May 10,2012 “Saddle” Road To Be Replaced With P50M Diversion Road By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr. Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The “saddle” road of which its improvement was discussed at the Agas-Agas building in a presscon with DPWH officials during the recent media tour of the latter’s projects, would no longer push through as planned. Instead, thru the NGO’s petitions addressed to the new DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson in Manila, the dangerous road in going to San Ricardo, Panaon Island, shall be replaced with the construction of a P50M worth 2-kiometer diversion road in going to brgy.Benit in San Ricardo town. This was the revelation of SL District Engineer Carlos Veloso during a presscon with Congressman Roger Mercado (held at the Villa Romana Hotel((tel no.(053)381-0639)in answer to Pinn Baybay’s inquiry regarding the sad condition of the dangerous “saddle road” that needs immediate attention by the concerned office. Ping Baybay is the editor/publisher of the Southern Leyte Balita. Benit where another roro port was constructed and inaugurated(aside from that of Liloan roro port) by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in April 2010,has also provides sea service to travelers in going to Mindanao via Surigao City in less than an hour, according to a reliable source. “Saddle” road is a narrow road curved along the steep cliff in going to San Ricardo town, which is the only way to reach the place. It was claimed by some knowledgeable people of the place that several accidents have occurred during the past years. On the other hand, Engr.Veloso informed Congressman Mercado and the media that all the ongoing constructions of three bridges in Combado, Abgao and San Roque, Macrohon are expected to be finished on June 30, 2012. He said he received instructions from Secretary Singson that the 3 projects must be completed on such date when all kinds of vehicles could already pass through it. He said he told the contractors about the Secretary’s order and assured him to comply with Singson’s desire. With the upcoming construction of the diversion road, after the winning bidder/contractor would sign the contract, it is hopefully expected that the project would start as soon as possible. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

City Govt. To Finance Construction Oof Guadalupe Port

March 28,2012


Guadalupe Port To Be Financed By The City Govt; SOLECO To Be Converted Into A full-pledge Coop-Samaco

By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco in a recent presscon at the city gymnasium after his state of the city address(SOCA)disclosed that the city government will finance the Guadalupe Port and will lead for the conversion of the Southern Leyte Electric Coop(SOLECO)into a full-pledge cooperative.

The Mayor said that the funding of the Guadalupe Port would provide revenues for the city in return and the SOLECO’s full-pledge conversion would reduce the rates of electricity.
Some consumers claimed that they were not allegedly inform thru public hearings by SOLECO’s present increased rates. They have just read it in billings that were delivered to them.

He informed that Phillip Morris lawyer who visited City Hall was supportive of the city’s no smoking policy from 17 years old and below .

He stressed that the no selling and no smoking of cigarettes 100 meters away from the school campuses must be followed by store owners to avoid penalties.

Asked by the press why he put on more weight in banning the smoking of cigarettes, he explained that smoking will not only harm the smokers but also others who would be inhaling second hand smoke from them. “Unlike drugs”, he said, “it will only affect those persons doing it”.

However, he was quick to say that he doesn’t favor the taking of illegal drugs that have bad effects to the minds and bodies of takers. The no smoking policy, he also claimed, does not affect so much of the city’s revenue.

Calling Electric Coops

The Mayor further said that he will call NATCO,SOLECO Board of Directors and other electric cooperatives in the region including the Chief Executives of 18 municipalities to support his plan. “When SOLECO would become a full pledge coop”, he told the crowd,”, “we can have lower rates”.

He clarified that at a time SOLECO will be converted into a full-pledge cooperative, its employees will remain in their respective positions.

On the other hand, the city government was awarded with P20M for practicing good governance. He also announced that the Leyte Zoo in Danao Park will be opened either this coming March or April of the current year.

A Sports Academy shall also be established with the turnover of the Southern Leyte Sports Com- plex otherwise known as TOPS oval playground to the city government. “We shall be utilizing the buildings inside the oval as quarters for the training of athletes to improve their skills”, he explained.

Other programs/projects of the incumbent Mayor ,among others, are:1)improvement of the city gym and tourist spots;2)to train call center agents with the coordination with the city’s colleges which is a study now pay later scheme;3)to construct a city cemetery and the excavated land to be brought to the reclamation area; 4)rehabilitation of the old municipal building into a city museum;5) establishment of Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center; 6)completion of Maasin City College building third floor; 7)going against thieves,robbers,swindlers,drug pushers and users; 8)inviting more investors to pour their resources in Maasin; 9) to establish a low cost housings project with the province and NHA; 10)opening of new sanitary landfill at Libhu/Bactul uno; more out-of-school youth joining scouting and alternative learning system; 11)more teachers in the elementary and secondary schools; 12)construction of swimming pool at Maasin City National High School.

Initial P10M Terminal Asphalting

Samaco said that asphalting of the bus terminal with an initial fund of P10M for phase one would start in April or sometime in May. That is if the erratic continual rains would lull to a stop, he said.

Moreover, the Mayor lamented that due to the Pangilinan Law which shield those below 18 years old from criminal liabilities, law enforcers and himself finds it hard to file criminal charges against those so-called “minors” who committed crimes.

He suggested that only those `12 years old girls and boys be considered as minors. Above this age, he emphasized, should not be considered as minors anymore.

Samaco stressed that age bracket in the classification of minors of the aforesaid law must be amended as soon as possible.

An Option Is Not An Option If…

During the last week of February 2012 a Power Forum was held at the Saint Joseph College covered court. The gathering of cooperatives chairs, managers was initiated by Mayor Samaco himself.

Samaco has also invited the NEA officials, members of all the Maasin Coops and their respective Managers SOLECO personnel, Cooperative Development Authority Regional Director
Anacleto D. Tungson.

At the power(electricity)forum it was apparent that the greatest desire of the Mayor to convert SOLECO into a full-pledge coop, with the support of its members-consumers to avail of a lower power rates, would take a long time yet to materialize.

Allan Laniva of DANGCO(Davao Electric Coop) pointed out that “an option is not an option if it has many disadvantages than advantages”.

He emphasized that there’s a great need for the SOLECO members-consumers and other groups to think, study and evaluate carefully to such change before a final move would be taken.

Other speakers who were all erstwhile Managers of electric cooperatives in other places have also delivered their experiences on the operation of electric coops. They were Rep. Ponciano Payuyo,NATCO party list representative Cresente Paez,Pet Ilagan of NASECORE, I-CARE partylist representative Michael Angelo Rivera,CDA Administrator Nelon Alindogan.

Also present were Enrique Salares,LBP DAC Rep; Constantino Barrientos,DAR Rep; Councilor Rene Hatayna,NES Director Mila Quinajon; Arnel Calapre, Dominaodr Miel of MCCI, MEMCO Manager Dionesio Llido, Anacleto Tumapon of CDA,among others.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Congressman Mercado Plans To Convert Libas Into A Municipality

Feb. 14,2012


Mercado Plans To Convert Libas Into A Municipality
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Congressman Roger Mercado has a visionary plan to convert Libas in Hinunangan into a municipality.

He disclosed that Libas which is formerly the location of Southern Leyte Rehabilitation Project during the Marcos Administration, has a big area and that if converted into a municipality would become the first inland municipality of the province.He said it has the potential to become progressive in the near future.

He revealed h e has talked with the representative of DAR during a budget meeting of all heads agencies in the province about his vision of the aforesaid place.

He said that the Dept of Agrarian Reform is equally willing to distribute and divide the lands into square meters for free to the interested settlers who are also willing to settle in Libas.

The Congressman stressed that the survivors of the Guinsaugon Tragedy including those barriofolks from nearby barangays who were resettled in St. Bernard resettlement sites because their areas are also prone to mudslides, are the preferable candidates of the program.

He explained that each family settlers from the Guinsaugon Tragedy survivors could either be given 500 square meters or 1,000 square meters of lot, depending upon the size of the vast tract of land that DAR would be willing to distribute.

He pointed out that since the area is an agricultural land, the first livelihood for the new settler is to plant all kinds of agricultural products including the planting of fruit trees.Thier produce can be marketed in the neighboring municipalities and some of it are for family consumption.

Construction of concrete roads in going to Libas which start at St.Bernard, he said, is not a problem because an appropriation for the infra project can b e requested for funding.

However, he still needs to talk to St.Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza of his grand plan for Libas and to DAR head Venirando Yap regarding the distribution of lots in Libas.

He further emphasized tha t the construction of the free housing units are also part of the program to be led by Gawad Kalinga, the Ayalas ,Lucio Tan, Humanitarian Institutions and some philanthropists.

Former St. Bernard Mayor Felix Lim and his daughter Joy Lim who is a councilor of the said municipality told the Congressman that he will announce the latter’s plan to the concerned survivors who were residing in various resettlement sites of St.Bernard.

When the Congressman’s plan would become a reality in the future, I would like to suggest that the vacated housing units in the resettlement sites be given to the poor families in different St Bernard barangays where these houses were located.
The priority are the poor families who lived in small houses built with light materials, dilapidated houses, those poor families who have just rented, and t hose who have no permanent residents because they could not afford to build their own houses.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Summit On Climate Change Held At Silago

Oct.25,2011

Summit On Climate Change Held At Silago
by Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Brgy. Hingatungan,Silago,So. Leyte-Congressman Roger Mercado has initiated a summit on climate change held inside a church building here to less than 300 high school and college students representing the 7 parishes in the Pacific towns during the recent Saturday.
The aforesaid affair was in coordination between Congressman Mercado and the assigned Parish priest Hope Lambunao several days earlier.
Mercado said that climate change or global warming is a worldwide man-made phenomenon triggered by heavy pollution from carbon dioxide emitted by hundreds and thousands of vehicles and factories from various countries,particularly among the industrialized nations.
He explained that pollution from various pollutant elements converge in the earth's atmosphere would prevent the release of Earth's heat to the open space and bounce back. “The result would be too much heat”,he said.
The Congressman disclosed to the students that it was in the 1960s that man started to use too much of the natural resources. There were many cut-and burn farmings,to much cutting of forest trees,denudation of forests like that of Sierra Madre,Marikina Valley and other kind of environmental abuse are the root causes of climate change or global warming today.
He claimed that because of climate change we have experienced erratic weather condition like El Niño or El Niña, typhoons,flashfloods destroying houses and killing people,landslides,
earthquakes in varous places of the world.
The ice in the North and South poles are now gradually melting,he intimated, including icebergs in various cold places of the earth which add to the rise in sea levels.
Mercado further stressed that one of the effective ways to combat climate change is to plant forest and fruit trees in the denuded forests,to plant mangrove seedlings along coastal areas of the province. It is also important to take care of all the planted trees so that it will grow into full maturity.
He pointed out that forest and fruit trees would provide shades and shelters to the birds and man,hold soil to prevent erosion,trees also absorb volumes of rainwater as drinking water among mountain and lowland springs. It also provide us with fruits and trees release oxygen that humans need and can be used as construction materials.
“WE have now several laws on environmental protection and conservation”,he said.”There's now a total log ban in Southern Leyte”.
One of the places that cutting of logs or trees are strictly prohibited are the watershed areas of the province,in the mountain forests and in mountains with soft sandy-like soil which would easily be eroded comes heavy and continual rains.
The representative further underscored that there should be a regular schedule of tree planting activities in every municipalitiy/barangay to achieve the Aquino Administration’s target of 6B trees from 2011 up to 2016.”We will also be building nurseries in every municipality for seedling production”,he said.”We will not stop the tree planting activities that we have been doing”.
He also encouraged the people to plant trees and vegetables on their arable lands,vacant lots and idle lands..
Although there's a total log ban in the province,he admonished the planters,(those whose trees were planted in the lowland areas or considered as industrial planting) to register their trees at the DENR. He said the owners can cut their planted trees in the lowland areas after 12 or more years if they need money or construction materials to build houses.
Furthermore,he believed that his clean and green program he initiated , one of which is the tree planting activities has served as the contributory factor that change the direction of the destructive winds from typhoon ”Ramon”which was scheduled to hit Southern Leyte. Additionally,he estimated that thru the tree planting activities conducted in Maasin and in other parts of Southern Leyte for the past several years, it has already reached about a million trees being planted. This is thru the help also of other officials and employees from different government agencies and some private sectors that join in the efforts to help minimize the effect of climate change.
On that same afternoon after the lecture ,the students led by Congressman Mercado and Rev. Lambunao trekked towards the coastal area of brgy. Hingatungan where they planted some seedlings of mangrove trees. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

Congressman Mercado Highlights His 60th Birthday Celebration With Tree Planting

Sept 10,2011

Congressman Mercado Highlights His 60th Birthday Celebration With Tree Planting
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Less than 2,000 tree seedlings composed of acacia mangium and mahogany were planted in brgy. Gutusan here on the eve of Congressman Roger Mercado’s birthday which was participated in by all barangay officials,city councilors and department heads, some provincial officials led by Vice- Governor Miguel Maamo, 11,heads of line agencies and some capitol employees.
Mercado has likewise sponsored medical-dental mission for senior citizens at the city gymnasium in the morning of his natal day.
The birthday celebrant together with his family,relatives,friends,District office employees and supporters celebrated Mercado’s natal day at Lola Edad Beach Resort in brgy, Ibarra, the same venue during his last year’s birthday.
Unlike his 59th birthday anniversary when there were scheduled presentations of some participants to the various programs, the recent celebration during the 4th week of August 2011 was the reverse.
Those barangays,city and provincial officials or employees who wanted to present or offer songs,orations,dances or sketches would just approached the EMCEE Maria Effie Garvez to inform her of their intention and the floor would be given to them.
Other invited guests also included, among others, some municipal Mayors and Vice- Mayors,some councilors,PNP personnel led by Pepito Pacada of the provincial Police office and Maasin Police led by Hector Flores Enage,some press people. Former Presidential Spokesman for Eastern Visayas and former DPWH Secretary Vic Domingo was also present.
A municipal official from Hinunangan offered 4 Beattle songs to the birthday celebrant-I Saw Her Standing There, Help, I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party and Mr. Moonlight- which he rendered well to the delight of Congressman Mercado and the whole crowd.
Moreover, newcomer City Councilor Romeo Geniston also rendered some English songs and Visayan songs for the celebrant. The singing councilor who is a practicing lawyer has as nice voice.Everytime he is invited to any affair, it’s a common happening that he would be requested to sing before the audience.
The revived Stringbirds band of the 60s has served as the main musical accompaniment to those who wanted to offer songs to the Congressman. The band was the mainstay attraction to music lovers in the 1960s,70s and the 80s.They rendered some songs of the Beattles,Hollies,Herman’s Hermits, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and the Dave Clark Five.
At four in the afternoon, some of the officials, guests and visitors have started leaving the place. While others chose to stay and continue to enjoy the food and drinks until past five.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)

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N.B.The eleven years old city of Maasin has no skin specialist yet until now. Only those w ho have the means can go to Cebu City for their skin problems. But those with little income cannot afford to go to Cebu for consultations. We hope that a skin specialist/dermatologist from nearby cities will be interested to put up a clinic here to serve those who have skin problems.