Bayawan City
impresses Confed trustees

First, I should like to remind the alumni of the Faraon Institute of Cadiz City that the annual reunion will be on Feb. 15 to 17.

And there is a bigger reason for the celebration, the alumni may be glad to know that their school (FI, only) - topped the evaluation by the FAPE-and Education Department which had sent a team to northern Negros Occidental.

The team evaluated 14 private secondary schools in the northern Negros area and FI topped them all in terms of English proficiency, national language, and mathematics, according to Mrs. Maquiling Ascalon, FI school board head.

This time, we expect a very big and joyful celebration, Mrs. Ascalon said yesterday.

***

All attention today is focused on the Valentine's Day celebration. But like Christmas, it is more hooplah than anything, just a major marketing blitz, passed off a real celebration of love.

Love does not pick a select date to flower. It should be a constant, daily manifestation of reaching out to the other. That's why members of Islam in a nearby in another country had warned believers against falling into the pitfall of Western corporate traps which have dreamed up Valentine's Day to come up with another sales pitch.

Still, to all of your, Happy Valentine's Day.

***

I really was elated by the frenzied tribute by trustees of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Western Visayas Chapter who passed by Bayawan City of Oriental Negros after they had visited Dumaguete City and Bais during the weekend.

They were unanimous in their laudatory comments about how the Oriental Negros City has grown to become a model urban center efficiently run by a 64-year old German Saraña Jr.

Confed officials, Julian La'O said found themselves impressed by the garbage recycling system of Saraña where solid waste is concerted to fertilizer urea and the fluid effluent is also used to improve soil fertility.

And Bernard Trebol enthusiastically lauded the resettlement center which now has 300 homes, ala GK which are well-planned and properly laid out.

This is something that could be emulated by many communities, La'O said.

Raymond Montinola and office manager Herman Santos said they were made aware of the experiment conducted by the city mayor who showed them his vehicle which runs purely on biofuel.

No, it's not just blended diesel. It is pure coconut oil, Santos said.

And it is running efficiently with hardly a whiff of air pollutant.

Both also learned that glycerol, a byproduct of copra, is now being converted into soap with their Ilang-Ilang extracts used to scent it.

And not only that. Bayawan is now developing 300 hectares which they are planting to rubber trees. The first experiment in Ilang-Ilang did not really prove profitable because of limited marketability. Although now, the scented flowers are now being used for soap-making.

But aside from rubber trees, Bayawan is now propagating jatropha (kasla) and intend to convert some 1,000 hectares to the plant which is supposed to be extracted for oil to be used in bio-diesel.

Well, soon, Bayawan City will be the principal source of oil for bio-diesel, La'O said.

And one would see the boulevard of Bayawan. It beats many that we have seen elsewhere in the country. It really is a something to behold, pointed out both Santos and La'O.

***

Now that ex-policeman Victor Eduardo had filed before the Ombudsman the charges against City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and 16 other city officials, perhaps, it is time that we watch how fast the Ombudsman can act on the preliminary hearing.

Another group had also filed another case against the city officials before the Regional Trial Court.

Leonardia, to a certain extent, is also correct. It seems that all these are part of an orchestrated campaign to block the project. This actually would have been a feather on his cap and of the city officials. But that does not seem to be what it is presented.

Anyway, all that is now water under the bridge. The PNB reportedly had okayed the loan from he privately-owned Philippine National Bank to pay Hilmarc's Corp. about P40 million for mobilization fund.

Vice Mayor Renecito Novero gaveled the session of the SP that ratified Leonardia's PNB contract.

Now, there is no stopping the Hilmarc's construction of the government center. That is supposed to spur not only development of a one-stop government shop but also stimulate growth in the area nearby.

According to Leonardia, in an earlier briefing, he said the circumferential road will be expanded by the national government up to the new Silay Airport. Per se, that should mean accelerated growth for the areas bordering the circumferential road.*

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