FOUR Bohol towns stand to get improved roads next year with the implementation of the Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF) – another convergence strategy embarked into by Gov. Erico Aumentado with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Aumentado expressed elation over AusAID First Secretary Shayne McKenna's and Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Austere Panadero's joint letter informing him of the first year costs and budget for road rehabilitation and maintenance works under the program. McKenna and Panadero said for the first year of the five-year rehabilitation and maintenance works, PRMF has allocated P48 million to Bohol . With Bohol 's counterpart of P5.76 million, the total available budget for Year 1 stands at P53.76 million. The beneficiary towns include San Isidro , Catigbian, Danao and San Miguel towns. The estimate for Package 1A or the first three kilometers of the San Isidro-Catigbian via Caimbang Road stands at P10.758 million while Package 1B or the next 3.295 kms. of the same road stands at P14.704 million or a total of P25.462 million for Road Segment 1. On the other hand, Road Segment 2 estimates total P20.647 million at P12.543 million for the first three kms. of the Rizal (Catigbian)- San Isidro Road comprising Package 2A and P8.104 million for Package 2B or the next 2.46 kms. of the same road.

Meanwhile, Segment 3 costs P57.681 million comprised of four packages of the Danao-Junction Loay Interior Road, namely – Package 3A or the first three kms., P14.475 million; Package 3B or the next three kms., P14.209 million; Package 3C or the following 4.2 kms., P15.253 million and Package 3D or the next 4.61 kms., P13.744 million. The three segments cost P103.79 million so that McKenna and Panadero asked Aumentado which packages should be prioritized. In his reply, Aumentado said he is gratified that the PRMF budget allocated to Bohol has been increased from P35 million to P48 million based on a proportionate increase for all partner provinces. “And with our 12 percent counterpart contribution of P5.76 million, the total budget therefore of the project's physical work would be P53.76 million,” he added. But Bohol 's total appropriation for the first year counterpart of the PRMF project is P6.9 million. The balance of P1.14 million would be available for additional counterpart funding if AusAID can increase correspondingly its allocation for Bohol , especially so that from the estimated costing of the road segments as stated in the letter would amount to P103.79 million. Should AusAID approve the governor's proposal, the province's P1.14 million would magnet P8.36 million more from PRMF, or an additional P9.5 million to the available budget so far of P53.76 million.

He also identified the priority roads as Road Segment 1 since it would connect San Isidro to the Catigbian District Hospital , the Catigbian Public Market and onwards to the world-famous Chocolate Hills in Sagbayan, Carmen and Batuan towns. He also recommended Road Segment 3 since it connects the eco- and adventure tourism town of Danao to the highly agriculturally productive town and public market of San Miguel. “Wherever possible, let us implement simultaneously Road Segment 1 and Road Segment 3 since they are vital to the viability of the Bohol Provincial Road Network in the four towns given the roads' economic and social impacts,” he further proposed. With the project implementation just around the corner, he informed McKenna and Panadero that a Road Sector Stakeholders' Summit will be conducted next month in Tagbilaran City . Rosalinda Paredes, the Bohol PRMF coordinator, is now preparing the summit module, he said.