Pavia recovery elicits 'wow' from US envoy

“Super” was how US Ambassador Kristie Kenney put it when she visited last week the town of Pavia in Iloilo. The most devastated by typhoon “Frank,” it has managed to rehabilitate itself from the destruction nine months ago.

That was the one that elicit “wow” from Ambassador Kenney.

“They were a great people – very dynamic, courageous, and compassionate. They are amazing,” the US envoy was quoted by Nina Jane Suribio as saying.

Of course, Pavia Mayor Arcadio Gorriceta was beaming all the while. And he has a reason to feel joyous. He has transformed the formerly devastated town into another dynamic community.

And Pavia is humming once more as if nothing had happened to it when it once lost almost 80 percent of the town’s houses and infrastructure.

But Gorriceta had networked with and received help from a lot of major organizations, including the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Iloilo Rotary Clubs. Now most of the schools destroyed by “Frank” have been replaced by new ones.

Gorriceta pointed out that 89 percent of the town’s families were displaced by the typhoon, 45 percent of houses were damaged, and scores of Pavia residents died in the flash floods. Millions worth of agricultural crops and livelihood were also affected.

Kenney had a meeting with the officials of the Philippines National Red Cross, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council and the Pavia coordinating council.

The United States provided $750,000 in emergency relief goods to the typhoon victims in Western Visayas.

Kenney also met with several typhoon victims at the municipal hall during her visit.

What Pavia has accomplished shows that with good governance and creative solutions, communities can transcend seeming tragedies and recover from them to begin a more vibrant community life.

That’s the simple but effective message from Pavia and Mayor Gorriceta.

Water crisis in Iloilo

What happened in Iloilo has become a subject of debate among officials of the Metro Iloilo Water District. But the point is simply that the board of directors has been asking to be given a chance to show its capabilities in addressing the water problems of Iloilo City and the MIWD.

Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Chairman Prospero Pichay reportedly threatened that the water agency might take over the management of the MIWD if it continues to fail to solve the acute water shortage in its service area.

MIWD general manager in-charge Edgar Calasara has asked that the MIWD be given a chance to come up with plans and programs for the agency. He added that most of their directors were appointed only this month.

Pichay earlier had warned MIWD that LWUA might take over its operations if its services to its concessionaires would fail to improve.

This was pooh-poohed by engineer Adran Moncada who said that is possible only if the MIWD has outstanding loans with LWUA that it could not pay.

The threat, however, may have been partly solved when the Aklan town of Libacao submitted a proposal to the Regional Development Council offering its water supply.

Libacao Mayor Charito Navarosa said water from a dam in the town can be channeled through tunnels inlaid with water pipes through Calinog, Iloilo.

Libacao, according to Navarosa, has downstream rivers and a watershed, besides several natural springs, waterfalls and creeks.

Thus a dam can be built in the town and the water channeled to Iloilo City. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas recently recommended to the MIWD to reduce the leakage of its water pipelines and stop water pilferage.

These were just among the solutions in the short and medium term outlined by the sub-committee set up by engineer Noel Hechanova, city environment and natural resources officer.

Hechanova said the MIWD has a daily water production of 42,333 cubic meters, enough to supply the daily demand of 35,140 cubic meters of its service areas.

The problem is that 14,925 cubic meters are wasted. This means a daily shortfall of 9,730 cubic meters, Hechanova disclosed.

Anyway, something must be done fast by the MIWD or as Pichay has said, the LWUA might take over its management.