By: Joe Sprite

Informed sources say that few weeks from now many fear that several business activities will slow down in Jagna. In fact it may ground into a halt. Temporarily. The Jagna port facilities are about to be expanded. The pier will be extended and deepened to accommodate the growing maritime activity. The municipal authorities are horrified. The timing is wrong!

Jagna port is vital to the business, social and economic activities of this town. The first to be affected are the dockworkers like the porters, and stevedores. Calamay vendors will lose their sales. The bulk of their trade is with the ship passengers. Restaurants, eateries and other businesses, which activity depends upon the floating population of Jagna will experience a slow down of their activities. Hopefully, they will not throw in the towel and look for other sources of income.

Jagna has one of the deep-water ports in Bohol . Except perhaps for the port of Tagbilaran , the rest are shallow and cannot accommodate overseas shipping unless dredged. If industries, which require shipping of tons of raw materials and finished products will be established in Bohol Jagna port will have to do. This means that the port is tied up with the future of the province. Improved infrastructure like the circumferential roads, available power and peaceful labor will make a definite come on for industrialists and businessmen. We in Bohol could supply that. Chances are, we will be receiving the spill over of the activities of Cebu and other provinces. As an island province, ports will be needed.

The 375th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jagna is already in full swing. Plans for the Jagna fiesta, which is also the foundation day is laid out. Invitations are about to be sent to Jagnaanons living in other places. The bulk of the expats are living in Mindanao and the port is about to be closed for renovation. The period of expansion will last six months and the port cannot be fully used during that time. The municipal authorities do not have a say on when the improvements will commence. That is the decision of national entities one of them the Philippine Ports Authority. Perhaps the PPA was not aware of the coming celebrations. Town officials can only request for postponement of the construction for three months but it may be possible that they will be refused. If the contract is already signed and the schedule set, then we have nothing to do but grit our teeth and bear it.

This is a case of damned if you do damned if you don't. The port of Jagna needs upgrading. No question about that. The 375th anniversary happens only once in a lifetime. It is too late to postpone the celebration. If improvements will be done now, it will interfere with the festivities this September since majority of the guests will use the port. If postponement is requested, the budget for improvement may be used somewhere else. It will be a long time until this opportunity will come. The local authorities will have to choose. We do not know which way to go. The PPA funds are not ample that they can attend to various demands. The only thing that the local authorities can do is look for a compromise. Whatever that is, we have no idea. There must be something.