Bofamco to inaugurate Villar-funded projects

BARRING any hitches, Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. will inaugurate this Saturday post-harvest facilities (PHF) acquired or constructed by the Bohol Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Bofamco) worth P5 million from his Countrywide Development Fund (CDF). Gov. Erico Aumentado said the facilities, granted to Bofamco through the Department of Agriculture Region 7 office, are at the Bofamco Compound in Poblacion of Pilar town. The blessing and inauguration will be in the morning while the Bofamco members will hold their 3rd annual general assembly in the afternoon. Fr. Camelo Aguhar, Pilar parish priest will officiate at the blessing while Villar, Aumentado and his wife Peregrina who is a member of the cooperative, and Mayor Wilson Pajo and his wife will cut the ceremonial ribbon.

The PHF up for turnover are the warehouse and seed cold storage worth over P2.7 million; working machine shed worth P300,000; 350-square meter MPDP, P150,000; two flatbed dryers, P740,000; two rice seed cleaners, P300,000; a weighing scale, P50,000; two portable moisture meters, P30,000; five bag sewers/closers, P50,000; and four heavy duty steel trolleys, P20,000. Bofamco is still awaiting for the approval by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) of its request for exemption from the President's austerity measure order to procure an Isuzu Forward transport cargo truck worth P450,000. In following up the exemption, Aumentado justified the purchase of the truck as indispensable in the operation of the integrated PHF; it is not mere luxury.

The PHF project is convergence strategy practiced. The local government unit of Pilar donated the 1,500-sq.m. lot for the warehouse and building housing the facilities while Lecciones and Aumentado followed up the release of Villar's CDF. Villar, assisted by PhilRice Director Leocadio Sebastian, GMA Rice Program national coordinator Prisco Malabanan, Agriculture Region 7 Dir. Eduardo Lecciones Jr. and Engr. Eugene Cahiles, project manager of the Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center (BAPC) will turn over the PHF to Aumentado. In turn, the governor, assisted by Senior Board Member and Bofamco legal counsel Dionisio Balite, Acting Provincial Agriculturist Nunila Pinat and Francisco Marsamolo, Grain Crops Sector head and Bofamco coordinator will turnover the facilities to Mayor Wilson Pajo. Assisting him will be Councilor Esmeraldo Buslon, chair of the agriculture committee of the Pilar Sangguniang Bayan (SB), municipal agriculturist Carmen Cubrado and Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) municipal president Olimpio Bernante. Bofamco chair Teodoro Yecyec, his predecessor Tarcisio Galiza and the members of the cooperative board will accept the PHF.

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