Gensanportal - Mindanao News Blog

Surigao City – Governor Sol Matugas has envisioned Surigao del Norte to become a ‘reading province’ this year with the establishment of library hubs in all its twenty towns and lone city. The first phase of the project will be implemented within the first half of the year in the first congressional district comprising Siargao Island which has nine towns, namely, Dapa, Del Carmen, San Isidro, Burgoz, San Benito, Pilar, General Luna, Sta. Monica and Socorro. It has already an allocation of P6.5-million recently released by the Department of Budget and Management through Secretary Butch Abad. The second phase will be completed within the year and will benefit eleven towns and the City of Surigao in the second congressional district. It will have an additional allocation from the DBM with a counterpart from the provincial government. A retired DepEd regional director prior to his election as governor, Matugas said the library hubs will have spacious rooms, computers with internet capabilities, volumes of books, latest reading materials, dictionaries, chairs, tables, etc. The same will be under the supervision of the concerned LGUs but the salaries of library personnel will be shouldered by the provincial government. “The library hubs will become the center of activity for students, teachers and researchers who want to sharpen and widen their knowledge. It will also develop their reading habits, improve their learning skills and can help in reducing illiteracy in the process. With these, we look forward of the day when Surigao del Norte will soon become a reading province”, the educator-turned-governor said. (JUN LIRA)