By JUNE S. BLANCO

THE Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) may have been scrapped but this has pushed Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado to tap other sources to infuse alternate livelihood for his constituents in Bohol's 2nd District. His efforts have so far been successful: he recently bagged P20 million from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) for various livelihood projects for about 100 farmers groups, people's organizations (POs) and cooperatives. Aumentado has focused on the fight against poverty – a fight directly benefiting his constituents through funding for groups ranging from P50,000 to P300,000 each, depending on the project proposed. He considers poverty as “a recurring cancer of society” that has plagued the marginalized for so long that year after year, the number of the poor continues to rise. Even this year, the Holy Name University's Bohol Poll showed an increase in the number of people who rated themselves "poor".

“Development starts with people empowerment, and empowerment means giving them a crack at improving their lives through financial support,” he said. With constant monitoring, an ordinary family getting the needed poverty alleviating boost will feel improvement in their lives after a year or two, he added. The solon also thanked his namesake-father and predecessor Erico Boyles Aumentado for preparing the district with his big infra projects so that now he can focus on people development. The elder Aumentado had caused the cementing of the entire Bohol Circumferential Road along the fist-shaped province's coast, making the transit of goods easier and faster, as well as allowing farmers the opportunity to sell their produce in main markets. Add to this the two phases of the Bohol Irrigation Project that has provided a year-round irrigation system to rice-producing towns. Aumentado eyes to fund the livelihood projects of another 50 people's organizations in his district until the end of the year. He envisions to make the second district a reliable supplier of agricultural produce for the big markets in the city and outside the province.