By Rey Anthony Chiu, PIA-Bohol | 10:00 AM | January 31, 2020
Simultaneous with the tough government stance using military solution in reducing to insignificance if not ending local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), Bohol also apportions P728, 040,610.00 in its annual investment plan and annual budget in programmed social, general services as well as economic investments for cleared areas to bring peace and development nesting here.
During its latest online Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting (PPOC), the council approved en masse the P.7 billion representing ready funds for programs and services that would promote peace and order.
The list of programs and projects implementable from January to December of this year includes 130,520,000.00 appropriated for general services, ₱156,604,188.00 for the provincial government’s social services and another 440,916,422.00 for services in the economic sector, details Provincial Budget Officer Peter Ross Retutal in his presentation.
Under general services sector, the Office of the Governor is expected to implement P1 M in support of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Lupong Tagapamayapa Incentive Awards, some P23 million as counterpart funding assistance for activities and programs support of peace and order.
Bohol also allocated P20 million as fund for assistance to indigents and individuals in crisis situations, a fund portfolio under the office of the governor.
For the year, Bohol puts up a fund of P17 million in support for the multi-service initiatives during HEART Caravan, bringing government services to rural barangays and spreading development equitably in all parts of the province.
Also to be implemented under the office of the governor are: P2 million in aid to the provincial and regional peace and order council, P 4 million for Balik Bohol Medical Mission, P 7 million for the conduct of Tingog sa Mga Bol-anon, P 1 million for Bisita sa Kapitolyo, P 6 million is support to Task Forces, Councils and Boards, P 3 million in support to the government’s Civil Society Organization’s collaboration program and P15,720,000 for Community Development Action for Rural Transformation (CD-Art).
Still under the office of the Governor is the P10.4 million fund for support for the operation and activities of the Center for Drug Education and Counselling and another P10 million in support for Capacity Development for Barangay Officials.
As to the economic sector, still the office of the Governor gets P10 million in support for the development of water sources and waterworks system in the province, as well as improve access of water for households, some P25 million funds in support to various infra projects support program and some P16 million for local roads development support program.
In total, the PPOC funds going to the Office of the Governor for implementation this year amounts to P167,620.00.
Peace and Order programs and projects to be implemented under the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD) are Assistance to indigents and individuals in crisis situation (such as burial, medical/hospital/ health/ Philhealth assistance with a funding stash of P80, 174, 000.00 which also responds to the provision of emergency subsidy, sustainable livelihood program (SLP) for informal sectors, distribution of food and non-food items, livelihood assistance grants, supplemental feeding program for day care children and other key social services.
OPSWD also gets to implement P15 million in support for the multi-service initiatives during HEART Caravan/ outreach missions, and for the maintenance and operation of the residential facility that provides psychosocial rehabilitation services for abused women and children, empowering abused women and children of their rights, recovering emotional pain, and providing employment through self or sheltered employment, OPSWD gets P15, 720,000.00.
For the operation of Bohol Youth Home and the maintenance and operational cost, updated knowledge and skills of staff, OPSWD gets to implement 15, 720,000 while it also keeps a portfolio for organizational strengthening, Inventory of former rebels, in the Kauban sa Reporma / Comprehensive Local Integration Program and Development for Former Rebels amounting to P2, 856, 000.00.
All in all, for peace, OPSWD implements a total of P 129, 470,00.
For peace through food and agriculture, Bohol’s Organic Agricultural Development in peace efforts gets P6, 029, 600, its Rice program gets P120, 180, 000, and another P 92,479, 000 for the province’s corn program while Bohol’s high value commercial crops program gets P 5, 541, 278, implemented through the Office of the Provincial Agriculture.
Other than those, OPA also implements Agri-Fishery Production Enhancement Development, Upland aquaculture production and other initiatives to help increase fishery production in the province with a fund allocation of P5, 706, 000.00.
This year too, OPA is set to put up the operation of the coconut oil processing facility to help coconut farmers earn more income and provide value added processing of coconut production in the province, with an allocation of P 3, 659, 564.00, the establishment and operation of fish feed pellet line facility to support food requirements for fishery production at P 3,659, 654.00, the establishment of Agri-Fishery retail terminal at P 53, 884,000.00, the acquisition of machineries and establishment of facility for food dehydrator to support farmers increasing the shelf life of their farm produce at P18, 701, 600, for a total stash of P309, 840, 696.
Mobilizing communities to sustain the barangay-based support force for the livestock industry that provide assistance in disease prevention, monitoring and implementation of upgrading program, disease prevention and Control, capacity development, monitoring and assessment, peace building through the Barangay Livestock Program gets P 9,439, 040 is given to the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian; project implementer.
OPV also gets Agricultural Rural Transformation thru Integrated Community Dairy Project with P14, 160, 000 which intends to support dairy development and processing initiatives to provide better livelihood and more income to those engaged in dairy production, while OPVs LETS HELP BOHOL program gets P 5, 940, 000 while Bohol native chicken development program earns P 3, 540,000 for the OPV.
Also in the peace budget is the P4, 375, 360. 00 fund for the Provincial Livestock and Poultry Farm, P 17 M Livestock Disease Preparedness Program and P 2 M for Meat Production and Enterprise Development for a Capitol cache of P 56, 814, 040.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Health Office procurement and distribution of drugs, vitamins and food supplements for senior citizens and other sectors as part of the Health Development thrust of the Provincial Government gets P10 million and the Drug Testing program gets P 2, 840,000.00.
Bohol Environment Management Office Coastal and Marine Resource Management Program also gets P 13, 785, 500.00, Land and Mineral Resource Management Program gest P 1.5 million and its Forest Resource Management Program gets P 6, 666, 560 for a grand total fund of P 21, 952, 060.
Bohol’s Legal Assistance for Effective Law Enforcement Program (LAELEP) would be implemented under the Provincial Legal Office and gets P 900,000.00 while Bohol’s implementation of various projects and activities under the components of the Program for the youth: AMOMA (psychological, psychiatric intervention and crisis hotline); DUWA (sports); ABIBA (awareness and support group); DAYAG (arts, culture and history); and BANSAY (skills training). Includes the implementation of sports development, Boholympics, and other youth development programs get P21, 578, 500,00. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)