by admin | Feb 24, 2019 | Headlines
SOPA highlights Bohol victories
Chatto vows continued Bohol
support in ‘different capacity’
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, February 21 (PIA)—With cracking voice and evident sadness, Governor Edgar Chatto haltingly capped his three terms as the highest provincial official with a promise to continue getting involved in charting Bohol’s development in a different capacity, and support its development projects.
Speaking before a packed Bohol Cultural Center on the occasion of his last State of the Province Address which came in time on his birthday, the governor, who completes his third term, the second governor after have done so after Governor EricoAumentado, is training his sights on a comeback into the Congressional seat.
Himself a representative of Bohol’s First District before getting into the gubernatorial seat, Chatto has been in the bitter end of a word war defending his Administration’s policies from criticisms.
“I believe that people may destroy your image, stain your personality, but they cannot take away your good deeds, because no matter how they describe you, you will still be admired by those who really know you better,” the governor, in cracking voice, broke down in tears, as the crowd made mostly of Capitol employees, heads of national government agencies and supporters responded with a polite applause.
In his report to the SangguniangPanlalawigan capping his nine years in service to the provincial government, he picked his administration’s major accomplishments in infrastructure, social services, peace and order, local government reforms and innovations, equitable growth and environmental sustainability, disaster response, health, education, agriculture, tourism, information technology, and culture and heritage preservation.
Banking on shared leadership from the start, Chatto said Bohol’s crafted plans and programs were always in consultation with Bohol’s stakeholders, resulting in major victories for the province.
Chatto presented facts and figures of consistent socio-economic improvement shown in attracted investments from 2014-2018 reaching P21.2 billion, and some over P2 billion new micro, small and medium enterprise investments.
In his term, Chatto also took to the increase in tourist arrivals.
He said in 2018, the Department of Tourism recorded 1.496 million tourists, this, Chatto pointed out is a staggering 32% increase 2017, which too was recovery stage after the massive earthquake that brought Bohol to its knees.
In as much as the rise in tourist arrivals would also mean food, the governor pulled Department of Agriculture statistics citing Bohol’s contributing production to the region’s rice supply at 86.4% from 2016-2018.
The slow but sure economic development also propelled local employment, which, citing from the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, accordingly reached a high 96.3%.
This, Chatto also linked to whatBangkoSentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr., has reported: local economic growth tracked by the country’s central bank at average growth rate of 9.1%, higher than the 6.7 national average.
Biggest among the cited victories of the Chatto led local government is the consistently decreasing Poverty Incidence in the province.
“Bohol had an extremely high poverty incidence in year 2000 at 50.2%, and was in the top 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines. Thanks to our combined efforts, we have succeeded in bringing down Bohol’s poverty incidence to an unprecedented 21.7% in 2015, which according to the PSA is lower than the regional average.
Chatto trumped on the local AusAID funded Provincial Roads Management Facility which is the template for the nationwide KALSADA Program, or the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces, a Bohol innovation.
From 159 kilometers, he said the provincial concrete and asphalt paved-roads increased to 441 kms in 2018, while shedding off 119 kilometers of provincial roads via conversion to national roads.
In addition to that, from various sources of national and local government funds through the years, Bohol has paved a sum of 192 kilometers of roads, a fact Chatto claimed as the most number of local roads, and a great challenge for the next administration to continue.
While the 2013 earthquake posed a huge reconstruction and rehabilitation challenge for Bohol, the government’s Bohol Earthquake Assistance (BEA) projects allowed the province to complete 1,038 projects.
Among these, he cited the crown jewel of our infrastructure projects is the three decades dream: Bohol Panglao International Airport.
He also took pride in having the dream construction of the New Bohol Provincial Capitol, which was also blessed on that same day.
Among the major infra projects the governor cited were the new National Museum from the old Capitol, the rehabilitation of Plaza Rizal and the Old Provincial Library,Albur Sanitary Landfill and a sea plane port in CogtongCandijay.
In terms of disaster and risk reduction management, Bohol dealt with natural disasters better with its active Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and an ordinance-backed PDRRMO through an ever upgraded our equipment and facilities.
“We now have the TaRSIER 117 Textblast System, as well as a new PDRRMC Command Center,” he reported.
The TaRSIER 117 is now institutionalized, and is set to expand in other areas of Bohol. Statistics show that our response to emergencies has been consistently increasing since it was first established.
In education, by augmenting on the Department of Education programs, Bohol has innovated in its EskwelaAgrikultura, an agriculture entrepreneurship training strand and TuroTurismo Senior High School Tourism Learning Facility in Panglao.
This is over and above the continued funds for Pres. Carlos P. Garcia Scholarships, the educational subsidy program, ICT integration and an education center to connect and link education initiatives in the province, now becoming a model in the country.
The governor, who is bowing out in June, also citedpromising developments in Tourism: these include the 1.4M tourist arrivals in 2018, over 3,000 international guests in international cruise ship port calls, more flights and hosting more local, national and international conferences while continuing to be bullish about Bohol tourism promotions in its own branding.
As the governor steps off from service, he assured Bohol is not resting on its laurels.
As he stepped into service, Chatto was undaunted by the task and dared to dream, and as he steps off, he enumerated forthcoming projects in Bohol’s 12 year plan.
Such include Inter-island Bridges connecting Bohol to our neighboring islands, Panglao Island-Tagbilaran City Iconic Bridge, another bridge to Panglao Island, the fourth one, a new Chocolate Hills ComplexProject, Malinao Dam Upgrading Project, Bohol Northeast Basin Multi-Purpose Dam, Drug Rehabilitation Center Project in Cortes, Business Process Outsourcing Center at the former Tagbilaran Airport, in partnership with CAAP and the DOTr, Gov. CelestinoGallares Memorial Medical Center in Cortes, a 525-bed capacity medical facility set to offer specialized care for oncology and trauma, as well as an acute stroke unit,the GrabTrike Premium soon to operate by March.
In closing, Chatto, who has visibly been under criticism himself admitted: “We are not perfect in everything that we do. For things that I might have missed or, unknowingly, any hurt that I may have caused to anyone – my sincere apologies. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and become a better person.” (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Feb 24, 2019 | Headlines
ABATAN VILLAGE CENTER, CORTES, February 22 (PIA)—Over 600 volunteers from about 40 groups: trooped to the river sides of Abatan and Bacong rivers in Cortes, Maribojoc and Balilihan Friday, February 22, with one common goal: lend their hands to help clean up the river and improve its water quality.
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Charlie E. Fabre said he has seen the potential source of pollutants in the river and would meet river stakeholders to discuss on mitigating measures and possible adoption of river sections that have been affected by pollution.
PENRO Fabre, along with Abatan River Community Development Management Council consultant Emilia Roslinda, Participatory Research Organization of Communities and Education towards Struggle for Self Reliance (PROCESS) Bohol Executive Director Aurelio Salgados Jr., Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO) Coastal Resource Management Coordinator Maria Villa Inguito-Pelindingue, private corporation representatives and local media, on a flatboat, ventured into the headwaters of Bacong River to inspect the tributary to the Abatan.
Abatan River has been among the three rivers which the regional DENR committee identified for the Recognizing Individuals and Institutions towards Vibrant and Enhanced Rivers (RIVERS) for Life Awards in 2019.
Aside from Abatan River, also identified in Bohol are Wahig River in Inabanga and Manaba River in Garcia-Hernandez.
The awards would be granted to the region’s rivers which have been categorized as class C, one which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) means a river which has a coliform level of lesser than 100 most probable number, but may be unsafe for swimming.
The awards, which would be granted to the region’s most improved water quality among ten rivers identified, would also automatically hoist the river to the national finals, explains PENRO Fabre during the recent Kapihansa PIA in Tagbilaran.
The goal, Fabre said, would be to upgrade the Abatan River water quality in six months.
And to do such huge task, the DENR PENRO has tapped private sectors especially those who have contributed in one way or another to the pollution, and those which have benefitted from the river.
Cortes Mayor Lynn Ivenn Lim, in his pre-clean-up program message urged everyone to spread out the word because when people do not know that their actions have contributed to the pollution, they would keep on doing the same thing.
Until we could stop people from indiscriminately throwing small plastics, then they would continue to do so and Abatan would be dirty still, the mayor said.
Apart from improving the water quality of the river, volunteers were also on to non-biodegradable trash along the river systems.
PROCESS and ARDMC lent kayaks and mobilized its tourism flatboats (bandung) for to volunteers use for the clean up.
The PENRO, which has been spearheading the Abatan River Clean up divided the 12 kilometer stretch of river to Kawasan Falls into five stations: Bacong Bridge to Lilo-an, Lilo-an to Abatan Bridge, Abatan Bridge to CabawanMaribojoc, Loreto Hanging Bridge to Camayaan Hanging Bridge and Camayaan Bridge to Kawasan Falls and its vicinities.
Clean-up volunteers include Barangay Poblacion, Salvador, Philippine National Police, Tourist Police, Maribojoc Police, Alpha Phi Upsilon, Bohol Beach Club, Department of Interior and Local Government, Toyota Motors, Alturas Group of Companies, Polbos Lumber, Bohol Institute of Technology-International College.
Coca-cola, Petron, Bohol Water Utilities Incorporated, JCI Boholana Kisses, Bohol Quality Corporation, Philippine Maritime Group, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, DENR, Philippine Information Agency, Bohol Provincial Police Office, Community Equity Ventures, DPWH, AFP, DEPED, BEMO, Unitop, MLhuillier, BISU Balilihan, PNP Balilihan, LGU Balilihan, Daplin Poultry, Barangay Candasig, PROCESS, BISU Main, Cortes PNP and MLGU Cortes.
Initial data for the clean-up showed that some 2.5 tons of trash were collected, all of which were collected by garbage trucks and ferried to Albur Sanitary Landfill. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Feb 24, 2019 | Local News / Bohol Balita
By JUNE S. BLANCO
JANUARY 7, 2017 will forever be etched in the minds of the over 700 households in the three-barangay island of Mahanay off Getafe and Talibon towns.
This was when Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) powered on the ceremonial switch for the P30-million energization project for the island. Engr. Eugene Tan, manager of the Bohol II Electric Cooperative Inc. (Boheco II) assisted him.
Not resting on his laurels, Aumentado recently sought updates from former Camarines Sur congressman and now Energy Undersecretary for Power, Renewable Energy, and Media Affairs Felix William “Wimpy” Fuentebella.
An island will remain under-developed without the necessary basic infrastructure support.
To note, in his switch-on message, Aumentado waxed sentimental as he declared the fulfillment of the promise his namesake father and immediate congressional predecessor, former Gov. Erico Boyles Aumentado, had made to the islanders.
Patterned after the Leyte-Bohol Interconnection project, Mahanay taps power from mainland Bohol through submarine cables.
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) through then Administrator Edita Bueno downloaded the amount to Boheco II that undertook the bidding process for the cable and installed it, along with the electric poles, power main and lateral lines. Boheco II manages the power distribution to the households as well.
The elder Aumentado had broached the energization plan for the 2nd District’s 35 islands and islets to Bueno. With the technology already available, it did not take him long to convince her. However, death overtook him on Christmas Day of 2012.
Aumentado, the son, picked up the pieces where his father left off. In 2015, during his own first term as congressman, he brought to Mahanay the members of the board of Boheco II to answer questions on the technical side from the islanders.
“I promised them that I will give my best to bring in more hope in life by giving the light that will improve the standard of living of my constituents in the island,” he said.
Now that the Mahanay islanders have finally experienced the “normal life” enjoyed and even taken for granted by mainland residents – lights at night, ice cold water and beverages, television, electric fan, and above all, refrigerators and ice to keep their fish catch fresh, he wants the other islands and islets to follow.
NEA has inventoried the still powerless islands. Those not yet up for submarine-overhead cables mix or solar power like Pandanon island will be enrolled in the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) that will provide a generator that will run for limited periods, like four to six hours only, each night.
Islanders without electricity have to sell their catch cheap. With no cold storage, refrigerators or at least ice, their fish are vulnerable to spoilage. Cooking them all in one batch is impractical. The only other option is salting and/or drying them – which cannot be done in rainy, even stormy weather.
With cold storage, however, the islanders can freeze their catch, and release when they cannot go out to sea due to bad weather. This way, they can also assist in normalizing fish market prices.
by admin | Feb 21, 2019 | Local News / Bohol Balita
Consistent with the idea of shared ownership to make communities realize a better environment management and conservation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) launches in Bohol its awards Recognizing Individuals and Institutions towards Vibrant and Enhanced Rivers (RIVERS).
The awards, formally called Rivers for Life would be given out to the best rehabilitated and most improved water quality from the country’s class 3 rivers, this June 2019 in time for the DER’s 32nd anniversary, authorities from the government’s environment agency shared.
The program is basically to raise awareness on the need to protect and conserve the country’s rivers as the lifeblood of the earth and human civilization, and taking the cue from Manila Bay clean-up, tap concerted action to protect the country’s rivers from degradation and pollution and assure their suitability, sustainability and further improvement, explains Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Charlie Fabre at the Kapihansa PIA Thursday.
Aware that the government could not lend a presence enough to cover the protection and management of the entire river systems in the country, this time it looks at communities and stakeholders to help them come up with appropriate mitigation measures and interventions to help address the continued worsening conditions of river systems nationwide, the DENR official said.
Earlier, the DENR PENROs and Community ENROs submitted an inventory of all rivers in their respective areas of responsibility and from these, the DENR regional committee selected class C rivers for adoption.
According to the DENR, Class C rivers are those which may not be safe for swimming owing to the presence less than 100 coliform presence in the water.
The goal, Fabre reiterates is to improve the water quality that flows to the ocean to at least an upgrade into Class B, which is now safe from swimming and other water activities.
He reiterated that the problem with these identified rivers however are not as complex as the headwaters from which these rivers get their flow is still classified class A, which means the quality is good that people can drink from it.
In Bohol, the class C rivers which have been identified for adoption and are now official entries into the regional search for the best managed rivers are Abatan which flows from its headwaters in Calape, San Isidro, Catigbian to the estuaries in Cortes-Maribojoc, Wahig, which flows from as far as Pilar, Sierra Bullones to the Inabanga water basin and in the south is Manaba River which flows from Garcia Hernandez to the seas.
According to DENR’s MarcialUgay, PENRO, which has in its jurisdiction a class C river Abaran adopts the Cortes River for the RIVERS project, CENRO Tagbilaran picks Manaba River in Garcia Hernandez and CENRO Talibon adopts Wahig.
The DENR offices here have initiated the activities that would bring in the possibility of these adopted rivers to be picked in the regional competitions to for the adopted body of water to flow into the national finals and be hailed best rehabilitated body of water.
The activities to be implemented by the DENR and its horde of volunteers include aesthetic and water quality improvement which uses a baseline data and includes monthly water quality sampling for a year, solid waste management data of the place, partnership and community mobilization including documents on Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs), partnerships and other engagements.
Judging would also include conducted and programmed information and education campaigns complete with documentation and copies of IEC materials produced, all of these to be considered for the June 2019 awarding ceremonies. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Feb 21, 2019 | Tech Talk
Private sector partnership now joins in the government orchestrated move to provide the infrastructure for development in opening a fast and free wireless fidelity (wifi) connection at the government’s state college here.
Thanks to Google’s Google Stations in partnership with Smart Communications, the ripples from the Presidential promise of making accessible free wifi hotspots anyone can connect to, gets to Bohol Island State University, this month, according to Smart.
During the 2016’s State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to put up free wifi hotspots in public areas in the country.
Even as the government stirred itself to provide a strong broadband backbone from which this wifi can get through, a latest report from the World Bank on fast broadband speeds says, every 10-percent increase in broadband internet penetration, this translates to a 1.38-percent increase in a country’s gross domestic product growth.
As shown that internet penetration is directly proportional to economic growth, the government through its Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) put up its Pipol Konek: Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places Project which aims to accelerate the Philippine government’s efforts in enhancing internet accessibility for Filipinos so that, in turn, economic, social, and educational opportunities will be bolstered, and the growing Digital Divide can be bridged.
Pipol Konek have live spots in Alburquerque HS, gym, Anda, Baclayon HS, Calape RHC, Dagohoy, Danao, Dauis, Tagbilaran City, Garcia Hernandez, Guindulman, Getafe plaza, Maribojoc town Hall and RHU, Loon town hall and plaza, Baclayon in Montaña and Plaza, Loay, Lila, Mabini, Jagna, Guindulman plazas, Sagbayan, Pilar, CPG Pitogo, Pangalo, San Miguel, Sierra Bullones, Sikatuna, Trinidad, Valencia, Talibon, Tubigona nd Ubay.
Along this, the government has also pressured telecommunication companies to up their services, to which, Smart readily responded.
With Google, Smart has made google stations fast and efficient, according to the DICT.
With a strong broadband carrier partner, Google has announced that they are bringing their fast and free WiFi initiative, Google Station to the Philippines, and to BISU in Bohol.
According to google, Google Stations are basically high-quality, free WiFi hotspots that anyone can connect to.
The company first rolled out the service in India, before it expanded to Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and now, in the Philippines.
And the good things, Google Stations will be developed in more than fifty locations by the end of this month,” Mahesh Bhalerao, Global Director of Google’s Next Billion Users Partnerships was cited in news reports.
Google with both PLDT and Smart for the initiative would now make also it possible for the provision of hotspots in public locations like malls, markets, bus stations, and markets.
Among the 50 google stations which would be live and operational within the end of February would be the one at Light Rail Transit-2 (LRT-2), Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3), Araneta Bus Port, Cebu South Bus Terminal, Clark International Airport, Davao International Airport and Batangas Port.
In the schools, Google Stations would be up in Ateneo De Naga University, BISU in Bohol, Bukidnon State University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba, Columban College Inc., Holy Cross of Davao College, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Southern Luzon State University and the University of Cebu-Main Campus.
For public places, google puts up its stations at the City Hall of Baguio, City Hall of Mandaluyong and at Ali Mall and Gateway Mall, among others. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
