PALAPAG, Northern Samar – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inaugurated the Samar Pacific Coastal Road project in Barangay Simora here during his first official visit to the province as Chief Executive on Friday, July 14. The project also known as the Palapag-Simora Road is a key infrastructure that connects the towns facing the Pacific Ocean to the rest of the province and completes the circumferential road of Samar Island. “With the opening of this road and its bridges, the development of Northern Samar’s rich agricultural land and bountiful fishing grounds will follow suit,” the President said. The 11.6-kilometer road has three bridges, the Simora Bridge, Jangtud Bridge 1, and Jangtud Bridge 2. The project, initiated in 2018 under a Korea Export-Import Bank Economic Development Cooperation loan and national government funding, cost around P1.17 billion to build. Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan along with Vice Gov. Clarence Dato and other local officials welcomed the President and thanked him for supporting the province. "The SPCR will greatly impact the economic development of our province, as it will remarkably encourage increased agricultural productivity of the thousands of our farmers and fisherfolks, thereby improving our program for food self-sufficiency," Ongchuan said. He added that the bridge will also boost the tourism industry and help sustain peace and resiliency efforts in Northern Samar. Ongchuan cited former President Rodrigo Duterte for including SPCR in the priority funding of the national government under the Build Build Build program and South Korea for its support to the project.