Bohol is included in a P22.4 billion World Bank (WB) aid package for select sites in the country(WB) to the delight of Malacañang, where Gov. Edgar Chatto had a one-on-one meeting with Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday. The recipient projects in the mainland of the province are agriculture-based focusing on the upgrading of priority crops and livestock with support infrastructure facilities, all intended to improve livelihood and attain inclusive growth. Chatto said programmed for coverage are coconut-producing areas and focused sites for high-value coffee and cacao. Implemented under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), the WB aid also has a special package for the development of the resources-rich Danajon marine area and its community, according to Chatto.

The Danajon bank in the northwestern side of the province is a wealthy source of commercial seaweeds which, with sufficient proper intervention, can enhance economic condition while the area is wisely utilized for sustainable development. According to Malacañang, the PRDP is hoped to improve the livelihood of some two million Filipinos, including the target or identified beneficiary communities from the farm and fishery sectors in Bohol. The PRDP includes a $7 million aid from the global environment facility which is intended to heighten conservation and sustenance of the coastal and marine-protected areas in Tayabas in Quezon, Green island in Palawan, Tico pass in Sorsogon-Masbate, Guimaras, Guiuan in Eastern Samar and Danajon bank in Bohol. Guiuan is one of Samar areas devastated during the super typhoon Yolanda last year.

In their exclusive talk inside the president's office, Chatto updated Aquino of the progress of Bohol's rehabilitation owing to the great earthquake. The governor told the president of the reconstruction needs which have yet to be delivered by concerned national agencies like the permanent replacement national bridges and roads by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). When checked, the DPWH Regional Office reported having the preparatory works done already while cash allocation is awaited for the bidding to proceed. Chatto likewise raised to Aquino the lacking school building allocations under the recovery program for the Department of Education (DepEd). On the PRDP, the agri-based projects will be implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in collaboration with the province and municipal local government units on a counterparting scheme.

One livelihood enterprise eyed for funding support, for example, is the Loon Unified Business Initiative (LUBI) Multi-Purpose Cooperative which main products, virgin coconut oil and vinegar, are competitive and qualified for export. However, its processing plant was damaged during the earthquake and most equipment which were spared need upgrading. The initial capital requirement of the enterprise is P7.5 million and 60% of it or P4.5 million has to be sourced from the WB-PRDP, 20% or P1.5 million from the national government thru the DA, and another P20% or P1.5 million from the LGU of the province. Another target project, this time by the Bohol Farmers Cooperative (BOFAMCO), is a feedmill complex for livestock and fishery. A bulk of the WB package is intended to fund support infrastructure facilities in covered areas such as farm-to-market roads, slope stabilization works, bridges, even tire trucks, communal irrigation, potable water systems, post-harvest facilities, production facilities, fish landings, storage facilities, trading posts, greenhouses and solar driers, among others.

The Palace itself has expected the PRDP to increase by not lower than 5% the real household earning of the farmers and fishermen over the next six years as a result of the program in the identified project areas in the country. Among the targeted beneficiaries, a 30% income increase through livelihood and enterprise interventions has been projected. The Bohol proposal for the WB-aided PRDP package was then developed in a planning workshop in Cebu City attended no less by the governor and agriculture officials of the province. This was proceeded by crucial meetings with the LGUs and project implementers as coordinated by the Provincial Agriculture Office under officer-in-charge Larry Pamugas. Bohol under Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim has another major foreign-aided partnership on progress, this time with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on an environment-focused approach to widespread economic growth. (VenreboArigo)