Sunday, August 10, 2008 [ philstar.com ]
DAGUPAN CITY – Defiant residents of Sitio Russia in Barangay Bonuan Binloc here who refused to vacate the city government-owned lot where the $2.2 million worth Dagupan seafoods processing plant will be built were given another week to voluntarily demolish their houses.
This, as the dismantling Friday of illegal structures in said area, did not materialize due to human barricade of residents who became furious.
After several hours of talks, City Engineer Virginia Rosario, after consulting Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. and relayed the tension in the area, conceded to the request of Francisco Caoile, president of Sitio Russia Neighborhood Association, for another week for them to demolish their houses.
In the presence of representatives of the Commission on Human Rights, it was agreed upon that the demolition will be reset to Aug. 19.
Caoile pledged to convince the affected residents to voluntarily dismantle their houses. They were told that a relocation site at the Gawad Kalinga Bangusville in Barangay Bonuan Gueset awaits qualified indigent people.
Several dilaogues had been made regarding this matter.
The construction of the $2.2 million fish processing plant here is a grant from the Korean International Cooperation Agency.
Dr. Westly Rosario, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources center chief here and also executive director of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, said KOICA representatives are coming to the city this August to check on the area.
The project site, located near a river, will occupy about 1.5 hectares outside the sprawling BFAR center here.
It is an ideal site, according to Rosario because practically fishponds owners/operators transport their goods in banca and direct to the procesing plant once it becomes operational.
BFAR, under the Department of Agriculture has contributed P10 milllion upon President Arroyo’s approval a few years ago for this project.
Once the project operates, it can process five tons of bangus and the high-value species white shrimps (Peneaus vannamei) a day. These products will come from this city and also in nearby areas.
He said there will be a supplemental memorandum to be signed between the city government and BFAR regarding its operation.
He is optimistic it could be used by BFAR/NFRDI as a research and training facility as post harvest.
He added that it will serve as a model for BFAR on internationally accepted design and post harvest facility so that produce here could qualify for export.
Also, he said Korea has a very good market for aquaculture products and if the local produce could pass the standards, it will have a ready market.
On the part of the city government, Rosario said it can have the preferential use and can do projects so that backyard processors can use it for more volume of production and upgrade the quality of their products to meet international standards.
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