Aumentado: The future looks bright for Bohol

Bohol Governor Erico Aris Aumentado during his second State of the Province Address on Friday, August 30. | Grabbed from live video

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Bohol’s economy is very positive.

This was according to Governor Erico Aris Aumentado who made his report during his second State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Friday, August 30.

And despite the many challenges that his administration had to face, he said that “the future looks bright for the Province of Bohol.”

“The last few months have been very challenging. Yet we continue to pursue our vision with passion and dedication. Despite criticisms, despite underhanded moves, we will not back down. We will keep on doing what is right for the good of Bohol, and in due time we will reap the harvest.  That is our promise,” he said.

READ: Aumentado calls for unity as he embarks on his second year in office

Aumentado, who was ordered preventively suspended on May 28 and reinstated back to office effective July 31, said that his SOPA “is not a comeback.”

“I have never been away.  I assure you, you will always have my continued passion and dedication as your Duly Elected Governor. That is the duty that you have imposed upon me, and which no one can take away. Despite underhanded attempts from our critics and opponents, I pledge to give my all for the welfare of my beloved Boholanos.”

READ: Aumentado reports making several ‘breakthroughs’ in his first year in office

Aumentado also expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the provincial government for their support, especially the late Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite, for “holding the reigns of governance in the Province of Bohol” on his behalf.

Master plan

In his speech, Aumentado said that Bohol’s development can be traced back to the province’s first master plan in 1980 that was produced with the help of JICA.  He credited his father, the late Governor Erico Aumentado, and the succeeding governors for pursuing the big-ticket projects in the masterplan that included the establishment of circumferential roads, hospital modernization, irrigation, and the international airport and seaports, among others.

READ: Bohol welcomed more than a million tourists in 2023

When he assumed in 2022, Aumentado said that his administration pursued a clear direction and focused development agenda, guided by the province’s Strategic Governance Roadmap. The Roadmap highlights nine Strategic Change Agenda that are fully supportive of the Philippine Development Plan of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Aumentado said that they have so far been successful in their undertakings as shown in he province’s “very positive” economy.

READ: Bohol governor, 68 others suspended for 6 months

Quoting the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Aumentado said that Bohol’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.1 percent, or an economic production of P171 billion worth of goods and services, which is much higher than the 4.2 percent growth in the previous year.

Poverty reduction

They have also been successful in their campaign against poverty reduction.

“Our previous lowest level of poverty incidence among families was in 2018 at 15.1 percent. Poverty rose after the pandemic to 19.1 percent. Now, we are very proud to report that the latest PSA data shows that we have succeeded once again  in bringing our poverty incidence down to its lowest-ever level, at 14.8 percent!”

“To reduce poverty even further, I have given marching orders for the whole Provincial Government workforce to focus on the first 24 towns with the highest poverty incidence, and to prioritize them for programs and projects!,” he added.

In governance, Aumentado said that they have started introducing reforms in tracking utilization rates “to ensure that the use of every peso in the budget is justified.”

They also introduced reforms in the procurement system to eliminate the “shadow procurement system” and to ensure transparent bidding process.

Moreover, they have been successful in increasing real property tax collection.  In fact, they already hit 80 percent of the year’s collection target as of July.

Peace and order

In the area of peace and order, Aumentado gave his commendations to law enforcers for doing an “excellent” job in the fight against illegal drugs.

To complement this, Aumentado said that he has certified as urgent the need to enact an ordinance for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation center in their province.

He also announced that Bohol has remained insurgency-free, as confirmed by the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army.

Under his administration, 76 former rebels surrendered and availed of government assistance to start anew, he said.

Global stage

Aumentado said that all these are an indication that “Bohol is ready to step up to the global stage.” “Thus, we are pursuing more longterm big-ticket projects, under our New Bohol Master Plan, which we are pushing once again for JICA Technical Assistance.”

The Governor has expressed his optimism that Bohol will continue to be “on the upswing” under his administration as they continue to hold the honor of being the top investment destination in the country based a recent survey by the Hotel Industry Association conducted by Lee Chu Properties of Singapore.

In addition, he said that the provincial government continues to hold the trust of the people.