MikeLigalig.com

--excerpt from the 2004 Accomplishment Report of Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado

In 2001, Bohol was No. 7 at the bottom of the 20 poorest provinces in the country. Today, December 31, the province has moved up the ladder by nine rungs, and is now in the 16th position, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In determining the ranks of the provinces, UNDP has used as benchmarks health and life expectancy, education and income of the people.

            The poverty reduction program has been felt through our Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) programs and projects, the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO), the medicine para sa masa, indigent assistance program, the nutrition program, the campaign against illegal fishing, the Let’s Help Bohol Project, the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO) programs and projects, the CPG scholarship program, high school education through the Special Education Fund (SEF), summer and Christmas jobs for in-school and out-of –school youths, the effective operations of our provincial government-run hospitals and other health care programs in tandem with donor institutions and organizations, and the Provincial Peace and Order Council’s Peace and Development Program.

            The other line agencies of the Provincial Government, such as Agriculture, Provincial Engineer’s Office, Veterinarian’s Office, Provincial Planning and Development Office, General Services Office (GSO), Assessor’s Office (PAO), Provincial Treasurer’s Office, Bohol Tourism Office, Provincial Budget Office (PBO), Provincial Accountant’s Office and others have also contributed programs towards poverty reduction under our convergence or counter-parting strategy.

            The Provincial School Board has provided some 200 public secondary school teachers with adequate wages and benefits in accordance with law as well as advanced the educational and cultural thrusts of the students. It has also undertaken to rehabilitate the historic Gabaldon school buildings with an initial outlay of P2.5 million.

Maximizing the effectiveness of our convergence strategy in the fight against poverty, we signed with Social Secretary Dinky Soliman the Memorandum of Agreement on the Kalahi-CIDSS funded by World Bank for the inclusion of 12 towns with high incidence of deprivation. Each barangay in the 12 towns covered is allocated P300,000 worth of poverty reductions interventions made available in three years and on staggered basis.

            The other sources of funding for our poverty reduction program are the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Program (BIARSP) III that covers 13 towns, the Australian Agency for International Development – Philippine –Australian Technical Support for Agrarian and Rural Development (PATSARRD), Fisheries Improved for Sustained Harvest (FISH), the World Bank Agrarian Reform Community Development Program Phase III embracing Tubigon and other towns, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded for Cebu-Leyte-Bohol-Southern Leyte (CELEBOSOLE) Growth Quadrangle with nine coastal towns of Bohol abutting the Danajon Double Barrier Reef, Culion Foundation and World Vision, among others.

            It is our vision and mission to move out Bohol from the list of the 20 poorest provinces in the next three to five years given the present state of the country’s economy.

            Meantime, the Provincial Government’s advocacies on health services, and clean and green program have won for Bohol this year the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition Award and the Gawad sa Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Finalist title. And in fact it is vying for both the top national awards.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=4776.0