The Department of Tourism Region 8 (DOT-VIII) and Samar provincial government has clarified that the budget they used for the San Juanico Bridge Aesthetic Lighting Project has been approved since 2018.
According to DOT Eastern Visayas Director Karen Tiopes, they have worked together to raise millions of pesos for the project even before the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit the country.
“Ang Tieza po ay nagbigay ng P80M pero ang provincial government ng Samar ay mayroon din silang in-invest. They actually invested P14M for the power plant at connection sa Samelco. (Tieza has given P80M but the Samar provincial government has also invested P14M for the power plant and connection in Samelco.)”
They are hoping that the said project will attract more tourists in the area since they will open it for local tourists in November. Its lighting dry run has gone viral in the social media where Samar Governor Reynolds Michael Tan emphasized, “We believe that Samar should be put on the map for tourism. Maganda ang mga sites namin dito (Our sites here are beautiful) and we are very proud of it.”
Report from Allan Francisco
