Feb. 14,2012 Mercado Plans To Convert Libas Into A Municipality By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Congressman Roger Mercado has a visionary plan to co nvert Libas in Hinunangan into a municipality. He disclosed that Libas which is formerly the location of Southern Leyte Rehabi litation Project during the Marcos Administration, has a big area and that if converted into a municipality would become the first inland municipality of the province.He said it has the potential to become progressive in the near future . He revealed h e has talked with the representative of DAR during a budget meetin g of all heads agencies in the province about his vision of the aforesaid place. He said that the Dept of Agrarian Reform is equally willing to distribute and di vide the lands into square meters for free to the interested settlers who are al so willing to settle in Libas. The Congressman stressed that the survivors of the Guinsaugon Tragedy including those barriofolks from nearby barangays who were resettled in St. Bernard res ettlement sites because their areas are also prone to mudslides, are the prefera ble candidates of the program. He explained that each family settlers from the Guinsaugon Tragedy survivors co uld either be given 500 square meters or 1,000 square meters of lot, depending u pon the size of the vast tract of land that DAR would be willing to distribute. He pointed out that since the area is an agricultural land, the first livelihood for the new settler is to plant all kinds of agricultural products including t he planting of fruit trees.Thier produce can be marketed in the neighboring muni cipalities and some of it are for family consumption. Construction of concrete roads in going to Libas which start at St.Bernard, he s aid, is not a problem because an appropriation for the infra project can b e req uested for funding. However, he still needs to talk to St.Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza of his grand p lan for Libas and to DAR head Venirando Yap regarding the distribution of lots i n Libas. He further emphasized tha t the construction of the free housing units are also part of the program to be led by Gawad Kalinga, the Ayalas ,Lucio Tan, Humanit arian Institutions and some philanthropists. Former St. Bernard Mayor Felix Lim and his daughter Joy Lim who is a councilor o f the said municipality told the Congressman that he will announce the latter s plan to the concerned survivors who were residing in various resettlement sites of S t.Bernard. When the Congressman s plan would become a reality in the future, I would like to su ggest that the vacated housing units in the resettlement sites be given to the p oor families in different St Bernard barangays where these houses were located. The priority are the poor families who lived in small houses built with light ma terials, dilapidated houses, those poor families who have just rented, and t ho se who have no permanent residents because they could not afford to build their

own houses.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)