Aumentado leads tradition of

hallowed inauguration in BCC

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—All roads lead to the Bohol Cultural Center (BCC) as the province’s top elected officials lay their palms over the bible and raise their right hands to formally take their oaths of offices for the term 2025-2028 in the hallowed tradition that has been observed over the years in Bohol.

Bohol re-electionist Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, who is in his second term, would take the honors of leading the first official day of their term in service with an inaugural address and in the same tradition he has started; sign executive orders that would point the direction of his second term in administration.

Sandiganbayan first presiding justice from Cebu, Justice Geralding Faith Econg, the 11th presiding justice of the anti-graft court, would officiate Aumentado’s swearing in, after the official oath taking of the elected Board Members of Bohol’s First, Second and Third Districts, as well as the District Representatives and the newly elected vice governor here.

And in a province populated by a majority of Roman Catholics, the day would start with the celebration of the Holy Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Parish, another tradition, where top diocesan authorities are expected to concelebrate in the solemn rites at 7:15 to 8:30.

After the mass, cocktails open at the BCC until the swearing-in ceremony at 10:00 AM towards noon.

To be sworn in as First District Board Members are Lucille L. Lagunay, a reelectionist, retired physician and hospital administrator Mutya Kismet Tirol-Macuno, newly elected and lawyer veteran legislator Vinzencio Arcamo.

For the second District, to be sworn in as Board Members are: lawyer and reelected Jiselle Rae Villamor, veteran trial lawyer and former law dean Tomas Abapo, and former mayor and businessman Fernando Estavilla.

Relectionist and former Board member Tita Baja leads the Third District Representatives to formally take their oaths, witnessed by family and friends.

She would also be joined by newly elected and son of former vice governor, Board Member Dionisio Joseph Balite, reelected and respected businessman Greg Crispinito Jala as well as reelected and veteran legislator Nathaniel Binlod.

Despite a filed attempt to stall the oath taking of Congressman-elect John Geesnell Yap II by a political rival in the elections, without any court order, the former city mayor would have to take the floor witnessed by family and supporters and swear his service to God and country, for Bohol’s First Congressional District.

For the Second Congressional District, reelectionist and the first lady of Bohol, Maria Vanessa Aumentado would be sworn in, with the governor and her immediate family and friends taking the spotlights.

For the Third Congressional District, reelectionist and veteran law maker Kristine Alexie Tutor would be taking the oath witnessed by husband vice mayor Christopher Tutor and her family.

For the provincial vice governor, former village chair and Board member Nicanor Besas would also be sworn in.

The oath taking of Gov Aumentado and local officials inside the Cultural Center and streamed live with local broadcast stations as carriers, would be expected to be viewed by Boholanos who could notbe physically present in the venue that can only accommodate a few hundreds.

An inaugural reception would follow suit, with guests pre-screened for security and formality.

The afternoon also features wreath laying and honoring of the late president Carlos P Garcia, whom Aumentado considers as a giant whose shadow, his father the statesman Erico Boyles Aumentado also idolized.

This happens at the foot of the CPG monument in the plaza, in front of the Capitol. An unveiling of lobby portraits also happens at the new Capitol lobby after the wreath laying and honoring activities. (PIABohol)

Police to cut response times to 5 minutes

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—At a little over 1 percent increase in crimes this year compared to last year’s, Bohol Provincial Police Office intends to implement and institutionalize the 5-minute response strategy as a priority program and ensure operational readiness of police to meet crime response targets.

Thus reports Police Lieutenant Colonel Joey M. Bicoy during the recent joint meeting of the Provincial Development Council, Peace and Order Council and Anti Drug Abuse Council at the Ceremonial Hall of the Capitol.

Earlier, Camp Dagohoy, headquarters of the Bohol Police, released through Col Bicoy the data that showed that from January to May 31, 2025, total crime incidents reaching police blotters all over Bohol totaled 2,965 as against the same period in 2024 when the crimes summed up to 2,929.

The 38 cases increase comprise the 1.22 percent difference, points out Col Bicoy.

These crimes can be broken down into two: crimes relating to peace and order and to public safety.

For the crimes involving public safety, in the first 151 days or the first five months, crimes affecting peace and order in 2025 reached 1,385, in contrast to 2024 when, of the same period, the crimes only totaled 1,286; the 99 cases difference means an increase of 9 percent increase in crimes of peace.

On the other hand, on crimes affecting public safety, in 2024, police stations tallied 1,646 crimes; as against 2025’s 1,580 or a difference of 66 crimes showed a 9 percent decrease.

Of these crimes involving peace and order, Col Bicoy pointed to an increase of 129 cases or 10.03 percent increase.

For index crimes, Col Bicoy reported that there were 322 cases in 2024 as against 2025 when index crimes totaled 230, a notable 28.57 percent decrease.

The decrease is 28.57 % as against non Index crimes for the first five months in 2024 reached 961 as against the same months in 2025 with 1,155.

This 194 cases increase is 20.19 percent increase within the year, he pointed.

As to the 8 focused crime which the police monitored, the increase in crimes this year can be creditable to homicide which increased from 4 to 9, and rape which went from 28 to 43.

All other crimes dipped, with theft registering 47% decrease, physical injuries at 25%, robbery at 41% and murder at 24% decreases.

Even motor-napping and carnapping also sagged 53% and 0 percent respectively.

Col Bicoy also said of the 228 cases of crimes involving those they focused, 158 have been solved, 69 are cleared and only one case remain unsolved.

With the apparent successes, Col Bicoy said they will sustain the police presence and increase police operations aligned with the PNP flagship programs, continuously conduct intelligence-driven operations targeting drug personalities and criminal elements and initiate and innovate programs to foster a secure and peaceful environment for the community, making Bohol a safer place to live, work and do business. (PIABohol)

INCREASE POLICE RESPONSE TIME. Bohol police operations chief Lt Col Joey Bicoy, speaking for Police Colonel Arnel Banzon said they will continue to innovate and put up more police presence in the streets as crime deterrent and position the police nearer to where crimes happen to peg a less that 5 minutes response time. (PIABohol)

Sum of Bohol craft, creativity

In Sandugo OTOP Trade Expo

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—The sum of all of government and private sector initiatives to help micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) come out with exciting products and new designs build up for the province’s Sandugo One Town One Product (OTOP) Trade Expo, to take the lower grounds of Island City Mall, this second week of July.

There, the national government, private sector, local government, the academe and even the MSMEs themselves bring out their collaborative designs in products that range from home furnishings, home decors, accessories, wearables, fashion accessories, health and wellness products, manufactured items, novelty products, processed food and local furniture get the spotlight in a 6-day trade expo of the country’s best handcrafted items, reports the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), at the recent Kapihan sa PIA.

Acclaimed as one of the country’s longest running trade fairs, the Sandugo OTOP Trade Expo started as a provincial fair, and yet came out as one of the most successful because t levelled up into a regional fair in 2006, shared DTI Bohol Provincial Director Vierna Teresa C. Ligan, during the livestreamed forum.

Now on its 17th year as a regional trade fair, we continue to do this so that our buyers can see our new products and designs and so that these products by out assisted MSMEs can be exposed in this not just an ordinary fair, adds senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist Rey Anthony Regis.

For the fair, which has mutated into an national products showcase, organizers invite buyers from Manila, Cebu and the local tourism industry like hotels, Mindanao exporters, to prop up the sales of the products from various initiatives helping local MSMEs.

At the DTI, they program regular product development training to update, upgrade, up-cycle and introduce new product designs to make these enticing to the markets, all towards the displays in fairs like Sandugo OTOP trade fair, Manila Fame and the November provincial products under the OTOP.

“We are happy that there are different agencies like the Product Development Design Center of the Philippines (PDDCP), the Provincial Government, who are also helping Bohol manufacturers and craftsmen in developing new designs, all geared towards one goal, the culmination of which is the Sandugo and the Manila Fame,” Ligan remarked.

These include residisenyo, a project with the PDDCP where we send local designers for training, who would be Bohol’s MSME designers’ pool for the product fairs.

We also have a collaboration with Bohol Island State university in product development called PROPEL, for the MSMEs to get new designs from industrial design students immersed in MSMEs to do design and pitch these in class, explains Regis, who has been coordinating the fairs with a local business provider.

These kids develop local designers and help MSMEs to improve their designs and come up with new and exciting products for the fairs, including the Sandugo.

Everything here is built on, “You cant join the trade fair, if you do not have new products, because if the buyers do not see anything new, they wont be back.”

The good thing is that Boholanos love to buy and they buy in cash, so we have exhibitors who are happy and satisfied with their entry into the fair, Ligan boasted.

The more there are interesting products and designs mean more buyers, and more buyers mean more fame to Sandugo and the local industries, which stir the local economy and attain for the government its goals of making productive communities that thrive. (PIABohol)

PREPPING FOR THE BEST OF BOHOL. DTI Bohol, which coordinates the conduct of the Sandugo OTOP Trade Fair and Expo this July announce the entry of over 100 exhibitors a from as far as Luzon to Mindanao sidling to be in one of the country’s most successful trade fairs.

Inabanga paves learners’ scitech

foundation in DOST STARBOOKS

INABANGA, Bohol (PIA)—Laying the foundation for a dream of emerging as the Silicon Valley of Bohol, Inabanga, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in putting digital science and technology libraries in online and offline kiosks for all its elementary and high schools.

“That is 33 in all: 16 kiosks for elementary and high schools in Inabanga north, and 11 elementary and 2 high schools for Inabanga south,” says Bohol Provincial Science and Technology Center Director Vina Antopina, during the orientation and turn-over of the Science and Technology Academic and Research-based Openly Operated Kiosks (STARBOOKS).

The LGU Inabanga and DOST partnership is the second local government unit in Bohol, after Balilihan, to invest in preparing a strong science, technology and innovation (STI) foundation in kids by allowing them access to the country’s first science and technology digital library.

“With libraries getting unpopular in the age of interactive learning, STARBOOKS act as your libraries,” Antopina told over a hundred teachers, principals and information technology technicians gathered at the Inabanga Gym for the orientation and turn-over of the library in a kiosk.

“The kiosk, which every school in Inabanga gets, packs its own wireless fidelity router that makes the digital library accessible by any student with a smart phone for their research and their teachers a chance to craft lesson plans, research for class topics and access interactive topics,” DOST Bohol ST center Engr Meljun Signe, details the capabilities of the digital data kiosk.

A town that has since lain dormant over the years, Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy mapped out a plan to bring life to the town, through innovation in science and technology.

In 2019, the town started to build its community college, which the locals envisioned to be an institution that would start science, technology and innovations.

And when towns in Bohol got into a flurry on erecting community colleges offering a delectable manu of courses to serve anybody interested in schooling, Inabanga trod on the road nobody would dare.

Unlike other community colleges that offer regular courses offered in major colleges, Inabanga College of Arts and Sciences (INBCAS) opened for Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, with specializations.

Linux administration, computer programming, source coding, leading to Artificial Intelligence, a course that would bring our students the kind of job that demands higher pay, where they can command the kind of pay they get, said Frank Baylosis, InbCAS administrator said.

Inabanga does not have much resources, we can not waste our money to those who are not serious, we have great plans for our graduates and we want them to have a good future, Mayor Jumamoy shared.

To have these kind of students that can be admitted in the program, it is important for them to have a good science, technology and innovation foundation, and STARBOOKs can help that, Antopina pointed out..

We were looking for partners who are willing to adopt to science technology and innovation, and Inabanga, with a young mayor, took the challenge, she added.

Many think of STI as only for big cities, think of smart cities, but STI is the future and we will push forward STI for the people, DOST OIC Regional Director Tristan Abando shared.

Inabanga public school’s district supervisors Felipeneri Calape (Inb North) and Romulo Cenabre (Inb South) promised that they will make sure that schools use the facility and to keep these to increase STI among pupils and learners to elevate consciousness and spark interest.

Attending the turnover were DOST 7 Abando, DOST Bohol Antopina, Mayor Jumamoy, Vice Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy, council members, and CVisNet Foundation. (PIABohol)

SCITECH ENABLED STARBOOKS. Inabanga partnered with the DOST in Bohol in the provision of 33 digital scitech libraries for all public schools to lay the solid foundation for students who will have to take up information technology courses leading to programming at the InbCAS. (PIABOhol)

TEACHING TEACHERS. DOST allowed teachers of Inabanga public schools to use and explore the STARBOOKS for the first time, as the town partnered with DOST in providing the digitized science and technology resource for students and pupils. (PIABohol)

DAGYAWAN SA BARANGAY

Loon barangays seek RCSP

funds for roads, streetlight

BONGCO, Loon, Bohol (PIA)—Barangays of this insurgency threatened isolated depressed areas atop the Maribojoc mountain range aspire to get their crude roads converted into standard 10 meter concrete roads to facilitate the entry of government services and keep spurious groups off their communities.

Isolated by seemingly impenetrable jungles and steep slopes, Barangays Bongco, Genomoan, Cantam-is Bago and Cantam-is Baslay have been regular resting sites for former rebels on their patrols, before Bohol was declared insurgency free.

And with the possible funding from the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP), local officials along with government agencies lobby for the funding of roads that can open the barangays for more economic activities and drive the communist terrorists away.

Barangays into farming, the bad roads are also the reason why their products could not get to the markets in prime condition, farmers here complained.

“Without the proper roads, especially because the trails are dark, it would be convenient for armed communist terrorists to use the barangays as transit points during their sorties,” shares Barangay Bongco chairman Nicolas Comar Jr., on the sidelines of the Talakayan sa Mamamayan; another highlight of the Dagyawan sa Barangay Service Caravan which the government brought here.

“During these sorties too, rebels simply knock on the doors of isolated houses to ask for water, food and provisions and in fear, people hardly decline,” he hinted.

At the Talakayan sa Mamamayan, officials of Loon’s cluster of barangays officially presented their crafted Barangay Development Plans (BDP), one crafter with the technical guidance and assistance of DILG local Government Operations Officers (LGOO) and community organizers.

The BDPs identify a common issue: the opening and establishment of road networks with lighting facilities, as priority.

“As the RCSP empowers conflict-affected areas and local government units (LGUs) and communities, a contrast to the past system when communities were not given the opportunity to pick and identify their development projects. And while the DILG brings government services and interventions to the grassroots level, giving communities a say in their plans, ensures that development is sustained and peace is promoted,” explains DILG Bohol Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales.

“Opening and improving roads entail a long and tedious process, and the local officials in the barangays need to iron out the details like cadastral mapping, road right of way acquisition by deed of donation or sale, and agreeing with land owners whose properties are affected by the infrastructure development,” volunteer Department of Public Works and Highways officials present during the Talakayan.

“Lucky for these barangays, the DILG and the local officials have worked out and complied with the major requirements, documents needed for the projects to be funded by any government funding source, including the DPWH,” Loon MLGOO Glenda Laure said.

Talakayan, another highlight of the Dagyawan sa Barangay also allows government agencies to pool in resources to deliver identified priority projects or contribute to its completion or implementation.

This also happens to be the gist of Executive Order No 70, which details the country’s whole-of-nation approach to peace. (PIABohol)

FEARFUL NO MORE. Bongco Barangay Chairman Nicolas Comar Jr., led residents of the mountain barangays of Loon to swear never to let the communist terrorists sow terror again in their barangays and hold them in fear, so they could provide for the terrorists provisions. (PIABohol)

INTEGRATED PLANNING. Residents of Barangaus Bongco, Genomoan, Cantam-is Baslay and Cantam-is Bago all agree that building a better network of roads in their areas can facilitate the faster entry of government services and drive off crime groups that feed on the people’s fear. (PIABohol)

DSWD excludes Bohol

In Walang Gutom ‘27

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—If it were his call, Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado would still include Boholanos in the government’s food package in the Department of Social welfare and Development’s Walang Gutom Program 2027 (WGP) as revitalized Food Stamps program.

Incidentally however, Bohol does not qualify for the program yet, according to DSWD Regional Director Shalaine Lucero, during the recent Regional Development Council Meeting, June 11, at the Ceremonial Hall of the Bohol Capitol.

The DSWD said the WGP has only Cebu and Negros Oriental as Central Visayas beneficiaries, and around 30,000 of them can redeem food packages per month

One of the DSWD flagship programs, WGP 2027 is basically food provision through Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (Food STAMP) to decrease incidence of involuntary hunger experienced by low-income households and make them productive citizens of the country.

Implemented through a whole-of-nation approach, the program aims to provide monetary-based assistance in the form of an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card loaded with food credits worth P 3,000 to purchase a select list of food commodities from DSWD identified partner merchant stores.

The program highlights a mechanism for the delivery of social protection interventions through the use of digital platforms to access food.

A program for identified involuntary hunger victims, WGP 2027 hands out EBT card containing 3,000 in food credits for food commodities, with 50% of it allocated to carbohydrates, 30% of the amount for proteins, and 20% for fruits and vegetables.

Central Visayas beneficiaries include 17,489 households from Negros Oriental’s 23 towns and cities and another 12,680 beneficiaries from 48 towns and cities within Cebu Province.

Governor Aumentado, who chairs the RDC, found it rather odd, why Bohol was not among the beneficiaries.

However, RD Lucero said the data for the program came from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Family Income and expenditures Survey (FIES) where the national government picked 34 provinces whom they identified as priority for the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN).

These 34 provinces, verified also under the Poverty Data in 2023, have been found out to have the most pervasive number of households with hunger problems.

In the list is Cebu at Number 7 and Negros Oriental at Number 18.

As to the poverty data for example, to the magnitude of subsistence poor families, Bohol only has 13.33 while Cebu has 40.09; the regional average of 53.43.

This places Bohol at rank number 20 while Cebu ranks 2nd.

Magnitude of poor population lists Bohol at 83.76 while Cebu is at 269.88. This places Bohol at rank number 25 while placing Cebu at rank No. 2.

For Bohol’s subsistence incidence among population, Bohol has 6.0 while Cebu has 5.1 and a regional average of 5.3 Placing Bohol at a further rank of 31 and much more of the population in Cebu at a deplorable subsistence level.

In short, in the 34 PPAN priority provinces, Cebu sits in the 7th place, Negros Oriental at 18th.

For the 34 provinces with high incidence of subsistence poor families, Cebu ranks 2nd while Bohol is at the 20th and Negros Oriental is at the 11th place, as to the DSWD.

To this however, RD Lucero said there is still hope as the next tranche of the program would now include more provinces and she hopes Bohol could be in it. (PIAbohol)

IN THE NEXT BATCH. DSWD Regional Director Shalaine Marie Lucero explains to Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado and the media why Bohol was not among the beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program. She said Bohol has better conditions compared to Cebu and Negros. (PIAbohol)

DILG presides over governance

transition turn-over ceremony

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—In living to the honoured tradition of the orderly transfer of responsibilities and upholding service continuity following the local elections, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Management Executive Board (MEB) of Bohol solemnly witnessed the turn-over of responsibilities of both out-going and incoming Bohol officials at the Capitol Ceremonial Hall, June 23.

Bohol DILG Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales said the transition is essential in maintaining the institutional knowledge, upholding the integrity of governance and guaranteeing the continuity of service delivery thus cultivating the people’s trust in government.

Done in observance of section 375 of Republic Act 7160 on the provision of primary and secondary accountability for government properties, the head of the province, or in case, of a department, is held accountable for all government property assigned or entrusted on to his office, and his delegation of authority to a trustee to report to him on the status of the property.

For the outgoing officials, they would be turning over complete record of properties and the liabilities to the incoming officials which, following the Local Governance Transition Team (LGTT) has inventoried which includes inventory of LGU properties, Official documents and records as well as the mandated full disclosure policy documents.

DILG Memorandum Circular No 2025-016 has also encouraged LGUs to develop and adopt a digital archiving system to preserve these essential documents.

The LGTT has also become a deterrent for outgoing administrations to destroy documents, according to Local Government Operations Officer Maria Reina Quilas.

Part of the documents turned over were Governance Assessment Report (CY 2024), COA Report (2024), Contracts and Loan Agreements, Comprehensive Development Plans, Provincial Development Investment Program, Annual Investment Plan (2023), Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, Capacity Development Plan, Executive–Legislative Agenda, Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern, Inventory of Personnel by nature of Appointment, Executive Orders, Ordinances and Resolutions, LGU Devolution Transition Plan, LGU Results Matrices, Reengineering Plans on LGU systems, Citizen’s Charter, Public Service Continuity Plan, Gender and Development Plan, and Full Disclosure Policy Documents.

These include the Annual Budget, Statement of Indebtedness, payments and Balances, statements of receipts and expenditures, Annual Procurement Plan, Annual GAD accomplishment report, Quarterly Cash Flow statements, Quarterly Bid Results, Quarterly SEF reports, Trust Fund Utilization, Quarterly Human Resource Complement, Quarterly Un-liquidated Cash Advances, Annual Supplemental Procurement Plan, Quarterly Utilization of the 20% component of the National Tax Allocation and Quarterly Utilization of the local Disaster and Risk Reduction management Fund.

The governor also invited the outgoing and incoming members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to take part in the ceremonial turn-over.

Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte handed over the volumes of documents symbolic of the records of properties of the provincial government to Gov Aumentado, who had newly elected board member Mutya Kismet Tirol-Macuno, Board members Romulo Cepedoza, Lucille Lagunay, and Lawrence Xavier Angcla also witnessing.

Gov Aumentado in his message reminded incoming leaders that public services is not about titles or positions.

“Public service means staying true to our promise of protecting the welfare of every citizen, uplifting our communities and pursuing development for all,” he said. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

SEAMLESS TRANSITION. DILG Bohol look as Gov Aumentado showed the documents that he would be keeping for the next term, as the Capitol’s management executives look on. While Capitol’s turn-over may be for formality with most officials getting reelected, for other LGUS, election wounds may not have scarred, bringing tension in turn-over ceremonies. (PIABohol)