Rice ratooning gives P18k summer income to farmers

By JUNE S. BLANCO

FARMERS in Bohol’s 2nd District stand to get an additional P18,000 income this summer out of a third rice crop.

This after congressional wannabe Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado this week distributed urea fertilizers to farmers who are members of irrigators associations (IAs) organized by the national Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Ubay, San Miguel, Talibon and Dagohoy towns.

Aris is carrying on the rice ratooning program initiated by his father and namesake Erico Aumentado with NIA in coordination with Land Bank of the Philippines and the private sector. The solon died on Christmas Day last year but Aris is continuing the implementation of his programs especially those under a memorandum of understanding.

He has filed his certificate of candidacy as replacement candidate for his father for this May elections.

The 2nd District Congressional District office had also taken up the slack after the Department of Agriculture practically reneged on its end of the counter-parting bargain for the fertilizers due to non-availability of funds.

Under the ratooning program, farmers get three crops from just two plantings in a year. After the dry season harvest, the farmers remove the weeds and apply urea allowing the rice shoots to bear grains again for harvest in May or June.

Records show that the around 1,850 farmers harvest an additional 25 bags of palay per hectare which Marcela Farms of the Alturas Group of Companies buy at a minimum of P15 per kilo properly dried, or P18 per kilo if of the hybrid variety. This means P750 per 50-kilo bag for the former, and P900 per bag for the latter – covered under separate marketing agreements included in the MOU.

Aumentado said the farmers can use the additional income for the expected expenses for the fiestas in May, or enrolment of their children for the next school year starting in June.

Milk and Rice

MILK AND RICE. Aris Aumentado (extreme right), son of and replacement candidate for the late Rep. Erico Aumentado of Bohol's 2nd District distributes rice and powdered milk to residents of Barangay Aguining in the island town of President Carlos P. Garcia. He is assisted by, from right, Mayor Tesalonica Boyboy, Board Member Ma. Fe Lejos and Board Member-Candidate Tomas Abapo. CONTRIBUTED FOTO

Aris Aumentado son of the late Cong. Erico B. Aumentado

“Aris” inaugurates fishport in Tintinan

NEW FISH PORT. Congressional bet Aris Aumentado of Bohol's 2nd District and Ubay Mayor Eutiquio Bernales (4th and 2nd from left) lead local officials in cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Tintinan Mini Fish Port (other foto). CONTRIBUTED

 By JUNE S. BLANCO

FISHERMEN and traders in the island barangay of Tintinan in Ubay town now get to properly dock their pump boats even in low tide, as well as easily load and unload their cargoes.

This after Bohol’s 2nd District Congressional bet Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado recently inaugurated the P1.5-million mini fish port in Tintinan built with appropriation from the Priority Development assistance Fund (PDAF) of his namesake father.

The younger Aumentado is his father’s replacement candidate after the latter died on Christmas Day last year.

Aris, Board Member Ma. Fe Lejos and Ubay Mayor Eutiquio Bernales, Vice Mayor Constantino Reyes and Councilors Efren Tanjay, Sabiniano Atupan, Constancio Atuel and Marilyn Ranara as well as Tintinan Barangay Chair Adriano Vallentos Sr. led local officials in cutting the inaugural ribbon to the fish port prior to the short program at the barangay hall.

In his message, Aris told the islanders how they had a soft spot in his father’s heart, hence the attention given to their unique need. He asked them to take care of the fish port for it to be able to serve them longer.

Tintinan is a fishing community. When the catch is abundant, the islanders salt or dry the fish that they cannot consume or sell fresh. They then sell the salted and dried fish to Ubay or Mabini towns, both in the mainland.

Meanwhile, from Tintinan, Aris’ group proceeded to Barangay Aguining in the island town of President Carlos P. Garcia where a German national representing a special milk company distributed cartons of the commodity to some 500 families.

Aris counterparted the milk with 20 bags of rice pre-packed into two-kilo bags.

The spouses Helmut of the Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe Dritte Welt e.v led Tagbilaran City “Deputy Mayor” Mariano Uy and wife; Ida Merkel; Susan Chua and Derrick Chong in bringing the HIPP anti-reflux milk to the island.

Aris, Uy, President Garcia Mayor Tesalonica Boyboy, Aguining Barangay Chair Gerardo Migraso and Barangay Councilor Fernando “Eping Gamay” Estavillo, Board Member Ma. Fe Lejos and Board Member-candidate Tomas Abapo distributed the milk and rice.

Aris also thanked the Helmut couple for bringing the gifts to the islanders.

Tintinana, Ubay fishport

Aris inaugurates Cabul-an genset

Erico "Aris" C. Aumentado

By JUNE S. BLANCO

  

ICE-COLD beer, anyone?

Residents in Western and Eastern Cabul-an – two barangays in the lone island of Buenavista town can now enjoy ice-cold beer or soft drinks and freeze their freshly caught fish to preserve them for the next day or week rather than just dry them or soak them in brine.

This after Erico Aristotle Aumentado, namesake and son of the late solon who died on Christmas Day last year, recently inaugurated a generator set in West Cabul-an.

Aris who is running for a seat in Congress as replacement candidate for his father representing Bohol’s 2nd District said the project is among the favorites pushed by the solon for which he had poured a P350,000 counterpart from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

The local government unit under Mayor Ronald Lowell Tirol and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Millennium Challenge Corporation-Kapitbisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (MCC-Kalahi-Cidds) also put up counterparts for the P2.5-million electrification project.

DSWD Region 7 Dir. Mercedita Jabagat attended the inauguration and turnover rites with Aumentado and Tirol, hosted by Cabul-an West Barangay Captain Alfredo Tagsip and his constituents.

Aumentado, NIA proposed dam project a step closer to realization

the late Cong. Erico B. Aumentado

By Marlon Balmadrid

QUEZON CITY – The proposed Bohol Northeast Multi Purpose Dam for Irrigation and Hydro Power project envisioned by the late Rep. Erico B. Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol) together with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is getting closer to realization as the project only needs the indorsement of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for its eventual implementation and construction. The good news was shared by no other than the late solon’s son Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado, who is closely monitoring the developments of various projects left behind by his father.

The proposed multi purpose dam project will be located in the municipality of Danao, Province of Bohol. The project seeks to provide irrigation services for the farmers in the municipalities of Danao, San Miguel, Trinidad, Dagohoy, Bien Unido and Ubay.

In a pre-feasibility study conducted by NIA Region 7, the proposed project can irrigate a total of 19,071 hectares in the towns of Danao, San Miguel, Trinidad, Dagohoy, Bien Unido and Ubay.

The study also showed that based on the dependable water supply of Wahig River which is capable of storing 15.3 million cubic meters of water backed up with a 105.25 sq. kilometer watershed, a 10.0 megawatts of hydro electric power can also be developed including domestic water supply for the municipalities of Danao, Dagohoy and San Miguel.

In a letter addressed to NEDA ICC Technical Board Deputy Director General and Chairman, Rolando G. Tungpalan, the late solon requested for the facilitation of the indorsement of the project. Once approved, the project is set to be funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under its Official Development Assistance (ODA) facility.

The Central Visayas Regional Development Council thru RDC Resolution No. 58 (S. 2011) has already indorsed the conduct of the feasibility study and detailed engineering design for the proposed multi purpose dam for funding by KOICA.

Indicated in the NIA Region 7 pre-feasibility study, the general objective of the proposed project is to provide substantial and dependable water supply for irrigation services to support the agricultural development program of the government.

For its specific objectives, the dam aims to provide dependable irrigation water supply in the northeastern part of Bohol and consequently generate cheaper and renewable source of energy to augment the local electric power needs, develop new and improved communities via a comprehensive resettlement and livelihood program for affected residents, provide a dependable source of potable water to adjacent communities, mitigate the impact of climate change by reducing the occurrence of flash floods in the municipalities of Danao and Inabanga and to serve as a new alternative eco-tourism attraction in the area.

Being a large irrigation project, Aumentado strongly believed that it will surely help boost rice production in the area, alleviating the living conditions of the farmers in the countryside, play a key role in attaining the goal for rice self sufficiency and solidifying Bohol’s claim as the rice granary of the region.

The proposed Bohol Northeast Multi Purpose Dam is among the projects on stream being worked out by Aumentado for the benefit of the 2nd District and Bohol in general, up until his untimely demise due to complications brought about by pneumonia last Dec. 25, 2012.

Once completed, the project will consist of a main dam having a maximum of 100 meters in height and 1,200 meters in length, plus four supplementary dams having a 60 meter average height and 400 meter average length.

The estimated project cost is pegged at around $182 million.

Senate committee OKs Aumentado bills

By Marlon Balmadrid

  

QUEZON CITY – The Senate Committee on Public Works and Highways approved three House Bills principally authored by the late Rep. Erico Aumentado (2nd district, Bohol) during a public hearing Wednesday.

Chief Political Affairs Officer and the solon’s son Aris Aumentado said Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., committee chair, presided over the discussions on airport development, road conversion and establishment of district engineering offices in different parts of the country and approved, among others, House Bills 386, 2437 and 6569.

HB No. 386 seeks to convert the Bohol 2nd Engineering Sub-District Office into a regular engineering district to be known as the Bohol 2nd Engineering District. The district covers Pres. Garcia, Ubay, Bien Unido, Trinidad, Talibon, Getafe, Buenavista, Inabanga, Clarin, Sagbayan, San Isidro, Dagohoy, Danao and San Miguel towns, all in the 2nd congressional district of Bohol that are now under the sub-district office.

The district office shall still be located in Ubay, situs of the Bohol 2nd Engineering Sub-District Office urged to be converted into a full-fledged engineering district. It will still maintain the present 209.931 kilometers of national roads and 1,525.40 linear meters of bridges.

Aumentado said the conversion will result to a more closely supervised and effective implementation of the infrastructure program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other agencies that depend on it to implement their infrastructure projects.

It will hasten the pace of project implementation, bring the government closer to the people in hinterland and island barangays, expedite the improvement of the capital resources of the province and its economic development particularly in the 2nd district, and generate more employment within its jurisdiction, he added.

HB 2437 or the Ubay Airport Development Act, intends to develop the Ubay airport built by the Americans before World War II in barangay Camambugan. It covers 54 hectares owned by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), located on flat terrain ideal for an airport, with huge potential for expansion due Camambugan’s highly agricultural landscape,. The development of the airport has become imperative in the light of the selection of Ubay – the biggest town of Bohol in land area, population and income – as the tourism hub in the northeast corridor under the Bohol Tourism Master Plan crafted by Pacific Consultants Inc. of Japan.

The Ubay airport, together with its fast developing port, is eyed as a major support infrastructure of the Multi-Industrial Cluster (MIC) development strategy covered by an executive agreement between South Korea and the Philippines.

The Ubay Airport Development Project shall cover its feasibility study, engineering design, improvement of the existing runway, construction of a terminal building, installation of navigation and lighting facilities and all the equipment required for domestic commercial and aviation training flights.

Once upgraded, the airport can accommodate domestic flights to spur tourism, commerce and industry in the northeastern corridor of Bohol. The airport furthermore can host aviation schools and serve as training facility to relieve Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the Tagbilaran Airport from training flights of aviation students. The Ubay airport is also included in the CAAP annual investment plan for development.

HB 387 seeks to convert the provincial roads in the island town of Pres. Garcia into national roads. These are the 12.7-kilometer Popoo-Tugas road, 6.5-km Pitogo-Aguining road and the 3.88-km Villa Milagrosa-San Vicente-Pitogo (Poblacion) diversion road, for a total of 23.08 kms.

These roads all lead to the Pres. Garcia municipal wharf and the strategic Popoo barge landing facility which link the island to mainland Bohol thru Tapal Wharf in Ubay, Cebu City, Bato (Leyte) and Maasin City (Southern Leyte), and would greatly enhance commerce and industry in the area, as well as to the vital fishport of Aguining, the solon had said.

The municipal government of Pres. Garcia has strongly clamored for the road nationalization so that it can be properly maintained considering that passenger vehicles now travel regularly within the island. More vehicles are expected with the regular trips of barges and pump boats plying the Tapal-Popoo route. The provincial and municipal local governments coordinated in securing the road right of way required for a national highway.

The road network, once nationalized, is seen to further give convenience by offering safe highways for the travelling public, easy mobility of cargoes and essential commodities and hasten the economic development of the island town.

Aris, who is set to file his candidacy as replacement candidate for his father expressed elation over the bills’ committee approval.

Present during the public hearing were Sen. Franklin Drilon, representatives from DPWH, CAAP and other House members who filed similar bills for their respective districts.

Revilla expressed confidence that the approved measures bills will pass into law within two weeks or before the 15th Congress adjourns.