MORE NEWS, LA UNION

Korean student drowns at sea
By Jerry Padilla SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – A 26-year-old female Korean student of the Pines International Academy in Baguio City drowned while swimming along the beach of Barangay San Agustin here afternoon of Aug. 9. Supt. Rolando Bersola, city police director, identified the victim as Jung Chan Ik, 26.

Her companions who survived after they were rescued by local divers were identified as Yu Jin Park, 25, Kyung Ha Park, 24, and Hana Shin, 25.

Bersola said the victim was found floating at the vicinity of San Francisco coast by divers from the San Fernando Life Savers and the Philippine Navy, 30 minutes after they rescued her companions.

He said the victim, together with her companions, ignored the repeated warnings by beach resort personnel to refrain from swimming because the sea was rough due to bad weather condition.

Eufemia Ducusin, administrative officer of the Sea Park Beach Resort, where the Koreans were billeted, said they checked-in at about 1 p.m. that day and forewarned them against swimming because of the bad weather.

They were also warned by the resort’s security guard Edmundo Adobas but it did not stop them. Thirty minutes later, Adobas said he saw them waving for help meters away from the shore.


PAL resumes Poro,La Union flights
By Jerry Padilla

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – The Philippine Airlines resumed operation last week at the expanded Poro Point International Airport here while formal launching of its inaugural flight was held Friday. Josefa Catherine Bada, vice president for airport operation of the Poro Point Management Corp., told newsmen PAL will be flying from Manila to San Fernando, vise versa, every Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Bada said PAL will be using its Q300 and Q400 planes that can accommodate 56 and 74 passengers, respectively.

“We are now officially open since Aug. 7 but we will be holding the formal launching of domestic flight on Aug. 15,” Bada said

Lawyer Felix Racadio, PPMC president and chief executive officer, said the resumption of PAL flights will enhance economic activities in La Union particularly inside the Poro Point Freeport Zone.

“PAL’s decision to include San Fernando in its expansion program is a big boost to the ongoing efforts of transforming the Freeport Zone into a world-class tourism and commercial destination,” Racadio said.

PPMC initiated the airport’s upgrading and expansion early this year after President Arroyo approved the allocation of at least P500 million for the repair and construction of several facilities and installation of navigational equipment.

Racadio said businessmen in La Union and its neighboring provinces welcomed PAL’s expansion program because it will ease their travel time going to and from Manila.

“In no time, Poro Point and the rest of La Union will be more accessible to the domestic and foreign tourism markets,” he said.

He said that the airport’s runway and the upgrading of its facilities can now accommodate international flights using B-737 and A320 aircrafts.


La Union bypass road to ease traffic, boost trade
By Rodrigo V. Dela Pena Jr.

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – With La Union identified as a key growth center in Northern Luzon by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Department of Public Works and Highways will soon be unveiling the San Fernando Bypass Road Extension, a project designed to ease the flow of traffic along the city's National Highway.

Proposed by Gov. Manoling Ortega when he was still a congressman and now being completed under the current term of Rep. Victor Ortega, the two-lane concrete road will run 4.2 kilometers, parallel to the national highway, and will connect the existing San Fernando Bypass Road and Manila North Road at Barangay Ili Sur, San Juan, La Union.

Costing around P130-million, the project is scheduled to be completed by year 2009.

According to Elpidio C. Paragas, District Engineer of DPWH – La Union 1st Engineering Office, the road project will decongest traffic from the main highway and improve the infrastructure linkage within the city and the province, consequently promoting social and economic development of the locality.
The new road traverses various barangays, including Biday, Bancusay, Naguituban, Urbiztondo and Ili Sur.

The project also incorporates the construction of the Bancusay Bridge, an 18 lineal meter reinforced concrete deck girder bridge, which is scheduled to be completed by October 2008.

Spurred by multi-billion-peso investments such as the Thunderbird Resorts, Philippines Long Distance Co.'s international cable landing station and the on-going Globe Telecom's underground Fiber Optic Cable installation along the Manila North Road and San Fernando Bypass Road, La Union's economy has seen rapid growth.

This is especially evident in San Fernando City, as it recently garnered the award for being the Most Competitive Small-Sized City nationwide, despite the global economic slowdown.

The presence of numerous, well-known beach resorts and recreational facilities within the province make the area a popular destination among local and international tourists.

"With the San Fernando Bypass Road Extension, motorists can travel in a safe and convenient manner, ensuring satisfaction among our stakeholders, through our thriving city and province," said Paragas.