TAGBILARAN CITY – Governor Erico B. Aumentado voiced his reconciliatory tone and urged the incoming administration of President-elect Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” C. Aquino to fulfill his promise of a corruption-free government. In his valedictory address during the simple but fitting 112 th Independence Day celebration yesterday at Plaza Rizal in this city, Aumentado was referring to the Noynoy's campaign slogan “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap ,” in the last May 10 elections. The slogan may have catapulted Noynoy to presidency as the 15 th president of the Republic of the Philippines. The governor, who said he almost did not make it to the Independence rites because of fatigue after his recent travel abroad with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, also minced no words in urging President-elect Noynoy Aquino to go easy and “not to be vindictive.”

He was referring to the President-elect's statement of going after the necks of alleged grafters in the government under President Arroyo. He added that in prosecuting the corrupt officials it should be based on the rule of law and not on reprisal. He said about three times in his speech that “Let us work together to heal the wounds in the last elections,” after he cited the chaotic scenario of the recent elections in the national or local levels. And then the governor sounded loudly the call for everyone to support, not only the new administration of President-elect Aquino, but also of Governor-elect Edgar Chatto, to be able to go in harmony with a collective aim in developing the province of Bohol. As his contribution and to give flesh to the reconciliation, the governor vowed to improve the lot of the Boholanos particularly in the field of agriculture, which the former Aumentado-Herrera tandem have been espousing since they were together in 2004.

Aumentado, who is the congressman-elect of the 2 nd district, his old post before he became governor nine years ago, said he will help change certain policies in agriculture sector. The governor took notice of the huge amount of people's money being spent for the rice importation, saying that this amount may be diverted to earmarking more irrigation facilities based on the Agricultural Modernization law, instead, apparently to increase rice production. He cited Bohol 's experience in achieving the more than a hundred percent mark in rice sufficiency. (RVO)