GMA skeds in Iloilo and Negros on hold

The Philippine Star. 04/14/2007
THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina

Iloilo City officials have crossed their fingers and offered prayers that First Gentleman Mike Arroyo would sufficiently recover so that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could push through with her scheduled visit to the city.

In Negros Occidental, however, Gov. Joseph Marañon has already written off the "unofficial" visit of the President because of the emergency heart surgery of the First Gentleman.

In the case of Negros, the President is expected to attend today’s opening of the Panaad Festival at the Panaad Park and Sports Complex in Mansilingan, Bacolod.

The alternative schedule would have the President visit and informally inaugurate the new Bacolod-Silay airport of international standard in Silay City on April 19. She was also supposed to visit other major projects.

Such is the case in Iloilo, too. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas earlier said there was no postponement of GMA’s scheduled visit to inaugurate the Sta. Barbara-Cabatuan airport. The visit would have also given the go-signal for the awarding of the lots sold in the old Iloilo airport in Mandurriao.

But based on TV and newspaper reports, it is very unlikely that the President would be able to adhere to her scheduled Western Visayas visits. For that matter, the latest reports indicate that she may have to go ahead with her China visit instead of local sorties by April 19.

Anyway, it is now a fact that the collective prayers of the public, including that of Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, may have helped ease the state of health of Mike Arroyo.

The Philippine Star. 04/14/2007