State of The Province Address, Chatto: Bohol drumming up fight vs illegal drugs

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — “The illegal drugs problem is something that the provincial government takes very seriously,” declared Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered during the session of the Provincial Board last Friday.

Chatto’s SOPA was his last in his second term as governor, and it was attended by the PB members, chaired by Vice Governor Concepcion Lim, mayors and vice mayors of the province, heads of national and local government agencies, and representatives of the police, the military and other sectors.

Eradicating illegal drugs by all means possible is very important because “inclusive growth is not possible without peace and order,” said the governor. “The provincial government is serious about fighting illegal drugs.  We are doing, and will continue to do what it takes to eliminate this threat to the Boholano community.”

Chatto said the Capitol’s campaign against the drug menace has been in continuing coordination with law enforcers, the police, led by Senior Superintendent Dennis Agustin, the military, led by Colonel Arnulfo Matanguihan, other law enforcement agencies and all local government units.

The governor said the Capitol has been attacking the problem “from many angles and using different strategies,” such as supply reduction and demand reduction.

Supply reduction involves test-buy, buy-bust, surveillance operations, arrest of suspects, confiscation, and filing of cases in court, while demand reduction consists of drug awareness programs; symposia for barangays, parents, teachers, students, probationers and parolees; barangay assemblies, the Liga ng mga Barangay; and the organization of Barkada Kontra Droga.

Chatto said: “We will not sugarcoat our challenging situation in peace and order, ... We assure you, our police investigators are doing their best with our law enforcement agencies. We are working with our police force to reduce criminality in Bohol.”

The governor also said the provincial government had provided a budget “for the Legal Assistance for Effective Law Enforcement Program, as well as for the availability of lawyers in satellite offices.”

Chatto attributed the fast recovery of Bohol, after the devastation of the earthquake two years ago, to “shared leadership and connectivity” coupled with peace and order.

“In our eco-tourism industry, we saw a 92-percent increase in tourist arrivals” and that the industry is now on its way to full recovery, said the governor, citing also the planned direct international flights to and from Bohol, “even before the completion of the New Bohol Airport.”

For business development, Chatto boasted the creation of the Negosyo Center, through the Bohol Investment Promotion Center, which has been developed in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, as the Capitol’s “commitment for the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises, balanced with large investments.”

Chatto said that, “under the MSMEs, more than 10,000 new businesses have been registered, and more than 24,000 jobs have been generated, adding up to more than P2 billion in new investments.”

The provincial government also continued to ensure food sufficiency through the Crops Productivity Enhancement Program. “Despite El Niño, our food sufficiency indicators remained high, the only province in Region 7 to do this feat. The Philippine Statistics Authority said rice production sufficiency is at 106 percent, corn sufficiency is at 107 percent, and root crops sufficiency is at 662 percent,” said the governor.

Chatto also cited the “unprecedented success in dairy production,” with Bohol as the “first-ever province to have ever produced 1,000 liters of dairy in our annual Dairy Festival.” With livelihood-focused inclusive growth strategy, he said Bohol gets its supply of milk from local dairy farmers, thus raising the latter’s income levels.

“We improve nutrition among Boholanos, enhance the supply of milk and cheese for the tourism industry, and raise prestige for our brand of Boholano dairy, known as Chocobao,” said Chatto who issued an executive order for the “inclusion of Boholano dairy as an official welcome drink for Bohol’s resorts and tourism establishments.”

Chatto added that, to expand dairy milk production, Bohol Dairy Carabao Processing and Marketing Enterprise’s P9.23 million proposal will be supported by the Philippine Rural Development Project, funded by the World Bank and implemented with the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Carabao Center and the National Dairy Authority. (FREEMAN)