PRO-7 turns over P51M in equipment to 

Bohol police ahead of ASEAN engagements

Elvira C. Bongosia 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — The Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) received more than P51 million worth of mobility and information technology assets during the inaugural command visit of Police Regional Office 7 Acting Regional Director Police Brig. Gen. Arnold E. Abad to the province on April 27.

The handover followed the traditional Monday flag-raising and awarding ceremony led by Abad alongside Provincial Director Patricio C. Degay Jr. and Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, attended by local chief executives and police commanders from various municipalities.

In his remarks, Abad thanked PNP chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. for allocating resources to Bohol and recognizing former PRO-7 directors Anthony A. Aberin and Redrico A. Maranan for their contributions.

Abad said the initiative reflects both capability-building and strong institutional support from PNP leadership, ensuring that officers on the ground are equipped to meet evolving security demands.

“This is a concrete demonstration of the PNP’s commitment to strengthening our capabilities and supporting our personnel. With better mobility and improved community systems, we empower our units to respond faster, operate smarter, and serve our communities more effectively,” Abad said.

He also stressed that as Bohol continues to host major national and international engagements, including ASEAN-related activities, sustained readiness and coordination among law enforcement, local government units, and community stakeholders are essential.

The BPPO received information and communications technology equipment worth P6,449,462.60, including 48 high-speed scanners, 48 heavy-duty printers, 35 biometric fingerprint scanners, 35 webcams with tripods, and 31 USB storage devices to enhance administrative and investigative operations.

It also received mobility assets worth P44,699,700, consisting of 18 Mitsubishi Triton 4×4 personnel carriers, 2 Toyota Hilux 4×4 patrol vehicles, 1 Toyota Innova, and 2 Honda dirt bikes.

The vehicles were distributed to police stations throughout the province, including those in Baclayon, Panglao, Tubigon, Jagna, Loboc, Loon, and other towns, as well as the Tagbilaran City Police Station and the Bohol Tourist Police Unit.

On behalf of the mayors who received new patrol vehicles, Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane C. Yap thanked Nartatez and cited the partnership between the PNP and local communities.

Yap said the two police vehicles for the Tagbilaran City Police Station arrived at the right time, ahead of the fiesta season.

“Makatabang gyud kini og dako sa mas lig-on ug mas paspas nga pagpatuman sa atong mga programa para sa peace, order, ug safety dinhi sa Tagbilaran,” Yap said.

(This will really help a lot for a stronger and faster implementation of our programs for peace, order, and safety here in Tagbilaran.) (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

Police Regional Office 7 Acting Regional Director Police Brig. Gen. Arnold E. Abad turns over the ceremonial keys to the vehicles and equipment to Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) Provincial Director Police Col. Patricio C. Degay Jr. at Camp Dagohoy in Tagbilaran City on Monday, April 27. (Photo courtesy: PNP Bohol)

EO dangles incentives for

RE investments in Bohol

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Building on the milestone as awardee from the Department of Energy (DOE) in pioneering the establishment of a dedicated renewable energy (RE) board, Bohol steps further to attract investors through legislated incentives.

Made integral in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Clean and Renewable Energy Code of Bohol are incentives for RE projects which include tax holidays, exemptions and non-fiscal incentives including those for micro financing institutions (MFI) that provide affordable financing packages for installing renewable energy systems for enterprises and households.

In section 3.2.A of the IRR, it ruled that all new RE projects in Bohol that are commissioned upon the effectivity of the Code would enjoy exemptions from the payment of the 35 percent real property taxes which is set for the provincial government share, as long as they are registered for incentives under the Provincial ordinance 2021-019 or the Bohol Economic Development and Investment Code in the new normal.

The tax exemption starts immediately on the next calendar year after the company is issued its certificate of registration from the Bohol Investment Board upon its incentive registration.

This however also depends on the declared fixed assets or capitalization of the applied project.

Micro enterprises with a capitalization of P3 M or less get a year off in their real property taxes to the provincial government; small and medium enterprises with a capitalization of P3M to P100 M get a 3-year real property tax reprieve while large scale enterprises with a capitalization of over P100M gets 5 year real property tax holiday.

Beyond that, Bohol packages facilitated release of endorsements from the Bohol Renewable Energy Board (BREB) on the project’s alignment with the provincial strategic RE roadmap and development priorities.

This endorsement certifies that the project has been thoroughly reviewed and should earn it a streamlined implementation and that the application would be acted by regulatory agencies without delay.

This endorsement tells the Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agrarian Reform and other national agencies to expeditiously inform the BREB of the mandatory requirements for the exploration and development of such projects, for faster processes.

In fact, the IRR also hinted that even Bohol-based MFIs that offer cheap financing packages for renewable energy systems installation in households and enterprises can also get tax exemptions over finances used for RE development and utilization.

The IRR also provides for the provincial government to adopt other fiscal incentives for the promotion of indigenous RE development and utilization, beyond those packed in the investment code.

The IRR, now made official under Executive Order No 16, series of 2026, also provides for non-fiscal incentives for RE investments which have complied with the necessary regulatory requirements.

These include timely facilitation of RE project applications including endorsements, data provision, assistance in the designation of focal persons to handhold investors during application and establishment of a one-stop-shop for RE project applications. (PIABohol)