Legazpi City gets P300M more for drainage project

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, Jan. 24 (PIA) -- This city’s Urban Drainage Project recently received an additional P300 million from the national government.

Lucy Castaneda, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bicol spokesperson, said the agency granted the additional funding on top of the P500 million released last year.

With this additional funding, the project will have a total cost of P800 million, she said.

According to Castañeda, included in the said project are the construction of pumping station in barangays Victory Village, Bonot, and San Roque which will pump flood waters to the Albay Gulf.

The project will also involve the repair and construction of a dike along the Macabalo River and the canals and streams that encircle the area.

Engineers will set up a jetty in Yawa river to secure the flow of water and prevent floods that may clogged dikes.

Like most areas of Albay, this city is prone to flash floods owing to its proximity to lahar gullies and waterways on the slopes of Mayon Volcano. Lahar and water rampage during bad weather while many of city’s barangays are in low lying areas.

The pump stations will ease the problems and complaints of communities on flooding during heavy continuous rains nowadays. (MAL/JMLobas-PIA5, Albay)


27 towns, 1 city are election hot spots in Bicol – Comelec, PNP

LEGAZPI CITY, Jan 24 (PIA) -- Twenty seven towns and a city in the Bicol Region were identified as election hot spots based on the assessment and declaration of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Philippine National Police (PNP).

Supt. Renato Bataller, PNP Bicol spokesperson, said the areas were declared hot spots due to intense political rivalries in the past elections and the presence of private armed groups (PAGs) and New People's Army (NPA) rebels.

Bataller elaborated that 14 towns in Masbate are considered as election hot spots; six towns and Iriga City in Camarines Sur; four towns in Sorsogon; two in Camarines Nort; and one in Albay.

The island province of Catanduanes has none.

Bataller, quoting a report from a joint Comelec-PNP meeting held last week, said Masbate has more than half of its 20 towns included in the election watch list, including the towns of Balud, Cataingan, Claveria, Dimasalang, Milagros, Placer, San Fernando, San Pascual, Aroroy, Balena, Palanas, Uson, and Mobo.

Bataller said of these areas, nine towns are considered as Category 1 election watch list areas because of intense political rivalries, which might once more trigger violence during the election period, while five towns are under Category 2, meaning there is presence of NPA rebels operating in the area.

He said under Category 1, the Comelec and the PNP will be closely monitoring the concerned areas and give priority action to address election-related concerns.

Worst-case scenario, once an election-related violence erupts is placing these areas under Comelec control, he added.

Bataller said the Regional Special Operation Task Group in Masbate is closely monitoring PAGs activities in four towns in Masbate; these
include Balud, Dimaslang, Milagros, and Placer.

He said two PAGs under the Arizobal and Villaruel leaderships are employed by local politicians in these areas.

In Camarines Sur, placed under election hot spots Category 1 are the towns of Pasacao, Siruma, Lupi, Bula, and Bato and Iriga City.

In Sorsogon, towns in the election watch list are Barcelona, Bulusan, Irosin, and Magallanes; while in Camarines Norte, the towns are Labo and Capalonga.

In Albay, only the town of Malinao is considered as Category 1 hot spot area while no town was included in the election watch list in Catanduanes.

At the joint meeting, the PNP regional office said it would deploy additional police forces in those areas identified as hot spots.

Chief Supt. Clarence Guinto, PNP Bicol regional director, said the police regional office would deploy additional police forces in those areas identified as hot spots while 188 checkpoints have been already set up and manned by over 1,000 policemen across the region. (MAL/MSA-PIA5, Albay)