Borenaga shares plan for new

Public market, port extension

BIEN UNIDO, Bohol, Dec 14 (PIA)—In their 38th Founding Anniversary and onwards, what can the people of this town look forward to?

According to Mayor Rene Borenaga, it would be her administration’s biggest accomplishment if they could harness the same unity that characterized the formation of Bien Unido into drastically altering the town’s economic landscape with their ambitious new infrastructure defined by the public market and town port extension.

Into her first official term as Bien Unido local chief executive, that lady mayor is grateful that after 38 years since its founding December 15, 1981, the extraordinary unity upon which their town got its name, is still evident as the town folks gathered in jubilation inside the Atty. Felix Garcia Memorial Gymnasium, December 15.

Coming in to continue the term of sister in law Gisella Boniel, Borenaga who ascended form the town legislative officer pulled a fast one and pooled residents from the seven island barangays and eight mainland barangays to partake in a unity banquet to mark the celebration of unity of the community that had its roots from sitios Bahabaha and Alegria, to unite into Bien Unido.

This is the same unity she intends to capitalize into welding the town’s resolve to lobby for the rise of the multi-million market that would be considered the seafood bagsakan in the northeast.

In desperate need for an economic enterprise that could prop up the generated local revenues and internal revenue allotment to finance its development, Borenaga said the more pressing need is to increase the incomes generated from their reopened Bien Unido Double Barrier Reef Reef Dive Camp, hotel and pool as well as the revenues in their dive sites.

The present market has private investors, so we only get a shared in the full income from its operation, the mayor shared.

At the mention of the planned public market, Bien Unido residents who were in to celebrate the town’s 38th founding anniversary broke into an explosive applause.

Picking the theme “Balik Lantaw Alang sa Malambuong Panaw,” the town dished out recognition and cash incentives to barangay councilors who have rendered three consecutive terms, as their invaluable service is critical in the present successes of the town.

Under them and the able leadership of Mayor Borenaga and vice mayor Ramon Arcenal, Bien Unido clinched the 2017 Seal of Good Local Governance, Top performing LGU on Fully immunized Child, top performer on households with sanitary toilet, and a consistent awardee of the Seal of Child Friendly Local Governance from 2015 to this year.

69 barangay kagawads from the town’s 15 barangays received plaques and cash incentive for attaining 3 consecutive terms as barangay officials, a no-easy feat considering that the town has more island barangays than its mainland villages.

Bien Unido has 8 island barangays plus the larger part of the expansive Danajon Double Barrier Reef and 7 mainland barangays where majority of its residents depend on the sea for food.

In the town’s Founding Anniversary thanksgiving mass which opened the day’s activities, Parish Priest and celebrant Rev. Fr. Rey Omamalim hailed the tireless efforts of the leaders in putting up concrete road networks that provide smooth access to the people to and from markets.

Still mired in the quagmires of poverty, Bien Unido belongs to the poorer towns of Bohol and the lady mayor believes if she will have to bring the town up to development, then they have to resort to marine resource utilization and at the same time, engage the people in the mainland to make farms productive and feed the people.

Farms or fisheries, the mayor thinks building the town’s public market would be able to steamroll the economic revolution they have been dreaming.

We do have an old public market, but we need to come up with a bigger more active source of economic enterprise which will act as the bagsakan from our fishers in the island and the farms, she said during an interview between breaks in the town’s 38th founding anniversary.

We do have a potential for sea-food and in fact, our fishers organization are already prepared to market their produce, it is just that they do not have the easy access to the bagsakan yet.

We have our engineer come up with a program of work for a P100 million public market, which they hope gets funded by the national government through the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Crucial to the public market build is also the extension of the town port, which would allow the boats bringing in the catch from the islands to land here.

We have a long shallow shore that people would have to wade to the boats offshore when the tide is low, Mayor Borenaga said.

The shallow shore stops the boats from coming in, people would have to drop anchor farther and wade in if they want to come.

Meanwhile, other other port: Puerto San Pedro is at least a kilometer away from the town market.

On this, many would rather buy their supplies from Talibon, because it is easier to dock there and they do not get wet, she narrated.

That would be even if the islanders would spend another 30 minutes of travel time, to the economic loss of the town.

In fact, the town has accessed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Community Fish Landing Center in the market complex, but has the same problem.

We do have market days on Wednesdays, and we are getting public private help in the operation of the market, which, this time, she wants the LGU to totally run the public enterprise, she capped the interview. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)