BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi – Economic activities continued to flourish in the entire province after local and foreign investments, including funding support from donor countries, kept pouring in, Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali said during his State-of-the-Province Address (SoPA) over the other day.

Sahali said the province is fast- moving forward to attain the needed socio-economic development as infrastructure activities can also be found in almost all the 11 towns of the province.

“Signs of economic growth and development are evident in all the other municipalities of Tawi-Tawi,” he said. He cited the newly renovated and expanded Sanga-Sanga Airport and some major infrastructure activities here as good proof that the province is moving forward to achieve socio-economic development.

The improved airport can now accommodate bigger aircrafts, like the 737 airbuses, Sahali said.

“This is good and promising for local travel and tourism. We are fully aware that without an airport, tourism is merely a dream. We are now effectively linked with the country’s major cities, and those of neighboring countries,” he said.

He also thanked the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program for helping in the construction of roads, boat landings and footbridges in many villages of Tawi-Tawi.

The chief executive also guaranteed the people here that their living condition will soon be uplifted as a result of the province’s gains in economic and infrastructure activities.

He proudly reported during his SoPA that the recent global economic downtrend that have hit the Philippines have not disrupted the economy of Tawi-Tawi.

“As your governor, I was jubilantly surprised to know that the global crisis had not affected our people, neither has it dramatically disrupted our local economy,” he said.

He also praised and thanked the seaweed farmers here for their role in keeping the province economy afloat.

“Tawi-Tawi continues to be the leading seaweeds producer of the country and it has tremendously helped our economy to stay afloat. I wish to extend our deepest thanks and admiration to our seaweeds farmers and entrepreneurs,” the governor said during his speech.

The phase of economic activities in Sitangkai, known as the Venice of the South, can be considered very bullish and stable due to its being the biggest producer and exporter of seaweed and other marine products in the country,” the governor told the provincial and local government officials in attendance at the SoPA.