Bohol Governor Erico Aris Aumentado gives an update of his accomplishments during his first year in office. | Photo from the Fb page of Erico Aris Aumentado
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – His first year in office paved the way for a lot of breakthroughs for the province of Bohol.
Governor Erico Aris Aumentado said that since he occupied the Provincial Capitol, so much has changed in terms of their revenue generation, business climate and transparency in government transactions, among others.
The major breakthroughs that they have so far achieved include the following:
• sand and gravel quarry fee collections have breached the P35 million mark.
• national retail giants and shopping malls are finally coming to Bohol.
• we have disbanded the shadowy procurement unit and more suppliers are submiting their bids, again underscoring their trust in our governance
Gov. Aumentado is joined by other local officials for a photo after his SOPA. | Photo from the FB page of Erico Aris Aumentado
Trust and integrity issues
“Even before we assumed office on June 30, 2022, Bohol’s economy was in shambles due to the COVID-19 pandemic and made worse by super typhoon Odette. The provincial government had trust and integrity issues. Projects were delayed or abandoned,” Aumentado said during the State of the Province Address (SOPA) which he delivered on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at the Bohol Cultural Center in Tagbilaran City. The gathering was also timed with the celebration of 169th Bohol Day.
In addition, the province’s procurement system was “under question,” many of their deserving employees were not given promotions, the price of fish was high, while insurgency and drug problems were recurring.
Little by little, changes were implemented under his administration and the provincial government has so far been successful in some of its endeavors due to their hard work and perseverance.
Aumentado said the provincial government is now beginning to earn the trust of its people and the investors.
“On the bright side, mega projects were in the pipeline. Bohol was aspiring to become a Global Geopark. And the Boholanos were hopeful that things would be better,” he said.
Gov. Aumentado and his wife and Bohol 2nd district Rep. Maria Vanessa Aumentado pose for a photo. | Photo from FB page of Erico Aris Aumentado
Clear road map
Aumentado, who is now serving his first term in office, said his administration was guided by a “clear” road map that was founded on his 10-point Reform Agenda.
“With the guidance and technical expertise from the Institute for Solidarity in Asia and our Provincial Administrator, we crated a Strategic Governance Roadmap that fully captured our Vision and Mission for Bohol,” he said.
This highlighted his administration’s nine key Strategic Change Agenda which are: 1. Environmental Sustainability 2. Climate-Smart Agriculture 3. Sustainable Tourism 4. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Entrepreneurship 5. Human Capital and Workforce Development 6. Governance Reform 7. Infrastructure and U?li?es 8. Health and Social Services 9. Informa?on and Communica?ons Technology (ICT).
“With the support of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and the Management Executive Board, we identified a strategic position for Bohol: a Smart-Resilient Province Advancing ClimateSmart Agriculture and Sustainable Tourism,” the Governor said.
And while they work to achieve their goals, Aumentado said, they also made sure that their road map was fully supportive of the Philippine Development Plan and Strategic Framework of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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/dbs