SO how much does it take for Cabilao island to scour every source to get the development it dreams?
For starters, a P17 million power interconnection project that would supply the juice to power the island’s
dream of fully immersing into its underwater treasures investments is on, hinted Loon Mayor Lloyd Peter Lopez
in a media encounter recently.
The island, which boasts of a ring of one of the world’s best dive sites, is the second in a series of islands from
mainland Bohol. While the first island; Sandingan is connected to the mainland by Tahang causeway, Cabilao
is separated from Sandingan island by a short and deep channel with characteristic strong currents that make
it difficult to build a land bridge.
This fact also makes it hard for the island’s five villages to get sustainable power supply from the mainland.
Host to diveshops that cater to international and local divers, Cabilao’s main power requirement is supplied
by a generator set that operates from 6:00 PM to midnight and serves an estimated 6,000 inhabitants in five
barangays, said Lopez to the media.
With around 12 world-class dive sites ringing the island and frequented by snorkelers and dive enthusiasts,
the power is barely enough to jumpstart the tourism activity that locals would want to embark, said a dive
operator in a chance talk.
On the problem, Lopez said that they already had an informally generated commitment for the local electric
cooperative to put in half of the P17M funding requirement to tap the island to the mainland.
The island also has the country’s first solar powered internet-station at the Cabilao High School but the source
is by far only confined to the internet facility.
Media also found out some dive facilities with solar panels but most of them are for water heaters and lighting
inhouse facilities.
Over the apparent need for more sustainable power, the mayor revealed that the plan is to put up a
submarine cable that would cross the span of Mocpoc in Sandingan to Talisay, in the eastern side of the
island.
“It’s not official yet although we hope it would materialize so we could source out the remaining fund from our
sources,” the mayor who is also a doctor added.
He also said they could put up some local counterpart funding and then source out some from Capitol and the
congressional appropriations.
Lopez, who is a close cousin of Representative Rene Relampagos is also optimistic that the plan could be done
and already hopes the premiums can be better lives for Cabilaonons and Loonanons. (racPIABohol)
