Guiuan renews campaign to make it as a surfing capital

TACLOBAN CITY – About 165 surfers from all over the country are currently in Calicoan Island in Guiuan town, Eastern Samar province for the Calicoan Odyssey Waves, the 2nd leg of the Next Gen Pilipinas National Surfing Tour.

This is the first time that Guiuan is hosting a national event since 2019 as the government imposed travel restrictions imposed by the national government in 2020 to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Mayor Annaliza Gonzales-Kwan said that this is a good opportunity for them to start promoting Calicoan Island again as the surfing capital not just in Eastern Visayas but for the entire Visayas.

The local government unit of Guiuan is planning to re-launch their tourism program next month highlighting surfing as one of their main attractions for local, domestic, and foreign tourists to visit their municipality.

Located about 23 kilometers from the town proper, Calicoan’s eastern seaboard particularly the ABCD (Advance Base Construction Depot, a US Naval military base during World War II, is a surfing haven not just for locals but even tourists who are visiting the town.

Its reef breaks make it unique to other surfing destinations in the country. It has great left- and right-handed reef breaks between June and October.

But preparing the island for its relaunching as a surfing capital is not an easy task as several things need to be considered like infrastructure support and illumination of the road, according to the town mayor.

“At present, we were able to stall 25 solar-powered streetlights because it is costly, particularly along the ABCD beach,” Kwan said, adding that she hopes the provincial government will help them in this project especially since it will not only illuminate Calicoan but including Suluan Island which is one of the top pilgrimage destinations in Eastern Visayas.

Mayor Kwan added that aside from the surfing spots in Calicoan, the island’s western part facing the Leyte Gulf is a beautiful site for relaxation and other beach activities.
“We still need more support because our national tax allocation is very small from every sector and offices of the government,” Mayor Kwan added.

For the ongoing national surfing tour that will last for seven days, Mayor Kwan said that the LGU has allocated more than P900, 000 budget for the preparation and prizes for competitors with some private companies also donating relative to the competition.
Kwan is also thankful to Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda of Borongan City for assisting them, particularly in hosting United Philippine Surfing Association (UPSA) members, especially in sponsoring their round-trip plane tickets for their national event in Calicoan.

This is the second leg of the national event which started in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte then will be followed by Baler, Aurora, then Borongan City, and will end in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur wherein the winner through a ranking system after all competition will be selected to become member of the national surfing pool UPSA Coach John Carby.

Before they are sent to international competition, they will be trained first by the pool of coaches from UPSA to upgrade their skills and be at par with surfers from other countries.
Helping UPSA and LGU Guiuan in the presentation of the Calicoan Odyssey Waves is the Tingog Party List and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and sponsored by the provincial government of Eastern Samar through Gov. Ben Evardone, Rep. Fe Abunda of the lone district of Eastern Samar, Department of Tourism Region 8, Borongan City, and 4Ps party-list, among others.

This event is recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee. (ROEL T.AMAZONA)

JIABONG, Samar – Mayor Julie Cereno of this town expressed gratitude to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for continuously supporting the farmers by providing them with various assistance.

Cereno, who witnessed the turnover of P465,000 worth of farm equipment, hybrid seeds and fertilizers to Malino Small Farmers Association (MSFA) last month, thanked Samar Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Alfonso Catorce and other DAR officials present during the occasion for including agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) from this town in the list of recipients of DAR support services.

Catorce led in the turnover of the said assistance which also included starter feeds, pellet feeds, vitamins, dewormer and cylindrical automatic pig feeders for the MSFA’s hog raising livelihood project. Earlier, MSFA was provided with 6 piglets as additional livelihood to their vegetable production.

Catorce explained that DAR does not stop in the distribution of lands alone. DAR continues to help agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) make the land awarded to them productive by providing them support services. This agency also encourages ARBOs to venture into livelihood activities for additional source of income, he added.

Chief of DAR Samar’s Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD), Thelma Alfaro, disclosed that the above-mentioned package of assistance was funded under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) program for Sustainable Livelihood Support to Disaster Affected Areas.

Alfaro also explained to the recipient ARBO that Catorce and MSFA president, Emma Pabua, will sign a Trust Agreement stating that DAR will monitor, within the period of six months, the farm machineries and equipment provided to them if they are being used and accordingly managed.

If the said common service facilities (CSFs) will not be used within the said period or used for other purpose in violation of the Trust Agreement, the DAR will pull them out and transfer to another interested ARBO, she added.

However, if the CSFs are used and well managed, the DAR will execute a deed of donation to MSFA, Alfaro stressed.

Provision of modern farm equipment, fertilizers and other farm implements and inputs is among the priorities of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III.

Meanwhile, Pabua assured the DAR officials that their organization will treasure everything given to them so that they can still avail of other assistance from DAR in the future.

On the other hand, Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Annaliza Gutierrez encouraged the 43-member MSFA, of which 30 of them are ARBs, to make this opportunity an inspiration to grow as an organization and inspire other ARBOs as well.
(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)

NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, N. Samar– The Department of Public Works and Highways – Northern Samar 2nd District Engineering Office spearheaded by the OIC-District Engineer Charlito S. Carlobos, instructed Engr. Fiona A. Anunciado, OIC-Chief, Planning and Design Section assisted by Engr. Marc Christian L. Adora and Ronnel Bernard B. Suedad to survey the Batag Island Lighthouse located at Brgy. Marubay, Laoang, Northern Samar, last August 30, 2023.

The DPWH – Planning and Design Section personnel submitted their evaluation and recommendation to look for a new location for the construction of a new lighthouse considering that the integrity and condition of the structure of the said lighthouse is dangerous since it was constructed in the early American Colonial period in 1907, Acting Chief, Anunciado said.

Furthermore, the lighthouse is an important cultural property under Republic Act No. 10066 known as the historic “Century Old Batag Island Lighthouse”.

Most lighthouses comprise a narrow tower, with a rotating or flashing light at the peak, located near the coast. The invention of the lighthouse paved the way to avoid dangerous areas, in following certain routes.

In addition, these aid in maritime coastal navigation. The structure provides lights to guiding mariners and fishermen at the entrance to ports and harbors that provide safety to the Maritime Community, as OIC-Chief, Anunciado added.

The Faro De Isla Batag or commonly called the Batag Lighthouse has a cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern with a height of 30.8 metres (101 ft.). This lighthouse is the third major lighthouse fully designed and built by the Americans.

By this initiative, it continuously helps the seafarers especially the fishermen for many years and it became one of the tourist attractions that made Laoang, Northern Samar is known for. On the other hand, DPWH-NSSDEO realized the significance of Batag Lighthouse and its new location for the safety and firmness of the structure.
(MA. LUISA G. ADORA, PLANNING AND DESIFN SECTION-PIO STAFF/PR)