Calamity affected families get aid
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Some 24 families whose homes were damaged due to the collapsed sheet piles along Sapang Balen Creek in Barangay Pulung Bulu here have received relief goods, school supplies and cash assistance from the local government unit of San Fernando over the weekend.
The distribution was led by Mayor Edwin Santiago, ViceMayor Jimmy Lazatin, City Social Welfare Officer Aileen Villanueva, City Engineer Anele David, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Raymond Del Rosario,
officials and young artists from various bar angays.
The winning artwork from Barangay Sto. Rosario interprets the triumphant rising of the city from the catastrophe and the present development of the heritage district. Sto. Rosario Barangay Captain Renato Cosme and SK Chairperson Allen Nicole David received the award.
“In order for the new generations to appreciate what the city has achieved, they should understand the city’s past especially when we are at the most crucial period of suffering and how the determination of our people overcome it,” said Pamintuan.
Gracing the event were Vice Mayor Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno, Clark International Airport Corporation President Alexander Cauguiran, City Councilors Edu Pamintuan and Alexander Indiongco, Kuliat Foundation Incorporated President Marco Nepomuceno, City Traffic Czar Danilo Concepcion, Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Officials, members of the Culture and Arts Council of Angeles (CACA), local government workers and stakeholders from the private sector.
A fitting development for Abacan
During the event, the mayor vividly reminisced how courageous and determined the Angeleños were during the devastation 27 years ago.
“The strong will of our people was best manifested here at the Abacan River,” said Pamintuan referring to the “Pala Mo, Buhay Ko” where he led more than 20,000 Angeleños for a sandbagging operation to prevent lahar from destroying houses along the Abacan Riverbank.
This happenstance also gave birth to the battlecry “Agyu Tamu!” or “Yes, we can!” which has been Pamintuan’s political slogan.
“The Angeleños will forever remember the Abacan River as an insignia of Angeleño solidarity and resilience especially now that developments for it are underway,” said Pamintuan.
A highway (NLEX-SCTEX Connecting Road) will be constructed along the Abacan Riverbank funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Convergence Program under the 2019 Roads Leveraging Linkages of Industry and Trade (ROLLIT) Program.
According to Pamintuan, the road development will be divided into three stages. The first phase includes the construction of the connecting road from the Angeles-Magalang Bridge to the Abacan Loop and Balibago Area which is already identified to amount P234 million.
The highway will also feature promenades of modern design, biking and jogging lanes.
“Aside from identifying our river’s history, we are also recognizing its potential as a viable road network that will connect the east and west portions of the city,” Pamintuan said.
The mayor also disclosed other important projects such as the construction of an NCCA artist hub with a viewing deck under the Abacan Bridge, a five-story city hall, and a sports complex as he caps his term as mayor of the city.
“Twenty-seven years after, this is the new Angeles City- a city that is vibrant and prosperous for our people to treasure,” Pamintuan stressed.— AC-CIO