Both the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have warned groceries, hardware stores, water refilling stations and sellers of agricultural products to comply with the price freeze following the declaration of the state of calamity.
A team from the DTI, reinforced by another team from the central office, monitored establishments in Virac and Bato to check on the price and supply situation in the province.
While groceries have largely complied with the government price control measure, water refilling stations were selling above the P25 ceiling for every five gallons picked up at the stores. Most were asking P35 for every container perhaps on account of the use of gensets.
On the other hand, while the price of red onions and garlic shot up to P250 per kilo, this was still below the prevailing “frozen” price of P280.
At the Virac market, it was the price of fish that vexed consumers, with medium-sized tuna going for as much as P280 per kilo while first class fish was as high as P320 per kilo.
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Gov. Joseph Cua last week issued Executive Order No. 055 creating the Provincial Rehabilitation and Recovery Committee as well as sub-committees for infrastructure, shelter, social services, livelihood services, agriculture, resource mobilization and support, and private sector coordination.
The committee member agencies met shortly and decided to set a deadline of Dec. 11, 2020 for the submission of their respective list of priority projects as well as funding requirements to be implemented over a three-year period until 2023.
Provincial Administrator Lemuel Surtida announced during the meeting that the Department of Agriculture has already approved the amount of P120 million for the rehabilitation of the abaca industry through the cash-for-work program.
Mayor Peter Cua, who attended on behalf of the LMP, reminded the capitol to ensure that prior to implementing the project, the abaca farmers should first clear their plantations of diseased abaca plants prior to replanting.
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It is now up to Sen Juan Edgardo Angara and Cong. Hector Sanchez to find ways to secure funding for the estimated P150 million rehabilitation of facilities at the Catanduanes State University (CatSU) that were damaged by recent typhoons.
This is on top of the P180 million slashed from its Capital Outlay budget for 2021 that the university management hopes would be restored during the bicameral committee meetings on the national budget for next year.
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Residents of barangays Cavinitan, San Isidro Village, Calatagan, and Calatagan Tibang who have gone waterless since super typhoon Rolly will have to wait for more than a month for potable water to finally gush out of their faucets.
According to DPWH Catanduanes Engineering District Gil Augustus Balmadrid, the repair of the damaged transmission line and removal of debris from the intake tank will be completed next month or by January 2021.
The district, which has been implementing the laying of a new pipeline from the Cauayan source to the Bigaa area, had to realign about P5 million of the project cost to the repair work at the source so as to speed up the restoration of water supply to the affected barangays.
Without the DPWH’s help, the Virac Water District would take two to three months to do the same job, an eternity to those who have to fetch water every day.
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EVERYTHING IS IN HER NAME. A smartly dressed woman marched into the cemetery and confronted the funeral director. “I’ve looked all over the cemetery,” she raged, “and I can’t find my husband’s grave anywhere.”
“What name is it please?” asked the director.
“Alec Wildenstein.”
The funeral director searched through the files. “Hmmm,” he said. “There must be some mistake. All we have is a Gloria Wildenstein.”
“No mistake,” said the woman. “That’s my husband alright. Everything is in my name.”