GOOD performing permanent employees have nothing to worry about in the impending implementation of the Capitol’s reengineering plan. Gov. Erico Aumentado reiterated this assurance to the provincial government’s regular employees, some of whom have expressed apprehension and even opposition to the plan. “I must emphasize here that the reengineering program must not be a tool for the removal of any permanent employee without cause,” he stressed to the reengineering consultant in a letter he coursed through Human Resource Management and Development Officer (HRMDO) Romeo Teruel. As such, if there is any movement, it should be for the assignment of the employee to the proper position so we can avoid square pegs in round holes, and thus, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the provincial bureaucracy, he said. The reengineering, the governor explained, aims to put an employee in a position where his or her qualifications are best suited for a streamlined bureaucracy.

This way, the provincial government can tap his or her talents and potentials to the fullest, he said. He sees no wisdom in continuing to pay salaries for “square pegs in round holes”, hence, putting them where their expertise lies. This way, being in their element, they will be more motivated and productive, the governor said. In a preliminary talk with the consultant, Aumentado again stressed that his comments be incorporated in her assessment and recommendations in the final reengineering report that she will submit. His comments included the merger of the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) and the Center for Culture and the Arts Development (CCAD). “It is a good direction. However, I am insisting on the creation of the European Desk, American Desk, Chinese Desk, Korean Desk, Japanese Desk, and Oceania Desk as major components of the PTO reengineering since we are pursuing a global roadmap for our tourism industry as one of our two economic drivers, together with agriculture,” he explained. He agreed with the elevation of the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO) as a separate department. “This is because of the widening scope of its function in the light of the development of the mining industry in Bohol and our efforts to contribute in the fight against global warming, as well as support very strongly the eco-tourism thrust of the provincial government,” he said. He added that the merger of the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) and the Bohol Poverty Reduction and Management Office (BPRMO) is a must. “The two offices have the same mission and goal: poverty alleviation,” he said.

Aumentado also wants the Bohol Investment Promotion Center (BIPC) to be expanded and strengthened, it being in charge of business promotion. This early, he already has specific tasks for the expanded BIPC – establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Talibon and Ubay towns and other areas which may qualify as well as the Panglao Tourism Economic Zone (PTEZ), establish the provincial one-stop shop to assist locators and hasten their putting up of businesses here, convert the Tagbilaran Airport into a business park or special economic zone once the Panglao Bohol International Airport (PBIA) shall be operational and establish biofuel projects from oil palm and jatropha. As proposed, the One-Stop Shop major components will be the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Departments of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Provincial Assessor’s Office (PAssO). “In fact, in preparation for the foregoing, the BIPC office will be expanded to cover more of the ground floor of the Governor’s Mansion.” He said.

To strengthen the Provincial Government Media Affairs Office (PGMA), the Bohol Law Enforcement Communications System (BLECS) and the Information Technology (IT) Service, he suggested that these be merged. “All of them are engaged in communications and public information,” he said. “But the IT Service component must be further strengthened because of its function in our computerization and internet, including Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), as well as Electronic Tax Revenue Assessment and Collection System (e-TRACS), and tax mapping projects,” he added.