CEBU CITY – The country’s top two leaders were in Cebu on Saturday, May 27, and graced key events in separate areas.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte grace the grand launching of Pier 88 in Liloan town, northern Cebu on Saturday, May 27. (Photo from PNA-NIB) President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte capped their visits in Cebu by gracing the grand launching of a private port in Liloan town, northern Cebu. First to arrive was VP Duterte, who distributed school supplies to at least 1,000 pupils from various schools in Mandaue City. The distribution of school supplies at the Mandaue City Sports Complex was part of the Vice President’s “PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees Campaign” program. Aside from school supplies, each bag also contained hygiene kits as the program is promoting not just the importance of basic education but also dental health of school children. As part of the PagBAGo campaign, at least one million trees will also be planted across the country to answer the call for environmental protection. The PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees Campaign was launched by the Office of the Vice President in various areas in the country on May 27 last year. Since August 2022, some 1,104 school children from nine regions and 18 provinces in the country have benefited from Duterte’s program. Duterte said she started the program while she was still the mayor of Davao City. From Mandaue, Duterte proceeded to Liloan and joined Marcos in the launching of Pier 88 and the town’s Rosquillos Festival. The President, who arrived in Liloan around 3 p.m., lauded the construction of the port which will serve passengers in the Visayas, including Metro Cebu, Bohol, Camotes Islands, and Leyte. “We witness today the grand launching of Pier 88, which shall offer a faster transport alternative for passengers and for cargo, and holds promise to become a local economic hub. It shall immensely serve the interests of the people of Liloan and beyond,” the President said. Marcos said the construction of the port is encouraging to see in which the local government takes the lead and collaborates with the private sector and other LGUs, in the pursuit of objectives consonant with the national development agenda. “Let us imagine if these kinds of projects are replicated across the country, laterally and locally coordinated, and harmonized both on the provincial and national levels, then we could say that we are genuinely closer to our ambition of a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society,” the President added. Also present in the activity were House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Transportation Secretary Jimmy Bautista, Cebu Rep. Duke Frasco, and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, among others.