PLANS, PROGRAMS & PROJECTS

City launches 'Four p.m. habit' program

It's clean-up time every 4 p.m. for all schools in the city.

Called the "4 p.m. habit", the program was launched by the City of Kabankalan among the private and public schools in the city.

Spearheaded by the City Health Office, the program aims to curb the rising Dengue fever cases as a result of the rainy season.

The program enjoins students and pupils to clean their school surroundings and dispose any container that can provide breeding place for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Wendel D. Demata, city project coordinator, said children are prone to Dengue fever while in school premises. He also reminded the public that the mosquitoes with Dengue bite only during day time.

Government scholars required to plant trees

In just a few years, Kabankalan will become greener with thousands of verdant and lush trees.

Around 600 scholars of the City of Kabankalan and the Provincial Government planted trees in the areas around the Balicaocao Upland Resort, Brgy. Orong recently.

This is in connection with the "Trees for Life" project, a joint venture of the Province and the City of Kabankalan.

The project required each scholar to plant ten trees as a requirement in their scholarship privilege. Dr. Nemesio Cañete, city agriculturist, said these trees planted should be monitored to make sure they're really growing. In case a seedling died, the scholar in charged must replace it. There were six 6000 tress planted during the activity, said Bernadette Ayala, project coordinator.

A program was held later at the resort with Mayor Pedro P. Zayco, Jr. as one of the speakers. The mayor said this activity will restore the denuded forest in the area and will help avert floods in the city.

Presently, the city government of Kabankalan has 300 scholars. There are 360 scholars from the Kabankalan Sinulog Foundation, 40 from the Special Project Allotment (Prov. Board Member Adolfo T. Mangao, Sr.) and 40 from SK.

Board member Adolfo Mangao, Sr. said all the government scholars will have a grand reunion 2007.

City to have an airport soon

The city will soon have an airport. More investors and visitors are expected to come that will push up the economy of the city.

A 40-hectare site in Sitio Cabangahan, Brgy. Hilamonan has been picked up by the Air Transportation Office technical officers as the location for this airport.

ATO personnel have already visited Kabankalan and gathered data for the technical requirements for the proposed airport with an initial 1.8 kilometer runway.

City engineer Rogelio Diaz said the airport will initially cater to light aircraft and will have the capacity for airplanes similar to those that land at the Bacolod airport. This will be funded by the Kabankalan government with a counterpart from the provincial government.

The airport is being eyed to boost tourism and economic activity in our area, Zayco said. He said its construction will not be too expensive as the city government has the equipment for leveling the gravel runway. The mayor hopes the work on the airport will start this year.

Meanwhile, Gov. Joseph Marañon said the Kabankalan airport is targeted to be a domestic airport that can also cater to flights from neighboring countries bringing in tourists to southern Negros