By: June S. Blanco

THOUSANDS of Boholanos trooped to the Bohol Cultural Center Thursday to avail of provincial and national government services in what Gov. Erico Aumentado declared as People's Day. The day coincided with Aumentado's 66th natal day but instead of spending lavishly for a birthday bash, the governor devoted it to public service instead.Doctors and dentists of the hospitals devolved to the provincial government, from the Provincial Health Office and the 302nd Brigade gave free consultations, performed tooth extractions and circumcision, and prescribed medicines that were also given free of charge by the Provincial General Services Office (PGSO).

Aumentado's convergence strategy was at its best when different national and provincial offices as well as non-government organizations fed children, while cooperatives and people's organizations (POs) organized by the Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) sold fresh fish, vegetables and other farm products as well as handicrafts at very low prices. The BPRMO also distributed checks worth an aggregate of P1.039 million to another batch of cooperatives and POs in insurgency-affected barangays. A total of 580 Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) and 380 free patents were distributed to farmers and landowners by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), respectively.

Antonieto Pernia, head of the Provincial Government Media Affairs (PGMA) office and of the BPRMO said the event was a joint undertaking of the provincial government and of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (KALAHI) Farmers' Center (KFC) that he also chairs.

The event started with a mass at 8:30 a.m. , followed by the cutting of the ribbon to the exhibit center and the opening program. Lawyer Johnson Sinco, provincial agrarian reform officer (PARO) gave the welcome address. Pernia gave the activity's rationale.Heads of spearheading agencies gave the statements of purpose, like Provincial Director Rustica Mascariñas of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG-Bohol) for the medical mission and Provincial Veterinarian Stella Marie Lapiz for the veterinary mission, Sinco and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Arius Ilano Sr. for the CLOA and free patent distribution, respectively; Provincial Social Welfare Officer Constancia Tuñacao for the feeding, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) launchwed its Kasosyo program of counterpart-funded skills trainings.

In his message, Aumentado said the People's Day civic action sparks a series that includes that of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo's cataract scraping and dentures fitting on May 28 to June 8. As in the previous year, the First Gentleman is slated to visit the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital to personally supervise the activity, but this time, with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself. The President is due to visit Bohol for the second time this year to inaugurate the Tagbilaran-Lila section of the Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project Phase 2 (BCRIP 2).

The birthday boy distributed checks raning from P27,000 to P100,000. To the Datag Sur Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) and Datag Norte Small Coconut Farmers Organization both in Balilihan, Kabasakan Farmers' MPC and Libertad Sur MPC both in Sagbayan, Dangay MPC and Cantiguib MPC both in Albur, Caluasan MPC and Tomoc MPC both in San Miguel, The Cambuac Sur MPC and Cambuac Norte Livelihood Organization both in Sikatuna, Calinginan Norte Primary MPC in Sevilla, Lapacan Norte and Anonang both in Inabanga, and the Bantuan Farmers MPC and Bago Farmers MPC both in Buenavista, he gave P33k each; Datag Norte Small Coconut Farmers Association in Balilihan and the Rizal MPC in Pilar, P27k each;

Rizal MPC in Pilar, P90k and the Pagahat MPC in Alicia, Matin-ao MPC in Carmen, Lumbay MPC in Pilar and the Can-agong MPC in Sikatuna, P100k each. The free patent beneficiaries are residents of Dauis, Panglao, Albur, Corella, Baclayon, Loay, Antequera, Sikatuna, Sevilla and Loon. Lapiz spearheaded the animal clinic: she and her staff and municipal agricultural officers (MAOs) offered free consultations and anti-rabies vaccines. The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) conducted a plant pest clinic.

The Provincial Agriculturist's Office (PAO) and the MAOs, Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (B-APC), Philippine Coconut Authority, National Food Authority and other agencies in cooperation with POs and non-government organizations conducted an agricultural fair.

For sale at super low prices were vegetables, fish like fresh and grilled bangus and tilapia, edible seaweeds, livestock, rice, processed food and grocery items. The Bohol Environment Management Office and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources distributed seedlings of endemic tree species even as reflexologists offered healing hands to the sick, the tired and the weary. The governor joined the people in a boodle fight for lunch to prepare for the afternoon's activities. The crowd was treated to games of pig catching, coconut de-husking and turtle race, courtesy of BPRMO. The KFC Technical Working Group gave citations to the participants while providing music to lend a festive air to the activity was the Capitol Band. The KFC is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Agency for International Development and the Philippines-Australia Technical Support for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (Patsarrd).

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