LEYTE – No less than President Benigno S. Aquino III led the commemoration of the 28th EDSA People Power in Leyte, particularly in the cities of Tanauan and Tacloban, which were both badly hit by Typhoon Yolanda.

In Tanauan, he  went to the resettlement area in Brgy. Pago and the newly rehabilitated Tanauan I Central School.

He also led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tanauan Public Plaza and witnessed the agreement signing for the construction of  bunkhouses in the permanent relocation sites in Brgy. Pago and Brgy. Maribi.

The agreement was signed by officials from the National Housing Authority (NHA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), Gawad Kalinga, and the Municipality of Tanauan.

Pres. Aquino thanked the government agencies and private institutions that have been helping rebuild  communities in the province.

He, likewise, shared how the calamity victims inspired him and other Filipinos.

He said, “Tuwing nakikita ko ang bagong pag-asa sa ating komunidad at naririnig ang mga kwento mula sa inyo at sa inyong mga pinuno ay talagang nawawala ang ating pagod at talagang nabubuhayan ng loob. (I get inspired and encouraged every time I see the new hope in our community and hear your stories.)”

The President capped off his Eastern Visayas visit by leading the groundbreaking ceremony for the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Brgy. Cabalawan, Tacloban City.

In Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Depatment of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Prospero Alcala, led the EDSA anniversary celebration where he announced the projects for fishermen and farmers who lost their livelihood due to ‘Yolanda’. The event also showcased the 200 pumpboats that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will give to the fishermen in the province.

The President was joined by members of his cabinet namely,  Sec. Corazon Juliano-Soliman (Department of Social Welfare and Development), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery), Sec. Rene Almendras (Office of the Cabinet Secretary), Sec. Sonny Coloma (Presidential Communications Operations Office), Sec. Rogelio Singson (DPWH), Sec. Voltaire Gazmin (Department of National Defense), Sec. Mar Roxas (Department of the Interior  and Local Government), Executive Sec. Jojo Ochoa, and Director-General Julia Abad (Presidential Management Staff). ###