By Florencio P. Narito

The City Government of Legazpi is expected to open its modern P43-million Sanitary Landfill Facility located in Barangay Banquerohan in August this year. The open dump site will be closed after the opening of the sanitary landfill. Mayor Noel E. Rosal, the outgoing city mayor, made this announcement during a simple on-site ceremony held last June 25. City government officials, barangay council members and the local media motored to this southern barangay, 22 kilometers away from the city proper, to visit the site.

Cell 2 of the Legazpi City Sanitary Landfill which is nearing completion is shown in this photo | Photo by F.P. Narito

The Sanitary Landfill Facility has been constructed on a 1.5- hectare lot here. The project was financed with a 1.5 million euro grant from the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID) or the Spanish Agency for International Development.

The sanitary landfill consists of two concrete cells where the non-recyclable materials and special wastes will be deposited and covered with soil, an administration building, a park and a motorpool.

The concrete cell will have a life span of five years. Mayor Noel Rosal said that the implementation of a sanitary landfill facility is mandated by RA 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

In support of RA 9003, the City Government also enacted City Ordinance No. 0017-2009 providing for mandatory segregation of biodegradable wastes from the non-recyclable materials.

He said that only about 30% of all the garbage in Legazpi City classified as residual will go to the sanitary landfill while the rest could be recycled or manufactured into compost fertilizer.

He reminded all Legazpeños that eco-aids or collectors will not collect garbage unless they are segregated. Rosal added that all the garbage bins in the city will be withdrawn. Residents may deposit their segregated wastes at the barangay drop off centers,

Salve Corall, head of the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR) which is implementing the Ecological Solid Waste Management Program said that all the garbage bins will be withdrawn effective July 15.

Among those present during the briefing were Mayor-elect Geraldine B. Rosal, wife of the outgoing mayor, Councilor-elect Melissa Abadeza, Councilors Raul Rosal, Cerilio Chan, Alex Sy, and Phil Ruivivar and Lea F. Cea of AECID who discussed the livelihood component of the project.

Earlier, Roderick Abache, a staff of OCENR, briefed the barangay officials on how to turn biodegradable waste materials into compost or organic fertilizer. The touring barangay officials had visited the shredding facilities of OCENR at the City Public Market and the composting plant at Brgy. San Roque.

The City of Legazpi is currently undergoing an infrastructure and construction boom with several road and bridge projects nearing completion in and around the city’s vibrant business district. The centerpiece of these projects is the new seaside Legazpi Boulevard stretching more than 4 kilometers from the Embarcadero to Barangay Lamba in the south. The scenic coastal road and seawall will take advantage of the panoramic view of deep blue Albay Gulf, the unique Kapuntukan (Sleeping Lion Hill), nearby islands, and of course, the peerless Mayon Volcano. More importantly, the new seaside road will open up the city’s southern barangays: a new frontier for investments.

Legazpi Boulevard | Photo by Simon Listana

Legazpi Boulevard | Photo by Simon Listana

Legazpi Boulevard | Photo by Simon Listana

The Rizal road project is another road network nearing completion. Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal said that the road network is one of the priority road expansion projects of the city government here not only in the business zones but also in far-flung barangays in this city.

The new road traverses the city’s investment areas and several surrounding barangays thus seen to bring in investors, improve tourism industry and sustain a robust economy and progress to the city. The mayor likewise noted that another road network passing through Barangays Victory, Imperial Court, Dap-Dap, Taysan roads are also almost completed.

Aerial view of Legazpi Port District | Photo by Ian Varona

Aerial view of Legazpi Port District | Photo by Brandon Rodriguez

The Estanza road opening will provide access to the highlands of Legazpi, another prime location for future investments. The new roads being built there will also directly link to the GUICADALE (Guinobatan-Camalig-Daraga-Legazpi) Development Platform – a massive infrastructure project designed to create a new economic hub in the Bicol Region that is safe from the threats posed by Mayon volcano eruptions, lahar flows, flooding and tsunamis.

Estanza Road Opening | Photo by Simon Listana

Estanza Road Opening | Photo by Simon Listana

Estanza Road Opening | Photo by Simon Listana

The Guicadale Project will consist of 17 road sections, wherein 11 sectors will comprise the circumferential road and six section are arterial roads. The project will involve new road opening and improvement of existing ones having a total length of 109.3 kilometers.

Aerial view of Legazpi Boulevard | Photo by Joel O. Monilla I

Source: ‘Rizal Road Project Soon to Open in Legazpi City‘, Philippine Information Agency, June 22, 2010

The Bicol International Airport (Southern Luzon International Airport) is currently under construction in a 140-hectare prime land straddling Bicol’s premier town of Daraga and neighboring Camalig. The new airport, targeted for completion in 2013, will answer the need for a modern airport in Southern Luzon, which should cater to more business activities in the area and conveniently link Bicol to the rest of the country and the world. Here are some aerial snapshots of the ongoing construction of the airport and a glimpse of the recently completed BIA access road.

Click on the photo to view high resolution version (Photos courtesy of Joel O. Monilla I):

Bicol International Airport runway, under construction (as of June 2010)

Bicol International Airport runway, under construction (as of June 2010)

Bicol International Airport access road

Bicol International Airport access road

Bicol International Airport Terminal Perspective

‘Albay to host modern Bicol International Airport’, balita.ph, July 15, 2009.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) is set to resume regular trips to the Bicol Region by Friday next week, PNR officials told President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Tuesday. The PNR halted its daily train trips to the Bicol province after the San Cristobal bridge here was destroyed when typhoons “Milenyo” and “Reming” battered Southern Luzon one after the other in 2006. Now, with a newly constructed 50-meter bridge taking the place of the devastated San Cristobal bridge, the Bicol Train service, from Manila to Ligao, Albay will soon resume.

According to Andal, more operational works are being undertaken to ensure the safety of the trips to Bicol. These jobs include replacing the wooden tresses with concrete and the addition of compacting materials to improve the stability of the tracks.

Andal said the resumption of the Bicol trips “closes the loop” linking the North and South Rail project, a part of the President’s 10-point agenda to decongest Metro Manila.

In the same briefing, Andal told the President the PNR expects its passenger base to increase from the 400,000 a month to 600,000.

PNR managers also said that 40 to 50 new coaches for long trips to Bicol are expected in November. (PNA)
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Article by Rhaydz B. Barcia, The Manila Times

LEGAZPI CITY: Gov. Joey Salceda is pushing Legazpi and the neighboring town of Daraga to become Metro Albay, a grand project that will make the metropolis a corridor of massive development in the region even before the completion of Daraga International Airport (Bicol International Airport) in 2013. “The Metro Albay, which is the twin cities of Legazpi and Daraga, will be the new urban center and economic capital of Bicol in the countryside,” Salceda declared. “This is the biggest project in the Bicol region which will be set up here, wherein Albay is expected to be the booming borough under the Aquino administration,” he added.

The estimated cost of the project is P854.2 million. The funding requirement for local and barangay roads is P739.5 million, while national roads require funds amounting to P114.7 million. According to Salceda, the Metro Albay project matches the Guicadale platform project that consists of a circumferential road and new arterial roads cascading from the urban centers of Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Legazpi and Jovellar.

Guicadale Platform | Source: The Green Economist

The project is designed to encourage new economic activities safe from the threats posed by Mayon Volcano eruptions, lahar flow, flooding and tsunamis. Moreover, this will also connect people to the Daraga International Airport. “Once the Daraga International Airport operates in 2013, the Bicol region, especially Albay’s economy, will be rocketing [a] few years from now,” said Salceda.

The Metro Albay project is consistent with the Regional Physical Framework Plan in terms of land use, settlement and infrastructure planning provided by the RDC. This framework “serves as guide to decisions on how land and natural resources may be put to the most beneficial use for the people.”

The feasibility study was completed by the provincial government of Albay in July 2008. Based on the study, the project’s Economic Internal Rate of Return is estimated at 23.65 percent. Meanwhile, the net present value is pegged at P872.54 million.

“This project will eventually realize our goals to make Mega Daraga and create Metro Albay. It will benefit a total population of 187,314 living within the remote and upland areas of the municipalities under the Guicadale,” Salceda beamed.

The expected benefits of the project include efficient access to the Bicol International Airport and safer relocation sites for families affected and threatened by typhoons, floods, Mount Mayon eruptions and tsunamis, to name a few.

Significantly, the endeavor will also bring in new economic investment opportunities; increased farm income through reduced transport costs; improved living conditions through efficient access to health and welfare facilities; linkage of agricultural areas to the market centers; and the integration of the economies of Albay and Sorsogon provinces.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) here is fast tracking the completion of its new office building along Rizal St. in Old Albay District to have a bigger Economic and Financial Learning Center (EFLC), an official of the agency reported. The new facility is expected to open this year.

Paje pointed out that once it is opened, BSP will admit students and interested groups and individuals who are willing to tour EFLC and be familiar more about the pillars of central banking, and BSP itself.

The public economic and financial information of BSP can be found in EFLC. Moreover, it contains of mini-museum, library, interactive section and conference rooms. According to Paje, aside from the learning center, BSP’s new office will also have larger cash operations division, administration division, security section, and financial service section.
(GARosales, BUCAL/PIA)

Source:Philippine Information Agency

Update: Bicol International Airport as of June 2010

The Bicol International Airport project in Barangay Alobo in Daraga received an additional P23 million to complete its right-of-way acquisition which has so far attained close to a 75 percent mark of accomplishment. The amount is on top of the P82 million earlier released by Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to compensate the land owners whose property the new airport will occupy.

Bicol International Airport Access Road  | Photo by Byahero (Click here for more photos)

In physical terms, Salceda reported, the P100-million access road to the airport site has already been completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The initial P600 million for the construction of the airport itself, the governor explained, has been approved by the DOTC, and contractor Sunwest was already given permit to enter and start clearing operations.

Salceda said an additional P900 million is earmarked in the DOTC 2010 budget for the second tranche of the project but this would have to wait for the significant progress in the utilization of first tranche of P300 million. “We estimate the delay at about six months since the provincial government received the P82 million only last August 2009 but this status is still a lot better than Panglao International Airport,” he said.

The delay, Salceda said, sets back the airport’s completion from 2012 to 2013. On the other hand, engineer Macario Pavia Albay provincial planning officer and international airport project coordinator said acquisition of lots in barangay Bascaran, intended for the access road are almost 100 percent complete.

LEGAZPI CITY – Some P15 billion in foreign investment has been set aside to pump prime the energy development prospects to make Albay among the national renewable energy capital of the country, a ranking official of a local electric cooperative said on Monday. Lawyer Rodolfo Bonafe, board chairman of the Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO), said the investment fund would finance renewable energy projects within the next three to four years boosting the province energy development.

Bonafe expressed optimism that the project will be pursued after the foreign investors in a recent investment meeting signified their commitment to venture in this energy project. Salceda has continuously gave priority to potential energy resources such as geothermal, hydro and wind which are all abundant in the province, Bonafe said.

Salceda’s energy development is in line with the sustainable development efforts of the province with focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures. Among the renewable energy projects given emphasis include: the development of geothermal, hydro, wind, solar and ocean thermal energy in the towns of Tiwi, Manito and Cagraray island in Bacacay.

The province has been considered as one of the areas who has a huge green energy reserve in the entire Luzon region. Salceda in an interview said he is giving priority to renewable energy development since this is an environment-friendly project and it will also address the looming energy crisis brought about by El Nino or dry spell and lower the cost of electricity in Albay, including the whole Bicol peninsula.(PNA)
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Source: “Foreign firms bullish on Albay’s energy development”, Philippine News Agency. Accessed February 3, 2010

Six new bridges worth P212 million are to be built in the province of Albay. Funding for the six bridges have recently been approved under the French Protocol. The new bridges will be part of a road network that surround the Southern Luzon International Airport (Bicol International Airport) in Barangay Alobo, Daraga.

Vintage Photo of Gov. Reynolds Bridge in Guinobatan, Albay

Albay Gov. Jose Salceda said the implementation of the projects will boost business prospects in the Guicadale platform, a new township project encompassing the towns of Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga and the city of Legazpi. Salceda said the bridges will also link Albay with Donsol, Sorsogon, now a tourist destination thanks to the presence of the “Butanding” or whale sharks in the area. According to the governor, construction of the six bridges will start this October.

The Provincial Government of Albay, the Provincial Engineer’s Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways represented by Undersecretary Emil Sadain had signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the joint undertaking.

Through persistent follow-ups and the persuasive power of the governor who is the concurrent Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman, Albay was able to secure funding for the following bridges: Cagbacong Bridge (Legazpi City); Gabawan-Kiwalo Bridge (Daraga); Ligban Bridge (Camalig); Rawis-Tamaoyan Bridge (Legazpi); Homapon-Mariawa Bridge (Legazpi); Taysan-Malangka Bridge (Legazpi); and Donsol-Pio Duran Bridge.

A new coastal road and seawall project in Legazpi City was inaugurated last September 30, 2009. The Legazpi boulevard extension is a scenic 4.095 kilometer seaside road that takes advantage of the panoramic view of the azure Albay Gulf, the Kapuntukan (Sleeping Lion Hill) and the surrounding islands. The road will feature a bicylcle lane and a wide promenade with landscaping and decorative lamps perfect for jogging and strolling.
The project links the newly opened Victory-Dapdap-Puro-Lamba Road to the Embarcadero, a tourism commercial/ recreational destination and to downtown Legazpi.

The first 360 linear meter road and sea wall was inaugurated by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo together with Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal and 2nd District Representative Al Francis Bichara inaugurated the new Legazpi Boulevard extension and seawall in Barangays Dap-dap and Puro, this city.

Photo by Simon Listana

The P70-million coastal road and seawall project is one of the three vital infrastructure projects visited by the president in Albay. PGMA also led the ground breaking and capsule laying ceremony of the P141-million rehabilitation work project of the Polangui Water System in Barangay Napo in Polangui town. She also led the turnover of certificates of ownership of homes to 240 families displaced by Typhoon Reming in 2006 as part of the CORE Shelter 30,000th milestone at the Tagaytay resettlement site in Barangay Tagaytay, Camalig, Albay.

The coastal road network which stretches some 4.095 kilometers from the Legazpi port to Lamba, is envisioned to be the “Roxas Boulevard” of Legazpi. The president and the local executives drove through the 360-linear meter sea wall and corresponding 360 linear meters of road that includes a wide promenade and bicycle lane. The Puro Seawall Phase I and II project was implemented by the DPWH with the Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation, as the contractor. The coastal road will eventually be extended to the town of Manito.

Click on an image to view slideshow (Photos by Simon Listana)

Area map of new coastal road

View Legazpi Boulevard in a larger map