CEBU, Jan. 27 (PIA) -- With government mandated lockdowns set in place, the Municipality of Siquijor in Siquijor Province has turned to backyard gardening for sustainable development this year to recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Siquijor Mayor Richard Quezon, during the Network Briefing program hosted by Sec. Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Jan. 27, 2021, said the municipal government started the backyard gardening for the local farmers and opened small businesses for their wives to sustain their livelihood.
Quezon said before the pandemic, the government implemented the One Town One Project (OTOP) focused solely on tourism but with the lockdown, it has turned to other sustainable projects like basket making and the opening of the local food market.
He said they are looking into selling local food products and specialties outside of Siquijor like peanuts, torta, bibingka, bocayo, among others.
The mayor also highlighted infrastructure projects as some of their areas of focus for this year like the turnover of the access roads leading to Candanay Sur in Pangi town, Siquijor and the new Passenger Terminal Building of the Siquijor Airport.
"We are so much thankful to the congressman (Jake Villa) and the governor (Zaldy Villa) for having implemented the road projects especially in our municipalities," Quezon said.
These roads will really help in the tourism program and will allow visitors easier access in going to the airport, seaports, or even the mountain resorts, he added.
With the airport finished, the mayor said if not for the pandemic, Siquijor would already be expecting an influx of tourists.
In an earlier Network Briefing program, Gov. Zaldy Villa had expressed his interest in slowly opening the Island of Siquijor to local tourists to revive its economy.
However, on Jan. 22, the Siquijor Provincial Task Force COVID-19 confirmed on Thursday night that an 85-year-old woman with no travel history tested positive for SARS-COV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.
Villa immediately signed and executed on Jan. 23 the Executive Order. 2021-ZSV-009, Series of 2021 : An Order Amending Executive Order No. 2021-ZSV-007 Enhancing the Implementation of Mandatory Precautionary Measures Against COVID-19 for the Period Covering January 23, 2021 to February 5, 2021 unless lifted, extended, repealed or replaced.
The Provincial Government of Siquijor has since reminded the Siquijodnons to continue practicing the minimum public health standards and implemented curfew and suspension of fiesta celebration, gatherings, classes, and cockfighting activities. (idc/PIA7)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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