Gov. Edgar Chatto checked Bohol priorities in the next annual national budget in his two-day Manila trip that also secured the acceleration of multi-lateral agreements with overseas progress partners. He would have more national aids to the on-going rehabilitation of the province ensured while calculating for a faster pace for highly-valuable economic infrastructures like the new Bohol airport. The governor's inquiries especially from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) were timely as Congress started scrutinizing the proposed 2015 appropriations of the various national agencies. The province itself has prepared its next year's budget, which amount will be ascertained once submitted by the governor to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and approved before the close of 2014.

On Thursday, Chatto attended the marking of the 60th year of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the Philippines at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City. He met with the officials of the Japanese Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which principally assists the Bohol airport project on Panglao island. By phone patch, Chatto reported during his regular “Kita ug Ang Gobernador” live broadcast that the technical evaluation of the bids for the construction of the airport was already done. This was confirmed to him by officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) who also attended the Japan-Philippine cooperation celebration. Thru National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Arsenio Balisacan, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III hailed the cooperation which has helped push countryside growth.

The evaluation result will be known soon while the financial assessment of the bids is proceeding until the whole process is completed, winning bidder known, contract awarded and concrete implementation begun this year or early next year. The governor presented to JICA the formal proposal on different partnership programs which were earlier agreed during his Japan mission last month. These programs include sustainable environment protection relative to the airport development, risk management, tourism and investment promotion, among others. During the Kita ug Ang Gobernador airing, Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian announced the skills and livelihood training graduation this coming Wednesday of the families affected by the airport project and relocated to a good site.

Lapiz' office, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and a foundation have partnered on livelihood services of the relocation component of the airport project. Chatto also talked to Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Lilia Delima who acknowledged Bohol's time for economic upswing and was “excited” of her agency's collaboration with the province. The PEZA official was one of the cabinet heads commended by Aquino in his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), in which Bohol resilience was also---and again---mentioned. In a separate meeting, the governor explored with Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) officials more feasible and viable tie-ups, especially on agricultural development. Chatto, who arrived here Friday evening, is convening tomorrow local key officials of agriculture and related agencies and offices.

RECOVERY EFFORT

Before flying to Manila Tuesday afternoon, Chatto briefed and discussed with the mayors the guidelines, which were just-released by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), to hasten the implementation of so-called Bohol Earthquake Assistance (BEA). The BEA involves P2.389 billion to rebuild and rehabilitate earthquake-damaged local public infrastructures/facilities like city and town halls and other government buildings, civic centers, Day Care centers, barangay halls and health centers, public markets, bridges and waterworks systems. DILG Provincial Director Loisella Lucino said the provincial board has authorized the governor to ink, on behalf of the province, a tri-partite agreement with the DILG and LGUs on the BEA execution. The BEA conference also had members of the Provincial Project Management Team (PPMT)---who includes capitol, DILG and DPWH officials---municipal planning engineers and planning officers, even Commission on Audit (COA) people. Lucino said another BEA briefing will be done tomorrow, this time involving the LGU accountants, chairmen and secretariats of the Bids and Awards Committees (BACs) and COA cluster heads.

There are already over 1,000 sub-projects identified for BEA allocations based on the programs of works submitted, the DILG official said. While Chatto was outside Bohol, his weekly media forum Friday morning had Lucino, Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEPO) head Romulo Tagaan and Lapiz in the panel of newsmakers led by Shelter Cluster coordinator and SEEM Cluster head Liza Quirog. The governor was already in Cebu City, where he led in receiving the Bohol awards for best nutrition practices in the region, when he updated via phone patch the Boholanos of his Manila trip. The chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC-7), Chatto also keynoted in Cebu the congress of nutrition action officers from across Central Visayas.

Even in his brief absence, Chatto had his administration with Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim updating, too, the people of the progressing shelter intervention of the integrated rehabilitation program. Quirog said that out of the 8,083 target core house, 5,238 have already been validated while 255 more have been in the process for possible inclusion. “Lay-outing” in Balilihan and Danao were fully completed while it is continuing and accelerated in other priority quake-hit towns pursuant to the shelter program tie-up between the DSWD, provincial government and Habitat for Humanity. Chatto led volunteers---both provincial officials and employees---and himself did install wall bamboo slats on one of the 22 core shelter units during the Sandugo House Build launching in Cortes the other week. (Ven rebo Arigo)