NegOcc tourists nearing prepandemic levels

BACOLOD City – The c ountry’s c oronavirus situation is improving and so is the number of tourists visiting Negros Occidental.

Tourist arrivals are approaching pre- pandemic levels, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

He hopes that things would f urther i mprove. Before the pandemic began in March of 2020, he said, Negros Occidental was next to Boracay Island in the number of tourist arrivals in Western Visayas.

to Iloilo,” Defensor urged the Ilonggos.

Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas and Cong. Julienne Baronda also declared their full support for Legarda.

Legarda deserves to be back in the Senate, they said, noting all the programs and laws she created for the welfare the Filipino people, especially in providing livelihood and job opportunities, affordable healthcare system, quality education, and environmental preservation.

“Buligan ta gid si Loren Legarda para may ara kita sang senador sa Region 6 (Let us help Sen. Loren Legarda so that Region 6 will have a representation in the Senate),” Treñas said.

During Legarda’s recent courtesy call, Treñas urged the Ilonggos: “Buligan ta gid si Sen. Loren Legarda, No. 40 sa balota ( Let us all support Senator Loren Legarda, number 40 in our ballots).”

According to Treñas, Legarda has not left Iloilo City and the whole Region 6, especially during the pandemic.

“Aton ini, bugal naton (Loren Legarda is our pride),” he stressed.

In recent years, Legarda e n s u r e d t h a t n a t i o n a l government programs reached more beneficiaries from Iloilo.

To help provide socioeconomic support for the province, she allocated and augmented the budgets for the Department of Labor and Employment ( DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay Sa Ating Disadvantaged / Displaced Worker ( TUPAD) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development ( DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation ( AICS) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

She likewise pushed for allocation of funds for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Barangay Kabuhayan Skills Training Program (BKSTP), Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), and Special Training for Employment Program ( STEP) in several districts and municipalities in Iloilo such as in Anilao, Bingawan, Dueñas, Guimbal, San Rafael, among others.

Believing that the agriculture sector is one of the drivers of economic growth in Iloilo, Legarda allocated funds, under the Department of Agriculture for the construction of farmto- market roads such as in the municipalities of Maasin,

San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Ajuy, Pototan, Carles, Dueñas, Zarraga, New Lucena, Balasan, Calinog, and Barotac Nuevo.

Moreover, c oncerned about Iloilo people’s access to healthcare, she allocated funds for the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP) from 2018 up to the present year, under the Department of Health ( DOH), for the West Visayas State University Medical Center and Western Visayas Medical Center.

But there’s so much more to do, Legarda pointed out.

“I hope the Ilonggos will help me continue serving the Filipino people,” said Legarda who has been a public servant since 1998.

“The unwavering love and support of the Ilonggos gave me so much inspiration. All the time I ran for a national post, they gave me strong support in terms of votes and consistently placed me in the top rankings of senatorial candidates. Kaya naman I always tell myself na I should return the love and support they always give me,” Legarda said.

She added: “As I hopefully r e t u r n t o t h e S e n a t e , sisiguraduhin ko na patuloy pong mararamdaman at mapapakinabangan ng mga Ilonggo ang mga proyekto at programa ng gobyerno, gaya ng nais ko para sa lahat ng probinsya sa ating bansa.”/