DAVAO CITY (PIA) – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will be heading the groundbreaking ceremony of the Samal Island – Davao City Connector (SIDC) on Thursday (October 27, 2022) at the Damosa Land Properties, Lanang, this city.
The President is expected to personally lead the lowering of the time capsule to signal the start of construction of the SIDC which will connect the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte province to Davao City.
The national and regional officials of involved national government agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Regional Development Council (RDC-XI), are also expected to join Pres. Marcos in the ceremony.
The four-lane bridge project has an estimated total cost of PhP23.04 billion, with a length of 3.98 kilometers including ramps in Davao City, and 24-meter wide at grade road and roundabout in Samal Circumferential Road. It is targeted for completion in 2027.
After the SIDC groundbreaking activity, Pres. Marcos will proceed to DPWH covered court in Panacan, Davao City, for the distribution of various government assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-XI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-XI) and Department of Agriculture (DA-XI).
The DSWD-XI is set to distribute PhP5,000 cash aid to each of the 500 individuals under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, according to Gemma dela Cruz, head of the agency’s Protective Services Division.
The indigent beneficiaries from Barangays Panacan and Sasa in Davao City, will also be receiving food packs containing six kilos of rice and canned goods.
DOLE-XI will be awarding a total of PhP183 million financial assistance to seven group beneficiaries, said regional information officer Mariane Mastura. She added that DOLE-XI will also present a regional situationer on DOLE programs and services during the activity.
In the afternoon of same day, the President will be visiting the headquarters of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, at the Naval Station Felix Apolinario, also in Panacan, Davao City where he will be welcomed with full military honors.
As part of his activities at the Eastmincom, he is expected to sign a guestbook, hear the Eastmincom Commander’s report, and will have a chance to talk to the soldiers.
In the same venue, Pres. Marcos will be witnessing the ceremonial declaration of Davao Region as insurgency-free to be facilitated by the RDC-XI and Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC-XI).
The RDC-XI has also taken this opportunity for the President to grace the re-launching of the Davao Region as a Tourism and Investment-ready Destination. (PIA-XI/Carina L. Cayon)
