'Malayo na ang narating': Escudero lauds Sorsogon execs for sustained economic growth

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has lauded Sorsogon's local leaders for steering the province toward sustained growth for the last three years, outpacing all but one province in the entire Bicol region.

Led by Governor Jose Edwin “Boboy” Hamor, Sorsogon continued its upward trajectory to post a 6.2 percent growth in 2023, increasing its economy in terms of gross domestic project (GDP) to P79.18 billion the previous year from P74.54 billion in 2022 and P66.44 billion in 2021, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).  

“Binabati natin ang ating mga magagaling at masisipag na opisyal sa Sorsogon sa pagpapatuloy ng mga proyekto at program na sinimulan natin para sa patuloy na pag-unlad ng ating minamahal na probinsya. Ang Sorsogon ngayon ay masasabi natin na pinakamabilis ang paglago ng ekonomiya sa buong Bicol (We congratulate our outstanding and hardworking officials in Sorsogon for continuing the projects and programs we initiated for the ongoing development of our beloved province. Today, we can say that Sorsogon is experiencing the fastest economic growth in the entire Bicol region),” said the veteran legislator, who once served as governor of the province.

PSA records showed that only Catanduanes grew at a faster rate than Sorsogon after the former registered a growth rate of 7.6 percent in 2023. The rest of Bicol had Albay growing by 5.9 percent; Camarines Sur, 3.2 percent; Camarines Norte, 3.7 percent; and Masbate, 3.5 percent.

Figures from the statistics bureau reflected the highest rate of growth in accommodation and food service activities at 22.4 percent, although Sorsogon’s three top industries—construction, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing—claimed the biggest share of the economy.

Mining and quarrying, transportation and storage, professional and business services, and financial and insurance activities also grew at double-digit rates in 2023.

“Parati kong sinasabi na noong araw, ang mga taga-Sorsogon ay nahihiya tuwing tinatanong kung taga saan sila. Ngayon, malayo na ang narating ng Sorsogon at tuluy-tuloy ang pag-unlad nito kaya maipagmamalaki na ng ating mga kababayan doon na sila ay taga-Sorsogon (I always say that back in the day, people from Sorsogon felt embarrassed when asked where they were from. Now, Sorsogon has come a long way and continues to develop, so our fellow citizens there can proudly say that they are from Sorsogon),” the Senate chief said.

He expressed confidence that the current set of local government leaders of Sorsogon will continue to push the province to even greater heights in the years to come.

“With the support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and his administration’s Build Back Better program, I am confident that more projects will come to Sorsogon and the entire Bicol Region as well,” he said.

Among the major projects the Senate leader implemented in the province when he was governor from 2019 to 2022, were the state-of-the-art Sorsogon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the 7.2-hectare Sorsogon Sports Complex that has become a landmark in Bicol, and road networks that facilitated the flow of goods and services in the province and the other parts of Bicol.