Council to stop the STL operations in the city. Gacal insisted that the Trento Gaming Corp., the STL franchisee in the city, has been operating illegally since May as it failed to get the approval and concurrence of the City Council. Berango said the local police had already closed down some 80 STL outlets located in the different villages in the city. He said the police have yet to close down the remaining 30 STL outlets operating in the city. Following his declaration as persona non-grata, City Councilor Edmar Yumang said Berango shoul resign as police chief since he is no longer welcome in the city. (Joseph Jubelag)
BAYUGAN CITY, Agusan del Sur – The railway system that will go on a circumferential route in the entire island of Mindanao will lead to an economic boom, Senator JV Ejercito told the officials of the fast-rising province of Agusan del Sur during his recent visit here.
He said the implementation of the 2,000-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) is favorable to rural businesses and farmers.
The estimated MRP project cost is about US$9 billion and will start next year.
The first phase will run from Davao del Sur to Davao del Norte, the second phase will be from Davao del Norte to Butuan City, the third phase from Butuan to Cagayan de Oro, and the fourth phase from Cagayan de Oro to Iligan and Zamboanga peninsula.
MRP, an iconic project for Mindanao that will connect the island’s major cities, is one of the major flagship programs which President Rodrigo Duterte promised to build during his term.
Sen. Ejercito asked Agusan del Sur Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza for any plan of development that the Senator could extend to Agusan del Sur.
“I am very glad and elated to learn that I am the first senator to visit here. With the construction of the MRP, the least benefited citizen here will have the opportunity to develop because it will be much easier to transport their products from one point in Mindanao to another point riding on a train,” Sen. Ejercito said.
As chairman of Committee on Health, Sen. Eejercito surveyed via helicopter last week (Oct. 4) the stateof-the-art newly constructed D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital (DOPMH) and vows to do his best to provide hospital facilities that are lacking at the DOPMH upon his return to his office in Manila.
“I am here to see for myself what we can do for Mindanao, Agusan del Sur and Bayugan City. We will make sure that these places will be genuinely developed with whatever we can do in order to deliver the best government services specially on health,” the senator pointed out.
Sen. Ejercito also said he is a partner of the Duterte Administration and Agusan del Sur in attaining genuine peace in Mindanao.
With the realization of the railway system, Sen. Ejercito said the “income of the people will improve while poverty will be eradicated and when this time comes, there will be peace in Mindanao.”