President Arroyo opens Dumaguit-Romblon-Batangas roro route, inaugurates country’s first biomass plant in Banga, Aklan

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

(Akeanon) Pagturn-over it daywang proyekto it gobyerno sa Aklan, ginpangunahan ni PGMA /Bombo Radyo

http://www.bomboradyo.com/other_dialect.asp?ID=122369

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo leads the groundbreaking ceremony of the 12-megawatt biomass power plant of Asea One Power Corporation in Banga, Aklan and the opening of new route for roro vessels in New Washington, Aklan / PHOTOS BY RAMEL BUNCALAN

NEW WASHINGTON, Aklan – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo opened on Monday the new route of roll-on roll-on (Roro) vessels bridging the province of Aklan to Romblon and Batangas ports.

With the launching of roro vessel that would service the alternate route to Aklan other than the Caticlan port in the northern tip of mainland Panay, the Super Roro II vessel owned by the Asia Marine Shipping Airlines will deliver goods and passengers from Barangay Dumaguit Port in New Washington town to Batangas port via Odiongan, Romblon.

On board the 1,769 gross registered ton Super Roro II vessel, president Paul Rodriguez briefed President Arroyo of the new roro route, which is under the national government’s Strong Republic Nautical Highway Project (SRNH).

Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez stressed the new Dumaguit-Batangas route as ‘one more big step’ in the economic development efforts that will perk up trade and commerce and provide Aklanons’ cheap means of travel.

New Washington mayor Edgar Peralta, for his part, said he was glad that President Arroyo led the launching of the roro route in Dumaguit port that would help boost the town’s economy by the thrice weekly trips of Super Roro II every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to Batangas.
GROUNDBREAKING OF BIOMASS PLANT

The President arrived in Aklan at around 2 p.m. yesterday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the 12-megawatt renewable biomass plant in Banga, Aklan before she proceeded to Dumaguit Port.

Ms. Arroyo was welcomed by Aklan Governor Marquez, Aklan Rep. Florencio Miraflores, Vice Governor Gabrielle Calizo-Quimpo, Banga Mayor Melanio Rentillo and Antique Governor Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez.

The biomass fueled-plant of Asea One Power Corporation (AOPC), set to operate on January 2011, will supply the power supply requirements of Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco) for 25 years.

Akelco is the sole power distributor in the province of Aklan and northern towns of Antique including the famous island of Boracay.

The project will use rice husks, rice straws, wood chips, coconut husks, coconut shells and leaves and other agricultural waste for the feedstock to generate clean and environment-friendly energy.
AOPC chairman Paul Rodriguez said the renewable energy biomass plant is the first of its kind in the entire country that will be supplying electricity direct to the Panay Grid.
“The company is investing US$30-million investments and for the communities, we are giving P810,000 annually as part of their share for whatever purpose or projects they would want to spend. We are also increasing income because we are buying the agricultural waste and forest residues from local farmers amounting to P200-million annually,” Rodriquez said in his briefing with President Arroyo.
Ten percent of the biomass plant profit, Rodriquez said, will also be shared among the farmers and feedstock suppliers and the fiscal incentives under the Renewable Energy Law of 2008 exempt the investor of the 12-percent value added tax.
“Since the fuel is indigenous to the province of Aklan, we have foreign exchange savings because we are not buying fuel such as coal or bunker oil (in the market). In the socio-economic benefits, we are generating ‘green’ collar jobs for this biomass plant will have an indirect and direct employment of 70,000 farm and mill transport workers,” he added.
‘One of the most meaningful benefits of the biomass plant is the environmental benefit. As the people of Aklan and the entire Panay Island had experienced devastation brought by typhoon Frank due to climate change, our project is mitigating the effects of flood and typhoon and reducing greenhouse gas emission by 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually or 750,000 tons for the next 25 years,” Rodriquez stressed.
President Arroyo, in her message, lauded the proponents of the Renewable Energy Law in Congress, which includes her son Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel ‘Mikey’ Arroyo.
“The energy generated by the biomass plant will go directly to the Panay Grid which will help the whole of island Panay, now suffering from a shortage of power. Tani makabulig ang atong proyekto sa mga pumuluyo diri sa Banga kag sa Aklan kag sa bilog nga Panay,” Arroyo said.
Governor Marquez said the establishment of the Asea One Power Corporation biomass project, will not only generate a reliable supply of cheap electricity, but will also provide additional income for farmers and suppliers of the farm waste for the power plant.
“The Renewable Energy Law of 2008 also opens wide the door for renewable energy investments on hydro and wind power,” he said.

President Arroyo earlier led the lowering of the time capsule of the P40-million Roxas City Drainage System Project during its groundbreaking ceremonies in Capiz and the turnover of Kalayaan Barangay Project in Janiuay, Iloilo.