LGU, KFI push to show what Sorsogon can offer

SORSOGON CITY, Oct 8 (PIA) --- An official of the Sorsogon Provincial Management Office (SPMO) announced that it was time to show what the province can offer.

SPMO Executive Director Sally Ante-Lee urged everyone to promote the province of Sorsogon as a land of peace and prosperity through the Kasanggayahan Festival during the press conference at the Provincial Hall.

The Kasanggayahan celebration was first conceptualized in 1974, commemorating the establishment of Sorsogon as a separate province from Albay.

This year’s celebration is anchored on the theme “Sorsogon Paunlarin, Agrikultura’t Industriya Pasiglahin” that will highlight the role of the agricultural industry in the province.

Lee said the general idea is that the Kasanggayahan Festival has been celebrated for 18 years, but so far Sorsogon was really not able to present a candid display of its distinctiveness as a province.

“By some means we did, yet only a sliver of what we actually have got, so all along when assessments were made, we were always confronted with the question if we really have advanced into something after the festivity,” she said.

She added that anywhere in the country, festivals are not only tourist attractions that promote the character of different provinces, but income-generating programs as well.

The director said Sorsogon has potentials in tourism, culture and arts, agriculture and natural resources, which should be given outstanding recognitions every time Kasanggayahan Festival is celebrated.

Lee also revealed that Sorsogon will have a chance for global exposure through an agreement between Living Asia and the provincial government to show what the province has.

“For five days starting from October 7, the network will visit and capture the Kasanggayahan activities and all other sight-seeing areas in the province,” she added.

Living Asia Channel is a 24-hour Asian travel and lifestyle channel, the first Philippine-made to air in North America. It showcases the best of Asian destinations, finds, culture, cuisine, fashion, people, business, issues and investment opportunities in the Philippines and Asia.

The press conference was called by the Philippine Information Agency – Sorsogon and it was attended by members of the Sorsogon tri-media, Kasanggayahan Foundation, Inc (KFI), SPMO, Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Tourism Office, other provincial and national government agencies and non government organizations.

“The purpose of the press conference is to tell the media what the provincial government of Sorsogon and the KFI have in mind, especially the main objective to promote Sorsogon and to display what Sorsogon has, what we have been doing, what we are doing and what we are producing, so that people will know what Sorsogon really is,” Msgr. Francisco P. Monje, KFI president, said.

He added that media is a very powerful arm of disseminating information with a serious responsibility to help people verbalize their decisions and opinions.

“The only thing that I ask you to do is to propagate what is true and what is good for all of us in Sorsogon. Tell the public about Sorsogon’s vision and the self-sacrificing goals of its leaders,” he said.

Monje also asked media to invite the public to become solid partners in building up the province by means of guiding the people to the avenues where they could participate.

“Let’s talk about how beautiful Sorsogon is and how we can heighten the beauty and the richness that is in Sorsogon,” he said.

Organized in 1995, KFI has been at the forefront of all Kasanggayahan celebration for years. (MAL/BAR/VAEL-PIO-LGU Sorsogon/PIA5)