The implementation phase for the establishment of a
micro-hydro power plant in Barangay Pilar has initialized.
A micro-hydro power plant to be established in Barangay
Pilar of the city’s Oquendo District is in the process of implementation. The
plant will generate up to a maximum of 150 kilowatts of electricity and is
primarily aimed to benefit the people in Barangay Pilar and the adjoining
communities.
Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino who has been relentless in his
endeavors to uplift the well-being of Calbayognons by providing improved and
competitive means of income generation opportunities in the exercise of
livelihood activities particularly in the city’s agricultural communities has
earlier undoubtedly expressed approval of the project being a major compliment
to the economic development agenda in the countryside.
“In our quest to improve income generation of our constituents
in the agricultural communities and with the saying that goes and I quote: ‘Do
not just give man fish, instead teach him how to fish,” the present
administration has considered not only teaching our constituents to fish. We
also considered providing them the technology that will help them improve the
volume and quality of their produce when the symbolic ‘hook, line and sinker’
is no longer making them competitive with the present technology,” the City
Mayor said.
“For the agricultural communities, we have seen that
providing our farmers seeds to plant and technology transfer thru seminars and
trainings may have been helpful but which are not enough to maximize their
yields from ricefields and other agricultural farms,” the Mayor added and continued
to say that “where there is source of water, they need electricity to run an
irrigation system; they also need post- harvest facilities such as what is
included in the project proposals submitted by the investors in the
installation of the micro-hydro power plant in Barangay Pilar.”
During the Focused Group Discussion (FGD) with the Barangay
officials, community/sector representatives in Barangay Pilar (in August 22),
Felix Agoncillo of Edge Sustainable Energy, Inc., the investor in this project,
told that the project includes provision post-harvest facilities for rice and
other agricultural products that will be run by the micro-hydro power plant
free of electric consumption charges.
“The construction of the micro-hydro power plant in the
Barangay also includes the installation of post-harvest facilities that will be
donated for the independent operation of the LGU-Barangay of Pilar and the use
of farmers in the Barangay and the adjacent communities, initially for rice
produce, such as mechanical dryers, rice miller, packing machines and branding
gears that will make rice product come out of the post-harvest facility ready
for selling,” Agoncillo informed.
“The initial post-harvest facility to be installed will be
designed in such a manner that it will be made ready for upgrading with added
machineries for copra-making and other product processors that can be feasible
such as for cacao drying and pili nut shelling,” Agoncillo added.
City Administrator Rosario Gonzaga who represented the City
Mayor during the FGD conveyed assurance that the city government is well into
the implementation of the project having already issued clearance and is only
awaiting for the investor to comply with the requirements to be allowed to
start with the construction phase of the project.
“The city government sees the significance of the project in
maximizing profitability from the products of our farmers thereby expressing
assurance for support necessary from the city government in the implementation
of the project,” Gonzaga said.
For the local government unit, Pilar Punong Barangay Agustin
Anquilan expressed eagerness for the immediate implementation and completion of
the project being seen to be an advantage for the farming sector of his
village.
“I understand that the project will entail responsibilities
for the barangay before and during the construction stage of the project as
well as at a time when the power plant and post-harvest facilities will become
operational,” Punong Barangay Anquilan said during the FGD.
With a tone of request Anquilan continued to say that “we
may just be needing some kind of assistance and advice for us to comply with
what will be required from our part and we will be most willing to do our part
because having the post-harvest facilities in our barangay will be a lot of
support to improve our productivity and income from farming.”
Those in attendance during the FGD was informed that the
power supply generated by the plant in excess of the requirement to run the
post-harvest facilities, or the power supply during off-season will be sold to
electricity supply/service provider.
Moreover, the investor assured that the micro-hydro power
plant will not in any manner hamper the supply of water served by Calbayog City
Water District to its concessionaires.
Barangay Pilar is the second largest out of the 47 barangays
in Oquendo District located at about 30 kilometers south of the city’s
commercial center. It is where the city’s major source of water is located –
the grandiose Pan-as Falls.
The focused group discussion with barangay officials,
community/sector representatives and media practitioners (from the city) was
conducted by the group composed of the investors, Edge Sustainable Energy,
Inc., (represented by its Chief Executive Felix Agoncillo), the Community
Outreach Team of De La Salle University – Manila (composed of Social Scientist
Marlon Era, Isidro Marfori, Jeremias Gonzaga, Charles Felix & Medical
Technologist Aileen Orbecido).
City Administrator Rosario Gonzaga with her staff (Eduviges
Justiniano and Rodolfo Gonzaga, Jr.), for the city government of Calbayog and
in behalf of the City Mayor also attended the FGD. (Josephine M. Mendoza)
In Photo: TOP - One of the interactions during the Focused Group
Discussion (FGD) for the MICRO-HYDRO POWER PLANT Project in Barangay
Pilar, Oquendo District, Calbayog City. BOTTOM - Photo shows the peak from where water from Pan-as Falls (white strips) flows down to the river in Barangay Pilar.Photo credit: The Calbayog Journal
