By JUNE S. BLANCO
RESIDENTS of the island barangay of Gaus, of the island municipality of President Carlos P. Garcia, will be enjoying 24/7 the wonders brought on by electricity – very soon!
This after Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado of the 2nd District got the green light from the National Power Corporation (NPC) for the generator set, the National Electrification Administration (NEA) for the funds to procure the distribution line, and the Bohol 2 Electric Cooperative (Boheco 2) for the installation and operation of the system in the island of 275 households.
Aumentado said the energization of Gaus brings to 50% the number of islands & islets in the 2nd District now enjoying power where before there was none. Before he ends his third and last term, the solon expressed confidence that he can up this figure to 80%.
This means students can now study at night without strain on their eyes as was their case when they relied on kerosene lamps alone, he explained. Students from the islands can then catch up with their counterparts in the mainland where research and assignments are concerned.
This would also allow families to buy refrigerators to freeze their fish catch for selling or home consumption later. This way, fishermen will not be at the mercy of middlemen who dictate the prices on their catch.
Women can also embark on cottage industries that they can do in the evening while their husbands can also mend their nets.
Aside from preserving the freshness of fish and other bounty of the sea, the solon said the islanders can now enjoy cold drinks and other beverages that they used to taste only when visiting the mainland. They can also put in their vegetables and other perishables to prolong their freshness.
Aumentado and Engr. Eugene Tan, general manager of Boheco 2 and his staff visited Gaus Friday for a meeting with the islanders on keeping the generator set and other equipment safe, and on concerns on the commissioning and operation. Tan also answered the islanders’ questions on rates and billing, among others.
Barangay Captain Gonzalo Baculpo expressed gratitude to Aumentado who engineered the energization efforts with funding from the national government, and to Tan for the installation.
Baculpo and the islanders also thanked Aumentado for the 275 plastic jerrycans of purified water for as many households, as well as facemasks and hygiene kits for the islands’s health frontliners. The items form the 46th batch of the solon’s COVID19 Assistance.