Aumentado bares breakthroughs in first provincial address
Published Jul 24, 2023 10:46 am
CEBU CITY – Corruption has been curbed and the trust of investors has been earned.
These are some of the breakthroughs that Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado cited during his first year in office.
BOHOL Gov. Aris Aumentado delivers his first State-of-the-Province Address on Saturday, July 22, at the Bohol Cultural Center in Tagbilaran City. (Contributed photo) Aumentado delivered his first State-of-the-Province Address (SOPA) on Saturday, July 22, where he also highlighted his Strategic Change Agenda. “One year on, we are proud to cite several breakthroughs. For the first time, sand and gravel collection have breached the P35-million mark, because there is no ‘Ivan,’” said Aumentado. When Aumentado took his oath as governor, he vowed to get rid of Ivans and ensure that dealings and transactions in the provincial government are transparent and above-board. Reports reached Aumentado that a certain Ivan served as a “tong” (bribe) collector who victimized the province’s quarry industry and was investigated by local legislators. Speaking before various local officials, including his wife, Bohol Rep. Vanessa Aumentado, who gathered at the Bohol Cultural Center, Aumentado pointed out more investors arrived in Bohol in his first year in office. “For the first time, national retail giants and shopping malls are finally coming to Bohol. Kini nagpakita sa ilang pagsalig sa atong administrasyon (This shows their trust in our administration),” said Aumentado. Aumentado said the province has also been attracting more bidders “underscoring their trust in our governance.” “For the first time, we have disbanded the shadowy procurement unit and more suppliers are submitting their bids,” Aumentado said. Aumentado told Boholanos that he is out to fulfill the grand vision of his father, the late Gov. Erico Boyles Aumentado, for the province. Free from poverty, a province with sufficient power, water, irrigation, and infrastructure, and a province with big-ticket projects are among the visions of the late Bohol governor, said Aumentado. “I am now in a position to continue working towards that vision. When destiny brought me to this path last year, I ran my campaign on the message ‘Limpyong pang gobierno, unahon ang Bol-anon (Honest governance, prioritize the Boholanos).’ And two of the pillars of my 10-point reform agenda are power and water,” said Aumentado. To address the problems besetting the province and strengthen the initiatives that are already in place, Aumentado said his administration set nine key strategic change agenda: Environmental sustainability, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable tourism, micro, small, and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship, human capital and workforce development, governance reform, infrastructure and utilities, health and social services, and information and communications technology. Among the achievements that Aumentado cited was keeping the province free from African Swine Fever. One year into his term, Aumentado said the province’s tourism boom especially with the recent additions of international flights. Aumentado said Bohol’s tourism continues to look bright after the province was named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as the Philippines’ first global geopark.
BOHOL Gov. Aris Aumentado delivers his first State-of-the-Province Address on Saturday, July 22, at the Bohol Cultural Center in Tagbilaran City. (Contributed photo) Aumentado delivered his first State-of-the-Province Address (SOPA) on Saturday, July 22, where he also highlighted his Strategic Change Agenda. “One year on, we are proud to cite several breakthroughs. For the first time, sand and gravel collection have breached the P35-million mark, because there is no ‘Ivan,’” said Aumentado. When Aumentado took his oath as governor, he vowed to get rid of Ivans and ensure that dealings and transactions in the provincial government are transparent and above-board. Reports reached Aumentado that a certain Ivan served as a “tong” (bribe) collector who victimized the province’s quarry industry and was investigated by local legislators. Speaking before various local officials, including his wife, Bohol Rep. Vanessa Aumentado, who gathered at the Bohol Cultural Center, Aumentado pointed out more investors arrived in Bohol in his first year in office. “For the first time, national retail giants and shopping malls are finally coming to Bohol. Kini nagpakita sa ilang pagsalig sa atong administrasyon (This shows their trust in our administration),” said Aumentado. Aumentado said the province has also been attracting more bidders “underscoring their trust in our governance.” “For the first time, we have disbanded the shadowy procurement unit and more suppliers are submitting their bids,” Aumentado said. Aumentado told Boholanos that he is out to fulfill the grand vision of his father, the late Gov. Erico Boyles Aumentado, for the province. Free from poverty, a province with sufficient power, water, irrigation, and infrastructure, and a province with big-ticket projects are among the visions of the late Bohol governor, said Aumentado. “I am now in a position to continue working towards that vision. When destiny brought me to this path last year, I ran my campaign on the message ‘Limpyong pang gobierno, unahon ang Bol-anon (Honest governance, prioritize the Boholanos).’ And two of the pillars of my 10-point reform agenda are power and water,” said Aumentado. To address the problems besetting the province and strengthen the initiatives that are already in place, Aumentado said his administration set nine key strategic change agenda: Environmental sustainability, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable tourism, micro, small, and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship, human capital and workforce development, governance reform, infrastructure and utilities, health and social services, and information and communications technology. Among the achievements that Aumentado cited was keeping the province free from African Swine Fever. One year into his term, Aumentado said the province’s tourism boom especially with the recent additions of international flights. Aumentado said Bohol’s tourism continues to look bright after the province was named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as the Philippines’ first global geopark.