MANILA -- Siargao Island’s tourism sector got an added boost Saturday with the inauguration of a sports and tourism complex and a bridge system seen to prop up economic and tourism activities in the area.

Aiming to attain a more inclusive countryside development before he steps down from power, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led the launch of the Siargao Island Sports and Tourism Complex (SISTC), and the Catangnan-Cabitoonan Bridge System in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.

In his speech during the inauguration rites, President Duterte said the launch of the P630.2 million Siargao Island Sports and Tourism Complex happens at a time when the government is revitalizing the country’s tourism industry as it recovers from the pandemic.

“I am confident that this newly-constructed sports complex will inspire greater passion for sports among our young people and encourage them to take advantage of these facilities to develop their talents,” the President said.

“It is also expected to promote the social, cultural, and economic perspective of Siargao and be capable of hosting major sports and other big-ticket events in the island. Puwede na big events, mga athletic programs.”

The island’s sports and tourism complex, built through local funding, houses a convention center, dormitory, swimming pool, and a sports field with a track oval and grandstand, among others.

Also inaugurated Saturday was the P848-million Catangnan-Cabitoonan Bridge, which, along with Libertad Bridge 1 and 2, connects the different barangays of General Luna town, Siargao Island’s tourism center.

The construction of additional roads and bridges is vital to the country’s economic development by enhancing the mobility and accessibility of people, goods, and services, the President said.

“With all these infrastructure developments, we are confident that Siargao will cement its place as one of the premier tourist destinations in the Philippines which is now, really, one of the sought-after ang Siargao,” he noted.

“It’s really famous. It has become famous. So I said take care of what you have now and preserve it for the next generation.”

During the program, the President unveiled the project marker of the Catangnan-Cabitoonan Three-Point Bridge System together with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government officials of Surigao del Norte. (PND)