Former President Gloria Arroyo (second from left) with Cebu First District Samsam Gullas (left most), Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale (third from left) during the media briefing on the Cebu South Road at the newly opened Blu-pool Waterpark in Guanzon beach, Langtand, Naga City, Cebu on March 1, 2019. CDN Digital photo | Delta Dyrecka Letigio
NAGA CITY, Cebu, Philippines – Former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is delighted with how the Cebu South Road, a road which spans from Talisay City to Santander town developed during her term as president from 2001 to 2010, has helped in the development of the southern parts of Cebu.
Arroyo, in a press conference at the newly opened Blu-pool Waterpark in Guanzon beach, Langtad, Naga City, Cebu, on Friday, March 1, 2019, said she believes the road was important in helping the boom in southern Cebu.
“I was happy that in 2007, Naga town became a city because of the road development,” Arroyo said.
Arroyo, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new resort owned by the Guanzon family, said that she was excited to see the road that she once called ‘ugly’ in her visit to Cebu in 2004.
“When I first came to Cebu to thank the Cebuanos for my one million landslide (votes), we passed this way. At that time, the road was horrible. I called it the ugly road,” said Arroyo.
“[Now] It’s very beautiful. There are some projects I did when I was president that were somehow neglected but not this one. It is beautiful and even improved,” said Arroyo.
The P1.2 billion project of Arroyo in 2004 spans 126 kilometers starting from the tip of the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) in Barangay Lawaan, Talisay City, to the southern tip of Cebu in Barangay Liloan, Santander town.
Cebu First District Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, said that the plans to widen the road continues to this day, especially within Metro Cebu from Talisay City to Carcar City.
In 2018, a budget of of 200 million was allocated for the widening of the Cebu South Road.
Gullas said that with the effort to continuously develop the Cebu South Road, the town and cities along the road are also expected to benefit. /bmjo