WITH the re-election of Laoag Mayor Michael V. Fariñas to his second term, Ms Chevylle V. Fariñas, the mayor’s wife and chairperson of the Laoag City Tourism and Social Concerns Council (LCTSCC), has proposed more improvements for Aurora Park, more popularly known as the city plaza. According to Ms Fariñas, the city plaza is among the first landmarks to be seen when one is entering the city aside from its being located in the center of Laoag. As such, she said the plaza should then be taken into consideration for improvement not only to serve as attraction to local and domestic tourists but more so for foreigners. It was also cited that the city has been adjudged recently as the “Tourist Destination of the North” and with this distinction, she said all tourist attractions, be it natural or man-made should be taken cared of and given importance. As for the stallholders currently situated along the city plaza, Ms Fariñas said she would also be proposing a well-organized situation as well as the continued maintenance of the city’s Oplan Dalus program. Based on earlier reports, the said plaza stallholders were apparently not observing cleanliness and orderliness in their areas of business resulting in unsanitary conditions. To maintain cleanliness in the area, Ms. Fariñas vowed to conduct regular inspections in order to remind stall owners that Laoag is intent on maintaining its Hall of Fame Award of the Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran’s Cleanest and Greenest Component City nationwide. Relative to this, Fariñas also asked the help of the City Agriculture Office, which is in charge of the plaza’s plants, to also conduct regular monitoring for them to assess the conditions of the plaza’s greenery. She also suggested that flowering plants should also be planted for a more attractive and fresher looking plaza. Reacting to this, the mayor appreciated the move of his better half saying the plaza should also be considered as a center of attraction of the city, aside from the St. William’s Cathedral and the Sinking Bell Tower. The mayor also added that tourism would be one of him major programs as he enters his second term considering that tourism influx to Laoag has been increasing. Dominic B. dela Cruz
|
|