Yesterday's commemorative program to celebrate Pres. Carlos P. Garcia's 110th Birth Anniversary highlighted what has long been kept in the dark but just as important part in the life of Bohol's most illustrious son – his being an educator. It took DepEd Secretary Jesli A. Lapus to point that out after many years of celebrating the birth of the great man. Secretary Lapus was the guest of honor and keynote speaker at yesterday's program at the newly air-conditioned Bohol Cultural Center. For years, recall of CPG's life revolved around his Filipino First Policy when he became 4th President of the Philippine Republic, his political savvy, his colorful fight against the Japanese occupation, his being a poet, his being a chess enthusiast and many others but only passing mention is made about his being a teacher. As it turned out politics was only the second love of CPG. His first was teaching which he did immediately at the Bohol High School after passing the Bar in 1925. Like our National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, CPG must have believed, too, in education as the best preparation for political freedom to flourish.

Taking the cue from CPG's bias for education, Lapuz stressed that education is the best equalizer. With education one becomes worthy of freedom and only those who are worthy of freedom can remain free. What he meant was that those who want to enjoy good life must work for it. And only those who are educated have the best chance of living a good live. I don't want to confuse you with this juggled semantics. What is clear is that under Gov. Erico B. Aumentado's leadership, Bohols is on its way to making education accessible to all Boholanos. Last Friday Gov. Aumentado launched the Adopt a High School Program for Information Communication Technology where Sec. Lapuz was also the honored guest. The launching was immediately followed with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Provincial government of Bohol and the Ayala Foundation, Inc. represented by its President, Vicky Garchitorena.

Under the MOU Ayala Foundation and the Province of Bohol will implement Project GILAS (Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students) that will provide the necessary infrastructure that will allow the high school students in the public educational system to access the wealth of resources in cyberspace. Definitive agreements will be signed later to spell out the extent of the project implementation like how many computers with internet connection each will be installed in every high school in the province. Other groups like the Tapok-Tapok Bol-anon, Inc. headed by Rear Admiral Rogelio Calunsag (ret.) have already pledged to also join in the project. Tapok-Tapok has agreed to give 30 computers that are internet ready while First Consolidated Bank (FCB) has already started giving out 200 of the 600 computers it has committed to give even before the project was launched. More institutions and organizations will be coming out soon to also join the project.

These are the projects that will hasten the march of Bohol out of the poverty camp. Getting out of the Club 20 of poorest provinces of the country no longer satisfy the Boholanos. Not even when Bohol is now on the 52nd slot according to National Statistics Coordinating Board of NEDA. The Provincial government of Bohol is now aiming for the highest post as its rallying Cry of 10 sa 2010 (to be among the ten most progressive Provinces in Year 2010) suggests. It is because of this that all provincial government department heads are going on a ten-day executive management training to put them in the right mold that is needed to achieve the goal.