PCOO lends a helping hand
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Wednesday committed to extend assistance to all local government units (LGU) to ensure that communities can have programs and services that will usher development and peace.
Andanar said that they have already offered to lend a hand to the local government of Siaton town in Negros Oriental in endorsing to the national government their projects dedicated for their conflict-afflicted areas there.
Siaton Mayor Cezanne Fritz H. Diaz has sought the help of the PCOO chief, noting that some of its barangays have not received any infrastructure programs, such as farm-to-market roads, which make it difficult for farmers there to have decent incomes.
“I’ve seen how hardworking people from the hinterlands are, but come harvest time for corn and they mill their produce, they already lose potential income to costly transportation expenses alone. They have to travel five hours in motorcycles,” Diaz said.
The Siaton local chief executive added that creating roads leading to far flung communities would mean more access to transport goods and products from farms.
“The people here are hoping, because for many years we do not have concrete roads there They are using horses. That is why there is NPA presence there, and they can say that government presence is not felt there,” Diaz said.
Andanar, meantime, offered to lend the local government a hand by following up other concerned agencies where they can direct their requests.
The PCOO chief said that he would raise their request to be included in the Barangay Development Program to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.