Difference between revisions of "Southern Leyte Province, Philippines"

Jump to navigation Jump to search
→ → Go back HOME to Zamboanga: the Portal to the Philippines.

Southern Leyte Province, Philippines (view source)

Revision as of 13:14, 23 February 2012

37 bytes added ,  13:14, 23 February 2012
→‎Southern Leyte News
Line 194: Line 194:


==[[Southern Leyte News]]==
==[[Southern Leyte News]]==
'''DPWH-SLED infra projects in full swing'''
'''Padre Burgos LGU leads multi-sectoral crown of thorns massive collection'''
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301329861200
*Source: http://pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=2&webregion=R08&article=1301329971265
*Wednesday 22nd of February 2012
*Thursday 23rd of February 2012
:by Marcelo M. Pedalino
:by (PIA8-Southern Leyte)




MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Feb. 22 (PIA) -- At least eight major infrastructure projects programmed by the Department of Public Works and Highways-Southern Leyte Engineering District (DPWH-SLED) for implementation this year were bidded out and started.
PADRE BURGOS, Southern Leyte, Feb. 23 (PIA) -- The local government is leading a campaign to rid the coastal areas here of a deadly specie of starfish that poses a threat to the town’s tourism industry and also to the livelihood of marginal fisher folk, Agriculturist Juliet Crisostomo said.
   
   
Projects with less than P20 million costs have expiry dates on or before June 30, while those with more than P20 million appropriations are targeted to be done by September 30 this year, Engr. Carlos Veloso, head of the provincial engineering district, said.
The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), a coral-eating underwater creature, has been blamed for destroying a partial stretch of coral reef in this dive destination. If the destruction is left unchecked, the number of divers who frequent the site is likely to diminish, affecting local tourism, he said.
   
   
In a press conference at the DPWH function hall yesterday, Veloso identified five of the infrastructure projects with a combined budget of P124 million from the DPWH regular funds that were bidded out on Feb. 9, and as of press time winning contractors began preliminary works prior to actual start.
Fishermen living along the coasts who depended on fishing as their main livelihood have already complained that fishes have migrated to other places as a result of the loss of coral material in the area, Crisostomo said.
 
The campaign has resulted in more than 3,000 COTS averaging 12 inches in diameter being collected before noon Wednesday and later buried across the street. Called “Dap-ag Lanay” locally, COTS are differentiated from normal starfishes, which are star-shaped, in that the former have thorny projections resembling a crown.
   
   
Among these were the final phase for the completion of the Subang Daku bridge along Daang Maharlika in Barangay San Miguel, Sogod and the accompanying construction/improvement of the same road up to the junction at Buac road.
Their proliferation is reported to have resulted from the absence of natural predators such as oysters and some species of fish that feed on them. Overfishing and climate change have played in part in the imbalance, by reducing the population of the COTS natural enemies.
 
Divers from private dive businesses, fisher folk from the neighboring barangays, and several personnel from the Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), a non-government organization from Britain stationed at Barangay Napantao, San Francisco, helped in collecting the COTS from the sea floor, Crisostomo said.
   
   
The other three that were also bidded out Feb. 9 involved replacement or construction of old bridges, such as the one at Barangay San Roque, Macrohon, Tuburan Bridge at Barangay Abgao, Maasin, and another at Barangay Combado Arch Bridge, also in Maasin.
Over the past month, seven out of 10 coastal barangays of Padre Burgos have already collected more than 50,000 pieces of COTS. Three other barangays have separate schedules of COTS collection in March, he added.
The two bridges at the city proper usually caused a bottleneck in the traffic for pedestrians and moving vehicles especially during rush hour of the day, and their widening is seen as a big relief for commuters, said Engr. Manolo Rojas, assistant district engineer.
Other projects that were already bidded out and were started last month included the widening and installation of drainage system along the new national highway Tomas Oppus street in Barangays Mantahan and Mambajao, Maasin City, and improvements in the San Ricardo-Bilatan road, and preventive maintenance along Daang Maharlika highway. (BP-PIA 8 Southern Leyte)


==Photo Gallery of Southern Leyte, Philippines==
==Photo Gallery of Southern Leyte, Philippines==
Retrieved from "http://zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=Special:MobileDiff/284489"

Navigation menu