Expected to lure in more tourists, investments

NAVAL, Biliran – One of the tourist island destinations of this town will now have a 24- hour power supply which is projected to result in more tourists coming to the area.
The Higatangan Micro Grid was formally opened on March 8 that will provide electricity to the entire island which has become one of this town’s top tourist draws.
Edgardo Masongsong, administrator of the National Electrification Administration (NEA), who led the inauguration, said that its full operation would mean more opportunities for the people of the island.
“Few investors are putting up businesses in this island because on the problem on power supply. But now that electricity is here, we expect more businessmen to come in and invest in the island particularly in tourism related establishments to cater local and foreign tourist,” Masongsong said.
Higatangan Microgrid is a P15.21 million worth electrification project through the donation of South Korean government and ELT Co. Ltd that includes equipment: 10-KW power solar panel photovoltaic, 50-KW power control system, 50-KV diesel generator, and 20-KWH plus 16-KWH extra energy storage system.
The Biliran Electric Cooperative (Bileco), as a counterpart, purchased the lot where the micro-grid was erected.
The island, famous for its ‘shifting’ sand bar, has two villages, Mabini and Legaspi whose residents welcome the operation of its own power supply.
Legaspi village chairman Milluh Roble said that the microgrid is an answer to their prayer to have a reliable supply of electricity.
“As the leader of the village, let me say thank you in behalf of the constituents for this project that will give us a wonderful opportunity,” Roble said.
Rosita Salazar, caretaker of Higatangan Island Beach Resort, said that the full energization on the island would result to more tourist bookings to their resort.
“We have a website where tourists can book online. But since there is no electricity on the island, the booking is checked online by the owner who resides in Canada then she will call or send a message in mobile phone if there are reservation,” she said.
Masongsong said that improving the life of every Filipino is among the main goals of the present administration under its Ambisyon Natin 2040 that represents the collective long-term vision and aspirations of the Filipino people for themselves and for the country in the next 25 years.
This goal of the national government is in line with the target of electric cooperative that is rural electrification to spur rural development.
Although the ceremonial switch-on was already done by the NEA officials and the management of Bileco headed by its general manager Gerardo Oledan, the island will continue to have a 5-hour power supply everyday due to technical problem on the micro-grid equipment but the Korean technicians will arrive next month correct the problem for the island residents to finally experience the 24-hour power supply.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Lack of water supply continue to hunt the families living at the resettlement sites located at the northern part of this city.
Lack of water has been one of the complaints of the families since they were resettled at the sites by the government.
These families lost their houses after this city was pummelled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ five years ago.
At the St. Francis Village I, located in Barangay Kawayan, the scarcity of water in their area forced many of the residents to dig grounds just to have water supply.
Nenita Lazara, one of the residents, said while the city government delivers water at their area, the supply is still not enough for their daily needs.
They are seeking help with the city government under Mayor Cristina Romualdez to have them a steady supply of water. (ROSALIO ABORQUEZ, RUTCHEL ALPINO, JUSTIN JOYCE GARCIA, MYLA LOYOLA, JOELLYN POLILLO, EVSU Student Interns)

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON,PALO, Leyte- A total of 260 police recruits have taken their oath of office administered by Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos, police regional director.
The activity was held after the flag raising ceremony held on Monday (March 11) at the grounds held here, the regional headquarters of the Philippine National Police.
According to Carlos, the new police men were part of the 1,028 applicants covering the quota for the first quarter of the year.
He added that of the 200 recruits,62 of them were endorsed to the PNP Headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City wherein they will be given opportunity to commence their training to different regions nationwide.
Carlos said that these new breed of police officers will undergo the mandatory training, the Public Safety Basic Recruit Course (PSBRC) for six months at the Regional Training Center (RTC) at Kuta Kankabato, San Jose, Tacloban City which will be followed by another six months of field training program (FTP).
“Today is a new chapter of your lives. May this serve as your humble beginning in the PNP organization,” Carlos said.
Carlos advises interested applicants to secure the necessary initial documentary requirements while waiting for the opening of the 2nd Cycle Recruitments which is still to be announced by the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

HILONGOS, Leyte- The oversight committee on transportation at the lower house of Congress met here on March 5 to revisit an alternate shipping route across the archipelago using the roll-on, roll-off (RORO) system.
Led by House Speaker and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the gathering was attended by representatives of regulatory government agencies and top players of sea transportation in the private sector, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao corridors.
Focus of intense discussion was the cost of handling goods while in transit along the lanes of the nautical highways from Davao to Manila and vice-versa, including other charges, mostly land-based, along the way.
Speaker Arroyo was joined by Rep. Manuel Zubiri of the third district of Bukidnon, Rep. Bayani Fernando of Marikina, Leyte Rep.Yedda Romualdez, the local officials of Hilongos led by Mayor Albert Villahermosa, and Southern Leyte lone district representative Roger Mercado.
Earlier, while waiting for the arrival of the House leader at the Maasin Airport in Barangay Panan-awan, Rep. Mercado shared the context of the meeting, saying the nautical highways system through RORO ports would be the main topic.
It can be recalled that during her term as president, Arroyo pushed for a function nautical highway as another channel for transporting goods and vehicles anywhere to and from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Under this concept, the western nautical highway connects the ports of Batangas to Calapan then on to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro; to Caticlan, to Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, and up to Dapitan in Mindanao.
The central nautical highway jumps off from Camarines Sur to Burias Island, to Masbate, then on to Daan Bantayan and Bogo, Cebu; then Cebu City to Tubigon, Bohol; Jagna, Bohol to Camiguin, and on to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental in Mindanao.
The eastern seaboard departs from Pilar or Bulan, Sorsogon to Masbate; Cawayan, Masbate to Naval, Biliran, or Maripipi, Biliran to Naval, Biliran; land travel to San Ricardo, Southern Leyte, then off to Lipata, Surigao, in Mindanao.
At the oversight hearing, the consensus was that for now the cost for travelling perishable agricultural goods and trucking services along these routes, plus freight, stevedoring, and terminal fees, was high, details of which are to be taken up further by the technical working group to find ways and means at lowering these charges.
But a silver lining was the opening of at least seven (7) RORO missionary routes at different lateral points not indicated in the nautical highway, among them the Ubay, Bohol to Guadalupe, Maasin Port, which debuts its maiden voyage on March 8.(LDL/MMP/PIA-8, Southern Leyte)