Solar power plant seen to bring progress to historic Leyte island town

LIMASAWA, Southern Leyte, May 29  -- The construction of a solar power plant in this historic island town will bring more improvements to less developed communities endowed with picturesque beaches and historic sites.

Mayor Nilo Petracorta said on Monday the National Power Corporation (Napocor) held a ground breaking last March for the construction of PHP54 million 120-kilowatt (kW) solar power project awarded to Power Dimension Inc.

The island is currently powered by expensive diesel power plant operated by the Napocor, which runs 24 hours a day from the 18-hours operation last year.

The diesel power plant produces 700-kW, enough to meet the island’s power demand. The power plant serves 1,200 households in the island.

“Hopefully this will lower the electricity rates of Limasawa,” Petracorta said. “This is also environment-friendly since there is no carbon emission in solar power.”

Napocor targets to complete the solar power project by September or November this year, said Petracorta.

Aside from the solar power plant project, Limasawa will also receive within this year two units of 200-kW and two units of 300-kW generator sets as part of the Napocor’s capacity addition program.

The power firm will also build its own fuel oil storage tank to ensure continuous supply even during extreme weather conditions.

The town mayor said this power development project will attract more businessmen to invest in the island due to stable energy supply.

Limasawa is a 6th class island town in Southern Leyte. Most of the 6,000 residents are dependent on fishing for livelihood.

Tourism is an alternative source of income in the island known as the site of First Catholic Mass in the Orient held by the group of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

Due to increasing number of tourist visiting the island, there’s a good number of lodging facilities and inn established by local investors to cater on tourist needs, resulting to the increase of electricity demand. (RTA/PNA)

Eastern Visayas posts 15.56% growth in bank deposits

TACLOBAN CITY, May 29  -- Bank deposits in Eastern Visayas grew by 15.56 percent to PHP109.33 billion in 2017 as construction boom continues despite slowdown of post-disaster recovery projects in the region.

Bank deposits in the region managed to maintain a double-digit annual growth rate in the past five years despite the impact of the 2013 super typhoon Yolanda, based on records of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC).

Last year’s growth is higher than the 11.23 percent recorded in 2016, but lower than the average of 20 percent growth recorded from 2013 to 2015.

Regional Development Council banking sector representative Francisco Barredo said in a mobile phone interview Tuesday that consistent banking growth is largely driven by construction activities and business expansion.

“In the past, most construction activities were concentrated in Tacloban and other areas badly-hit by Yolanda. Last year, construction projects have spread out all over the region as government pours more investments on improving infrastructure,” Barredo told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Deposit liabilities in 2017 stood at PHP109.33 billion, higher than the PHP94.61 billion a year earlier. Deposit liabilities refer to money placed by an individual or corporation into a banking institution for safekeeping.

The PDIC banking statistics, posted on its website, showed that the total number of accounts grew by 8.44 percent from 868,080 in 2016 to 941,338 last year.

The number of banks increased to 225 in 2017 from 206 in the previous year. All provinces also posted significant growth in both accounts and deposits.

“The expansion of existing banks and opening of new banks in the region helped provide easy transfer of money and encouraged businesses to expand their operation outside major commercial districts,” Barredo added.

More banks have opened branches in Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte, according to PDIC.

Data showed that of the total PHP109.33-billion deposit portfolio, PHP65.56 billion were in Leyte province, PHP11.88 billion in Southern Leyte, PHP11.95 billion in Samar, PHP9.59 billion in Northern Samar, PHP7.64 billion in Eastern Samar, and PHP2.67 billion in Biliran.
The remarkable growth in Leyte is largely driven by operation of 49 banks in Tacloban City. The regional capital had PHP41.67 billion deposits as of end of 2016, higher than the PHP36.74 billion in 2017.

The number of accounts in the city rose to 310,781 in 2017 from 284,884 in the previous year.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is upbeat that banking growth will continue in the next years due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” Program and private sector investments.

“To enhance the region’s capacity and growth potential, infrastructure development must be pursued. The stalwart performance we had in 2016, which was largely due to the remarkable growth of the construction subsector, should encourage us to push for more construction investments in the region,” said NEDA Regional Director Bonifacio Uy.

The official was referring to the 44.5 percent growth of construction subsector in 2016 due to the intensified implementation of public construction projects such as road widening and flood control projects, among others, on top of the remaining post-Yolanda reconstruction projects. (SQM/PNA)

Calbayog to welcome 55,000 school children

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar, May 29  -- The Department of Education (DepEd) in this city is set to welcome at least 55,000 school children as it opens the new school year on June 4.

The number of students is higher compared to last year’s 49,582 enrolled school children.

“The schools are now in preparation for the opening of classes, and we are expecting more children to go back to school,” said DepEd Calbayog Schools Division Superintendent Raul Agban.

The Brigada Eskwela 2018 kicked-off in this city Monday through a caravan from Carayman National High School, which ended at the Calbayog City Convention Center.

Agban encouraged parents and other stakeholders to continue supporting the education sector in the city.

“Let us all join hands and continue helping our schools for the end beneficiaries, our children,” Agban said.

In last school year’s Brigada Eskwela, the DepEd field office here generated PHP15.04 million and mobilized at least 32,518 volunteers to prepare for the school opening.

DepEd Calbayog office key officials and staff will also go to Mantaong Elementary School on May 30 to help paint, clean, and do some repairs of the classrooms and other facilities.

At least 64 new classrooms will greet learners in 26 school sites funded last year. For 2018, at least 100 classrooms will rise in 17 school sites.

The city government here will extend PHP5,000 cash assistance to all public elementary, junior and senior high schools this school year. (JSA/PNA)

NFA-Region 8 eyes 240,000 bags rice shipment

TACLOBAN CITY, May 25  -- The National Food Authority (NFA) in Eastern Visayas is expecting to receive 12,000 metric tons (MT) of imported rice from Vietnam and Thailand to arrive in the country starting June.

NFA Regional Director Henry Tristeza said the allocation will be coming from the 250,000 MT of rice purchased through government-to-government scheme. The 12,000 MT of rice is equivalent to 240,000 bags.

“The new shipment will ensure us enough rice supply for at least six days if NFA will be the only source of staple food. That is not the case because we have enough stocks from commercial traders and households,” Tristeza said on Friday.

The volume is only a small fraction of the 60-day buffer stocks target as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The incoming stocks is expected to bring down the price of commercial rice in the market with the availability of NFA rice at only PHP27 and PHP32 per kilogram (kg), said Tristeza.

The NFA regional chief admitted the absence of NFA rice in the market contributed to the increase in the price of commercial rice in the region from an average of PHP40 per kg to PHP45 per kg.

For Rebecca Sulibaga, 44, from Lunang village in the island town of Almagro, Samar, the higher prices of rice makes life difficult for their family of six supported by her husband’s PHP300 daily income from fishing.

“Now that rice is expensive, we have no choice, but to cut our budget for other food items, education, and fare. Another option is to borrow money from our friends and relatives,” Sulibaga said.

Pedicab driver Raul Piga, 35, from Youngfield village in this city said their hand-to-mouth existence has worsened as prices of basic food items such as rice went up.

“A big chunk of our budget goes to buying rice. Most of the time, our side dish is just lawlaw,” Piga said. Lawlaw is a kind of tiny sardine buried and preserved in salt, commonly eaten by impoverished families who have no other alternative to enhance the taste of rice.   

 The NFA has stopped selling rice in the six Eastern Visayas provinces last February due to dwindling stocks.

For the second batch of 250,000 MT of imported rice which was bid out through government-to-private (G2P) scheme this week, will bring another 12,000 mt of rice to the region. NFA will announce winning bidder before end of May.

The government attempted to replenish stocks through the import of 250,000 MT but bidding failed in the last week of April. The country reopened offers from the governments of Vietnam and Thailand early of May. 

The NFA is sticking to its target of having the rice imports in the country within June. (SQM/With reports from Princess Rosette Cabonegro and Chanda Mae Dialino, OJTs/PNA)

Landslide-hit S. Leyte highway to open after 2 months

TACLOBAN CITY, May 25  -- A section of a major road connecting Leyte Island to Mindanao that has been closed for more than two months due to landslides, will be opened next week, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The DPWH Southern Leyte field office will reopen the road Monday, just few days after the scheduled closure of the alternative Abuyog-Silago Road.

The Abuyog-Silago Road, considered as alternate route from Leyte to Mindanao, was closed as major repair works of Cadac-an Bridge in Abuyog town started on Thursday.

“With the closure of this major highway in Abuyog, there will be no other access to the Pacific towns and Southern Leyte port, but the longer Mahaplag-Baybay Road route. We have to speed up the removal of landslide debris in Pancho Villa in Sogod town to make the highway open to traffic by next week,” said DPWH Southern Leyte district engineering office chief Ma. Margarita Junia in a mobile phone interview Friday.

On March 14, a major landslide occurred in Pancho Villa village damaging a part of the highway. The debris and signs of another landslide prompted the DPWH to close the Mahaplag-Sogod Road for the safety of motorists.

Maintenance personnel has been working overtime to remove the remaining clay materials within the 250-meter road section, said Junia.

The official clarified that Mahaplag-Sogod road will initially be opened to traffic for 45 days or during the early stage of Cadac-an bridge repair works.

“We were told that rehabilitation works of Cadac-an Bridge will take 195 days. We decided to open the road into three intervals. While rehabilitation works there are ongoing, Mahaplag-Sogod road will be open for 45 days to accommodate vehicles travelling to Southern Leyte and Benit Port,” Junia added.

Benit port in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte is the region’s exit point to Mindanao.

Junia said that after 45 days, the road will be closed again to traffic while the Abuyog-Silago road will be available for motorists within 30 days.

She added that this operation will continue even if there’s no major landslide in Pancho Villa village.

The road section in Pancho village will not be fully opened until ongoing intensive soil explorations and anti-landslide measures are done. (SQM/PNA)