Queen Sofia of Spain visits Albay

By Marlon A. Loterte and Sally A. Atento

LEGAZPI CITY, July 5 (PIA) -- Flag-waving school children, local officials and residents welcomed Queen Sofia of Spain with cheers at the Peñaranda Park in Old Albay District for her visit in the province Wednesday.

She was accompanied by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, Social Welfare Sec. Dinky Soliman, and Spanish ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Domecq.

Part of her visit was the unveiling of the life-sized statue of Jose Maria Peñaranda, the first Spanish national to seat as governor of the province from 1834 to 1843.

After the unveiling, Queen Sofia proceeded for the first leg of her tour to Spain-funded projects in Albay.

One of these is the Camalig Emergency and Educational Shelter, a 14-classroom emergency educational shelter building, which was erected on February 24, 2010 using a P24.7 million funding from the Agencia Espanola De Cooperacion para el Desarullo (AECID).

She also visited the Josefina Belmonte Duran Memorial District Hospital in Brgy. Tuburan, Ligao City, where the AECID gave P14.4 million for its facilities and equipment.

Then, during her visit to the Climate Change Academy at the Bicol University campus here, City Mayor Geraldine Rosal briefed the queen on the Legazpi City Solid Waste Management Project in Brgy. Banquerohan where AECID invested P110 million.

The Spanish government, through the AECID, has released P112.7 million funding support to Albay to finance various projects, which also included the rehabilitation of the emergency evacuation center in Daraga for P13 million; emergency school shelters in Guinobatan and Camalig for P28.7 million each; strengthening of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office equipment for P11 million; and the rural-based flood preparedness project for P16.9 million.

Albay was chosen for the Queen's visit for its projects in disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and MDG achievement with significant foreign development assistance from Spain through AECID.

“She was very happy and quite impressed with Albay,” Gov. Joey Salceda said.

Prior to this visit, the Queen had a meeting with President Aquino and had several engagements with non-government organizations, Spanish institutions, and personnel working for the United Nations agencies in the Philippines.

Queen Sofia of Spain is the second high-ranking foreign dignitary to tour the province after Pope John Paul II visited this city in February 1981. (MAL/SAA-PIA 5, Albay)