Aklan guv to deliver SOPA on February 2

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - Governor Carlito Samson Marquez will deliver his 7th State of the Province Address (SOPA) in a regular session of the Aklan Sangguniang Panlalawigan on February 2.

As usual, the governor will address the crowd of local chief executives, provincial government department heads, employees, media, academe, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, representatives of non-government organizations and people’s organizations and heads of national line agencies of the accomplishments and challenges made by his administration last year.

Marquez, who was first elected as governor in 2004, cruised to his third term victory in the May 2010 polls.

The annual SOPA, in accordance with the Local Government Code, will also give the provincial governor the chance to reveal the specific plans and priorities in implementing the programs of his administration for 2011 and the coming years.

Two economic drivers - tourism and agriculture - have been identified by Marquez to propel Aklan's development as a first-class province.

Tourist arrivals last year registered 779,666 and generated P14-billion in tourism receipts while Aklan remains a rice surplus producer despite the El Nino phenomenon.
Marquez' address is expected to begin at 9 a.m. To keep the Aklanons informed of the SOPA, a live broadcast on local radio stations and cable TV stations here will take place on February 2.