Dagyawan sa Catigbian community-identified…

Gov’t turns over P15M worth

Of 2 FMRs for conflict areas

CATIGBIAN, Bohol (PIA)—When residents of Bagtic and Ambuan, both conflict-affected barangays, sat down to involve themselves in planning for projects that would impact their lives, many think it was another cheap government ploy to regain its hold of a community that has dangerously hosted communist rebels.

July 16 2025, that doubt got erased during the formal turn-over of a total of P15 million infrastructure projects in two separate concrete farm to market roads the residents identified in 2024 during a townhall dialogue and government service caravan.

During a similar civic action, now repackaged as Dagyawan sa Barangay and Talakayan sa Mamamayan in nearby Triple Union, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Department of Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales as well as Catigbian Mayor Benjie Oliva, joined by other government officials swung off to the two barangays to officiate the turn-over of these key infrastructure that would facilitate faster and smoother government service delivery as well as help the community transport their farm products in prime conditions to the nearby town market.

Both projects, of over half a kilometre of concrete roads is funded under the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), shares DILG road infra focal Erica Nicole Corona.

These funds have now become Retooled Community Support Program of the NTF ELCAC.

These aim to provide improved access to agricultural areas, support local livelihood, and promote peace and development in formerly conflict-affected barangays, she continued.

The projects include phase 2 of the P7.5-million concreting of the farm-to-market road in Barangay Ambuan, covering a total length of 423.5 meters, and another P7.5-million farm-to-market road in Barangay Bagtic, with a total combined length of 456 meters, and were formally handed to Punong Barangays Alberto Jagunos, Jr. and Federico S. Gumapac, witnessed by eager residents, Catigbian Sangguniang Bayan members, Ambuan and Bagtic Barangay Council members and elementary kids.

Then classified as remote with access limited to vehicles with four wheel drives, Ambuan and Bagtic, along with its neighboring barangays provided a perfect refuge for former rebels due to its proximity to thick forests for harboring, and lush ricefields that provide food for the rebels.

With the government’s anti poverty and livelihood teams sent out to these barangays to dialogue with them, the issue of being forgotten by the government surfaced, said then Bohol Poverty Reduction and Management community organizer Lendel Grado, who brought with him a team of government and civil society volunteers, to extract issues and concerns.

In succeeding visits, barangay residents said that if a good road network is built in the barangay, it can help people go back to agriculture with the assurance that their products can be ferried to the markets.

“These newly completed road projects are expected to ease the transport of agricultural goods, enhance mobility for residents, and contribute to the long-term socio-economic development of the two upland barangays,” a statement of the Provincial Information and Media Office said.

For his part, Governor Aumentado, whose term is marked by the complete total annihilation of the remnants of the Bohol Party Committee of the New Peoples Army’s local Komiteng Rehiyonal Sentral Bisayas, has rallied Boholanos to hold the line and guard their communities from the possible recovery efforts of the rebels.

At the Dagywan sa Barangay in the nearby Triple Union, Gov Aumentado also sent Capitol service and frontline service offices in the government service caravan.

These include the Office of the Governor’s Medical Outreach Office for dispensation of free medicines, doctors and dentists from the Office of the Provincial Health and Bohol Medical Society for free medical clinic and dental services, Community Development Office for community assistance, social welfare and development for free food packs, assistance top individuals in crisis situations, solo parents and senior citizens, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist for seeds, seedlings and farming technology assistance, Legal Office for legal assistance and engineering office for infrastructure technical support.

Also rendering frontline services for the Dagyawan were Social Security System, PhilHealth, PAG-IBIG Fund, DENR, BFAR, TESDA, PCA, PIA, DPWH, DTI, and still several government agencies with their services. (PIABohol)

COMMUNITY IDENTIFIED. When the government used to simply identify and give projects, now local residents are making the decisions as to what they want to develop their areas, as this facilitates ownership and keeps people prioritizing those that they direly need. This P7.5M FMR in Bagtic facilitates farm to market access. (PIABohol)