On behalf of the management of the Catanduanes Tribune and Tri-Star Press & General Merchandise, I would like to extend our best wishes to all readers and clients this Christmas season!
Likewise, we would like to apologize for the delay in the release of the Tribune weekly issue as the color separation machine of our service provider in Metro Manila has yet to complete its repair.
Also contributory to the delay is the late arrival of the shipped materials from Manila due to the traffic jam at Lupi, Camarines Norte.
Again, Merry Christmas to all!
*****
For several days since the shear line started hovering over the island province about two weeks ago, numerous commercial flights to Virac either had been cancelled or were forced to turn back due to zero visibility caused by intermittent rains.
Some islanders going back for the holidays experienced not one but two or three consecutive flight cancellations, frustrated at having caught sight of Virac but, with the plane unable to land, going back to the metropolis.
Unwilling to take a chance on the direct flights which are either full or subject to cancellation, one government official spent a considerable sum just to be able to attend an important occasion here. With the Manila-Daraga full, he reportedly booked one to Iloilo and then another to Daraga so he could make the ferry trip to Virac.
Going by land is not an attractive option right now due to the 20-kilometer-long traffic jam at Lupi, Camarines Norte, for which the DPWH regional office deserves criticism for its inept handling of the road reblocking project and the scoured portion of the highway that reduced the usable portion to one lane.
Overland travel by bus and ferry from Manila to Virac now takes about 22 hours, with 18 of it spend on the road and five to six hours at the Lupi blockage.
Some bus companies with available units have reportedly started transferring their passengers on tricycles past the long line of stalled vehicles to the other end by an alternate route where their other buses are waiting to bring them to Tabaco or elsewhere.
It is claimed that the DPWH regional office headed by Director Virgilio Eduarte should be blamed for not anticipating the heavy volume of vehicles using the Andaya Highway during the Christmas season.
It could have directed the district engineering office implementing the road reblocking project to temporarily suspend work and render the affected section usable.
On the other hand, Dir. Eduarte acted too late in ordering the several DEOs to assist the Camarines Sur 1st DEO and the Camarines Norte DEO in repairing the scoured section of the highway.
It was only last Friday that the director issued the directive for the DEOs to reinforce manpower and equipment at the site.
By the way, why is it no one at the House of Representatives is keen on investigating the frequent road reblockings along the Quezon and Bicol sections of the highway?
Frequent repairs mean that the construction of the road sections is substandard and most likely brought about by corrupt politicians and DPWH engineers.
*****
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. A Sunday School teacher decided to have her 2nd grade class memorize Psalm 23, one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. She gave the children a month to learn the chapter.
One little boy was excited about the task, but he just couldn’t memorize the Psalm. Although he practiced and practiced, he could hardly get past the first line.
The day came for the children to recite Psalm 23 before the congregation. The little boy was nervous. When his turn came, he stepped up to the microphone and proudly said, “The Lord is my Shepherd and that’s all I need to know!”