SubayBAYANI ’25 award proves Bohol,

LGUS no ‘ghost project’ implementers

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)- A multi-million provincial road funded by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and implemented by the Provincial Government of Bohol, convinced the DILG monitoring team that everything was done overboard, despite the common belief that locally implemented projects are tempting sources of corruption.

The P50 million Ubay-San Miguel Road, which was turned over last February 13, this year connects Casate Ubay to Corazon San Miguel, was funded under the DILG’s Financial Assistance to Local Government Units (FALGU) in 2023.

The 2.877 kilometer 5 meter road, comes with 200 millimeter thick concrete pavement that also includes its drainage systems, slope protection, stone masonry and grouted riprap, reflectorized thermoplastic pavement markings and solar streetlights.

With the FALGU, the DILG automatically implements project monitoring through its SubayBAYAN: a new and infrastructure monitoring system that covers all locally funded projects by the department.

The monitoring includes Geo-tagging, Map Integration, Physical and Financial Monitoring Graphs, Reports and other useful analytical tools.

And while most people would readily raise eyebrows on self-implemented projects, the DILG which stood to monitor the project implementation hailed Bohol as exemplar for its outstanding performance and listed it among the 16 provincial governments bestowed with the SubayBAYANI commendation during the awards handed last week in Manila.

Amidst the scathing accusations of corruption and ghost projects, Bohol, along with its Local Government Units (LGUs) proved that transparency, accountability, efficiency and innovation is a better narrative than countering the negativity in the news.

Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and the Provincial Planning and Development Officer Atty John Titus Vistal received the award handed by the president.

Dakong garbo sa atong Probinsya ang pag-angkon nato niining maong SUBAYbayani Award. Usa kini ka timailhan nga ang atong administrasyon anaa gayud sa husto ug insaktong direksyon,” (Claiming the SubayBAYANI Award is a great honor for our province. This indicates that the administration is in the right direction), Gov. Aumentado said.

Ang maong pasidungog bunga usab sa paningkamot sa matag departamento nga adunay dakong papel sa paghatag ug limpyo, tinud-anay, ug matinud-anong serbisyo alang sa mga Bol-anon. (This commendation is a fruit of the efforts of all departments which have roles in giving out clean, honest and truthful service to the Boholanos), he added.

Aside from Bohol, other LGUS also joined in reaping their infrastructure governance glories in the 2025 National SubayBAYANI awards held at the Manila Hotel, November 26.

Other Exemplar Awardees include the City Government of Tagbilaran, Municipality of Buenavista, and Municipality of Loay.

This award provides a glimpse of hope amidst growing public distrust in government projects that there are still government institutions, the LGUs, that practice good governance and proper monitoring in project implementation, Buenavista Mayor Dave Duallo shared on an FB post.

Buenavista was particularly recognized in the implementation of a Multipurpose Building, funded by Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), inside Buenavista Central Elementary School, done thru participatory governance, citizen engagement and evidence-based monitoring by the DILG, Mayor Duallo said.

On the other hand, Loay Mayor Atty Hilario Ayuban said “SubayBAYANI Awards recognize local government units (LGUs) that have demonstrated the most significant change through the implementation of innovative infrastructure projects and governance practices.”

It highlights LGUs that exemplify excellence in leadership and public service - those whose initiatives have brought about measurable improvements and meaningful impact in the lives of their constituents, he added.

These achievements underscore Bohol’s unwavering commitment to good local governance and its innovative approaches to infrastructure development, according to the DILG.

Building on this momentum, DILG Bohol continues to provide technical support and empower local government in maximizing the SubayBAYAN System, ensuring that infrastructure projects are efficiently implemented, properly monitored, and responsive to community needs, DILG Bohol in its facebook page said. (PIABohol)

ONE AMONG 16. Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado shows the 16 provinces which have become exemplars in the implementation of transparent, accountable and innovative infrastructure projects, something that disproves popular notion or a corrupt government. (PIABohol)