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Profile of the Accomplishments in Governance
 
[Reprinted from the Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence (KAME IV) 2006 Award Ceremony Souvenir Program. The awarding ceremony was held on December 6, 2006 at the Champagne Room of the Manila Hotel. For the medal, Gov. Erico Aumentado will again go to several cities in China to observe local government operations there and see the sights, among others, in the first week of September this year, together with fellow winners in the city, municipal and barangay category.]
 
The Province of Bohol sets the standard in governance. It is the only local government that has an ISO 14001 rating to underscore the efficiency and effective management system that has been established in the Provincial Government.
 
It has been recognized by the Gawad Gintong Pook with the highest award, the Award for Continuing Excellence (ACE) for Bohol's sustainable program in eco-tourism, enforcement of coastal and marine laws and the barangay livestock program. For these, Bohol has now been elevated to the Gawad Galing Pook Hall of Fame, a rae distinction conferred only to a select and honored few. The Provincial Government has also been bestowed the Trailblazing Program Award and the Special Citation on Local Peace Initiatives by the same award-giving body for its Poverty Reduction Program for Peace and Development.
 
The program is widely acclaimed here and abroad as a landmark initiative which is transforming the hitherto conflict ridden province into a growth area. The Provincial Government established the Program and created the Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office as the anchor and linchpin in its aggressive, all-out drive to dramatically reduce poverty in the province. It also established a broad based partnership with all the stakeholders when it established the Bohol Peace Forum, a multisectoral network to revitalize the discussion of the peace agenda with local committees and non-government organizations and explore avenues for peace talks with the local units of the New People's Army.
 
Under the Poverty Reduction Program for Peace and Development, the Provincial Government assigned community development workers to conflict ridden zones which were also the poorest areas. The Provincial Government channeled the 20% development fund from 2002-2005 to its various poverty reduction programs and leveraged this to secure ODA, NGO and national government funding.
 
 
Until recently, Bohol was one of the ten poorest provinces in the country. It has since moved out of this position and is now ranked as one of the more economically developed provinces. It has achieved this transformation within a very short time.
 
For this, the Provincial Government earned recognition and support from the international development community for its exemplary role in transforming the hitherto conflict and poverty ridden area into a rapidly developing agricultural and eco-tourism hub not only in Central Visayas but in the country as well. The major international development agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations and bilateral agencies such as AusAID, JBIC, European Union and the Belgian Government among others are all actively involved as key partners of the Provincial Government in its development initiatives.
 
Recognizing the inherent resources of Bohol , the Provincial Government launched a two-pronged economic development program founded on agriculture and eco-tourism. The Provincial Government formulated the Bohol Agriculture Development Master Plan and used this as the framework to spur, expand and strengthen agricultural development in the province. The initiative transformed Bohol as the premier agricultural producer in Central Visayas and is positioning itself as a major producer in the whole of the Visayas and Mindanao as well. Bohol has also become the top tourism destination in the country for which it was accorded the Kalakbay Award by the Department of Tourism.
 
These laudable accomplishments and outstanding performance of the Provincial Government are due mainly to the provincial leadership who took bold and innovative action to bring the province into the development mainstream.

--Bohol Capitol document--

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