Chatto assures Catigbian livestock access to ports

WHEN it rains, it pours. For Catigbian, Bohol, recipient of more that P41M implemented and on-going projects from national and local funds, so much is coming, assures Representative Edgar M. Chatto, during the grand launching of the P9M livestock auction market Monday, October 16. Chatto, Bohol 's First District Representative, who adopts the town as daughter of his hometown town Balilihan said it is crucial for the town to be connected to the main traffic and to the ports to boost the operation of its newly opened state of the art livestock auction market. With this, Chatto's good news centered on upgrading of crucial road links that would ferry Catigbian sold livestock to the ports and main markets. “Before the end of the year, the funds for the completion of the Balilihan-Catigbian national highway is set for release,” Chatto disclosed. The Representative's disclosure generated deafening applause of approval from no less than Mayor Roberto Salinas and the mammoth crowd gathered during the event which also opened three more crucial services to the people here.

The fund would then complete a little more than a kilometer of unpaved highway in Haguilanan, effectively upgrading transport of livestock from traders and sellers using the Balilihan access. As if the good news was not just enough, Chatto continued, “when the Senate passes the budget for 2007, in there is the program for the Catigbian-Tubigon road.” If realized, the programmed concrete paving of the almost 20 kilometer Catigbian-Tubigon National Highway also completes a highway loop that cut almost 8 kilometers distance from the circuitous Clarin-Tagbilaran via Loon, It gains about 15 minutes of crucial travel time and evades that regular traffic plying the Loon route.

In economic benefits, opening up the highway to regular traffic also opens endless possibilities for Balilihan Catigbian commuters and highway establishments. With the plan, Vice Mayor Fortunato Concon also shared that aside from enhanced trading for his town, the stakes for the town's tourism efforts get the ripples. Sold as the land of caves (tigbaw) from where Catigbian may also have originated, the paving road network brings in the push for the town's adventure tours that could eventually bring in fresh funds to its economy. As this developed, Chatto challenged the residents here to contribute to the efforts of denying poverty a home to come up to, by engaging in productive activity in line with the town's agricultural revolution. Chatto, House Tourism Committee Chair has been acknowledged godfather of newly sprouted tourism ventures here in his district, along with the support of local officials.

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