BONTOC, Southern Leyte (PIA) -- Even cloudy skies and light rains due to inclement weather that caused suspension of classes in this municipality was not able to suspend the turnover of a project which depends on the sun’s energy to light people’s path by night.

“The street solar lighting project is the first completed project under the new administration,” Noel Alinsub, Bontoc town mayor, declared in a makeshift tent shortly before the ribbon-cutting and lights-on ceremony to mark the formal turnover of the project.

It was held on Wednesday, January 4, in Brgy. Divisoria, one of five barangays along the Bontoc-Bato national highway that benefitted the nocturnal illumination, while the others are barangays San Vicente, Sampongon, Buenavista, and Pamahawan.

The project was funded under Department of the Interior and Loacl Government's Financial Assistance to Local Government Units (FALGU) program at a cost of P5 million, consisting of 88 lamp posts at three lamps per post, stretching about 3 kilometers and benefiting more than 4,000 individuals.

Attending the rain-drenched ceremonies were DILG-8 Regional Director Arnel Agabe, DSWD-8 Regional Director Grace Subong,  both heads of national line agencies who are lead clusters of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC), and DILG personnel led by Danilo Laguitan, provincial director.

After the turnover rites, the group then proceeded to Brgy. Hiliaan for the groundbreaking of projects in four ELCAC priority barangays worth a total of P16 million.  (LDL/MMP/PIA Southern Leyte)