Hectic 5-hour visit for President: Arroyo in Cebu to meet Tomas

CEBU, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be in Cebu for about five hours today and she has very little time to spare as she is set to attend 12 events including her private visit to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Arroyo is expected to arrive at the Mactan Cebu International Airport at 10:00 in the morning and she will be received by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and other local officials.

After her arrival, the President will be ushered to the MCIA Most Important Person Lounge wherein she will have a private meeting with Governor Garcia.

After which, there will be a project briefing on Solid Waste Management by DENR Secretary Joselito Atienza.

Aside from this, the President will also be briefed on Climate Change by Presidential Assistant on Climate Change Heherson Alvarez.

After the two briefings, Arroyo will pass by and inspect the MCIA Sewage Treatment Plant at the end of the runway area, where she will also be briefed on the operations of the project.

From the MCIA, the President will proceed to Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino to be the keynote speaker of the 34th Kiwanis International Asia-Pacific Convention.

About 400 delegates and representatives from 20 nations are taking part in the Kiwanis International convention.

   Cebuano media practitioner Cerge Remonde will also have his ceremonial oath taking as press secretary and Cabinet Officer for Regional Development for Central Visayas in the same venue.

The President will then proceed to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral where she will be meet by Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Arroyo will inspect the two-storey Commission on Service Health Center, the pro-poor medical clinic run by the Archdiocese of Cebu. This facility was built with the help of the president, who have P900,000 from her social funds to help defray the cost of P1.7 million.

 In this venue, the president will have an interaction with 500 representatives from poor families, who are beneficiaries of the Cebu Caritas projects.

She will also turn over 125 Pangulong Gloria TESDA Scholarship vouchers to children of poor families and distribute family grocery packs.

Arroyo will also lead the Church Feeding Program of Caritas to benefit 500 indigent children from the five parishes of the Archdiocese.

The Chief Executive then will lead the inauguration of the newly-renovated Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Façade and Plaza to kick off the diamond jubilee celebration of the Archdiocese of Cebu on April 28.

After her activities at the church, Arroyo will have a private meeting with Mayor Osmeña at his residence in barangay Guadalupe.

From the mayor’s residence, the president will head back to the MIP lounge of the airport for a briefing from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Programs and Projects on the Social Integration Program and Kalayaan Barangay Programs for Region VII.

Presidential Assistant Felix Guanzon will be the one to brief the president in this activity, which also includes the distribution of P20,000 assistance to 21 former rebels.

President Arroyo will head back to Manila at 3 p.m. — /NLQ   (THE FREEMAN)