Tatoy Falls in Barangay Kilikilihan

Unknown to many, there are many waterfalls that could be a good place to visit this summer, two in Barangay Kilikilihan in San Miguel, Tatoy and Imog falls. Roughly an one hour ride from Virac and same if coming from Viga. This small village is located at the heart of the island, population as of 2007 census is 996. Please view the videos of Tatoy falls and its surroundings.



RELATED LINKS:

• Maribina Falls - Waterfalls located in Bato Catanduanes
• Must See Sights - Catanduanes tourist spots, landmarks, beaches and sights
  

Tragedy Of The Commons In Solong

The things we share as humans – air, water, land and other aspects of the natural world – that society shares among its members are generally referred to as commons. Garret Hardin (1968) expounded the phrase Tragedy of the Commons as to describe the result when industry does not take into account the cost of protection of the environment in the accounting of the price of a good or service.

The devastation wrought by the recent flash floods in Solong, San Miguel the other week clearly demonstrated one inconvenient truth: The Tragedy of the Commons in that upland barangay reared its ugly head. Nature, when abused suffers in silence. But the moment it gets mad, it strikes hard. Human technology are rendered inutile vis-à-vis its fury and magnitude of destruction.

Knowledgeable sources said the fate of impending environmental disaster in that upland barangay had been sealed initially by the construction of an access road for eco-tourism purposes. Accordingly, destroyed by that road cut through its verdant forests were 15 hectares of abaca plantation which FIDA had to phase out unfortunately.

Since then, landslides occurred gradually on the winding road up to the dam site. Unknown to the residents below were stockpile of excavated earth from the dam site which eventually eroded down the hapless unsuspecting residents when the three-hour thunderstorm brought with it heavy rains.

It would be safe to say then that that eco-tourism access road bided out by the DPWH regional office in the last quarter of 2006 and the mini-hydro project of the Sunwest Water Electric Co. (SUWECO) have caused that environmental damage. In fairness to the above-mentioned entities, illegal logging might have contributed to that environmental disaster.

Nevertheless, SUWECO’s quick response to said emergency deserves credit. But that is not enough.

It is SUWECO’s responsibility to immediately put into place appropriate mitigating measures to avoid, if not minimize further damage to life and property.

Their incoming measures would tell us whether SUWECO had actually prepared a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before they were issued ECC by the DENR.

That initial environmental disaster should serve as wake-up call to SUWECO, the DPWH, DENR and LGUs in general. It calls for a renewed commitment to environmentalism which subscribes to the idea that we human beings must see ourselves as a part of nature.

Environmental Education should make us realize that humans are but one link in the chain of living things, in fact, in the “great chain of being.”

source: Bicol Peryodiko Editorial

DOE Gives Go Signal For More Mini-Hydro Plants

Jan. 2--The energy department has issued four contracts for these projects to Sunwest Water and Electric Power Co., Inc. in Catanduanes and Antique that include the 8-megawatt Villasiga MHP in Brgy. Isogo, Bugasong, Antique and the 2.3-megawatt Solong MHP in San Miguel, Catanduanes. The contracts also cover the 1.5-megawatt Hitoma 1 MHP and the 1.6-megawatt Hitoma 2 MHP, both in Caramoran, Catanduanes.

These mini-hydro plants are expected to displace an equivalent of 43,000 barrels of fuel oil annually as well as reduce carbon dioxide emissions from displaced power generation from conventional plants.

"The mini-hydropower projects will contribute to our goal of achieving energy independence by reducing the dependency on imported fuel. More importantly, the projects will utilize a renewable form of energy, therefore, giving us benefits through the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions," Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said.

Besides the contracts for the said facilities, the DOE likewise awarded a contract to Gerphil Renewable Energy Inc. for a 0.11-megawatt mini-hydro project in Impasugong, Bukidnon.

"The initiative and participation of local investors in the power distribution sector is consistent with the current administration's thrust to tap the private sector to develop the country's indigenous energy resources and achieve energy independence," Reyes said.

Meanwhile, the energy department reported that it had issued reconnaissance permits to the proposed 2.6-megawatt Linao Cawayan (Lower Cascade) and 2-megawatt Linao (Upper Mindanao) MHP in Oriental Mindoro. Such permits for the 2.1-megawatt Gulamon-San Ramon MHP and the 8-megawatt Villasiga MHP in Antique, the 2.8-megawatt Kapipian MHP in Catanduanes and 10-megawatt Puyo River MHP in Agusan de Norte were also issued.

Other mini-hydro projects awarded with DOE permits are the 6.8-megawatt Langogan HP in Palawan, 3-megawatt Dupinga MHP in Nueva Ecija, 10-megawatt Kulaman MHP in Bukidnon, 8-megawatt Kibungan MHP in Benguet, 8-megawatt Catuiran MHP in Oriental Mindoro, 9.6-megawatt Tinoc 1-3 MHP in Ifugao, and 5.2-megawatt Cantakoy MHP in Bohol.

(Source: The Manila Times) By Euan Paulo C. Anonuevo, The Manila Times, Philippines

RELATED LINKS:

• Forest Waste to Fuel - Converting organic waste to cooking fuel
• Reasons for Carbon Project Development - Carbon projects are developed for reasons of voluntary environmental stewardship.