Albay-based Sunwest Water and Electric Power Co. Inc. (Suweco) has adjusted upwards its planned investments for three mini-hydropower projects to P1.16 billion from the previous estimate of P729 million. Suweco told the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that it had to adjust the project cost to take into account the rise in the cost of steel and other raw materials and other factors.

A P920-million road project will soon be implemented linking the coastal towns of Libon and Pioduran in the west coast side of Albay, a top provincial official said on Monday. Albay Governor Joey Salceda said he has secured the funding for the Albay West Coast Road project involving the construction of a 46-kilometer road network from the municipalities of Libon to Pioduran.

State-owned CIIF-Oil Mills Group is recommissioning starting tomorrow its P400-million copra-crushing plant in Arimbay, Legazpi City, which can immediately bring in $3.75 million in foreign-exchange earnings per month if its output is exported. Jesus Arranza, CIIF-Oil Mills president and CEO, said President Arroyo will join the local coconut farmers, community leaders, Legaspi Oil Co. chair Josefa Imperial Aquino and other officials of the Oil Mills Group in the re-opening ceremony of the facility.

The city government of Legazpi is planning to boost its water supply by tapping another raw source aside from the Yawa River: seawater. The said planned project will source water from the sea to be desalinated and purified and introduced into the existing LCWD pipelines to meet the demand of the consumers.

Accessibility to all modes of transportation has always been one of Legazpi’s advantages. The city has a bustling airport, a vibrant seaport and will soon have a new, modern and high-tech integrated land transport terminal that will serve not only the city of Legazpi but the entire Bicol Region as well. The new Legazpi City Integrated Transport Terminal will start operation in August. Wow Legazpi cornered Mayor Noel Rosal while inspecting the facility last week. Here’s a transcript of our conversation:

The Embarcadero, one of the most anticipated developments in the city of Legazpi, “soft” opened last July 18, 2009 with two locators opening its doors to the public. The Embarcadero is a waterfront development located at the harbor area of Legazpi City adjacent to the alluring Kapuntukan Hill (also called Sleeping Lion Hill).

The Bicol Region will eventually get its own international airport that promises to spur and accelerate the region’s economic development. Despite its vast natural resources including mineral deposits, geothermal power and tourism potentials, Bicol has remained among the poorest regions of the country today. The new Bicol International Airport will be developed on a 140-hectare prime land straddling areas of Daraga and Camalig towns.

The city of Legazpi is set to unveil a new integrated transport and lifestyle complex that will replace the old bus terminal. The P150-million modern terminal is touted as the first of its kind in the entire country – a showcase of what future transport terminals should be. The new terminal, dubbed as LKY Metro Transport and Lifestyle Hub, is built on a 3.9-hectare land located right in the geographical center of the city’s urban area.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda has unveiled a road map for his province centering on an economic strategy that mobilizes its massive potential for green energy, eco-cultural tourism, modern transport system, productive agriculture, responsive tertiary education and a state of the art medical system.

A group of young entrepreneurs from Bicol is modernizing Legazpi’s antiquated bus terminal by transforming it into an integrated transport-lifestyle complex with comforts and leisure facilities for commuters. The LKY Group is scheduled to open early next month The Metro, Legazpi City’s state-of-the-art transport terminal. Built on a 3.9-hectare land, the P150-million project is expected to be a showcase of what terminals of the future should be.

A new modern road network linking the province of Albay to Donsol, Sorsogon will soon be constructed after it was included among six critical road projects assured of funding under the Millenium Challenge Account Philippines Compact Project (MCAPCP), a grant facility of the United States of America. The road project consists of 26.90 kilometers of concrete road and five bridges with an aggregate length of 75 meters. The project will entail a cost of P814.6 million.