THE Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh), under the leadership of Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, has been recognized for its sustained and comprehensive support to the province’s coconut industry, receiving the Outstanding Bayaniyugan LGU Award from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Governor Aumentado personally received the award during the PCA’s 2026 Coconut Industry Sustainability (COINS) Awards held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Friday, September 11, 2026.
The award highlights Bohol as a local government unit that has made coconut farmers active partners in local development through strong leadership, convergence, and sustained programs for farm productivity, livelihood, welfare, and community resilience.
“Usa kini ka pag-ila sa atong padayong paningkamot nga himuong aktibong kauban sa kalamboan ang atong mga maglulubi,” Gov. Aumentado said in a post on his Facebook page.
The recognition comes as Bohol continues to support one of the province’s most important agricultural sectors, with 101,400 registered coconut farmers as of December 2025, more than 55,000 hectares devoted to coconut lands, and over four million bearing coconut palms.
For PGBh, the award reflects years of institutional support for the coconut industry and a whole-of-government approach that brings together the PCA, local government units, national government agencies, farmers’ organizations and cooperatives, academic institutions, civil society, and private sector partners.
Under Governor Aumentado’s leadership, the province has strengthened support across the coconut value chain, from farm rehabilitation and the provision of quality planting materials to farmer training, technology adoption, enterprise development, value addition, market linkages, and social protection.
FIRST CFIDP AMBASSADOR
Also recognized during the 2026 COINS Awards was Bohol Provincial Board Member Lucille Lagunay, who received the CFIDP Ambassador Award as its first-ever recipient.
CFIDP stands for Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan.
Lagunay was recognized for her leadership in advancing the welfare of coconut farmers through responsive legislation, grassroots advocacy, and service-oriented initiatives.
“This recognition belongs to every coconut farmer we serve. May it inspire us to work even harder so that no farmer is left behind,” she said in a Facebook post.
Among her contributions are measures addressing the needs of farmers during El Niño and efforts to strengthen access to science-based agricultural services and empower farmer cooperatives and associations across Bohol.
Her recognition complements the provincial government’s broader efforts to institutionalize support for coconut farmers through policy, community engagement, and responsive public service.
COCONUT INFRA AND FARMER WELFARE
Among Bohol’s investments are providing the property where the PCA Bohol now stands, financing the construction of the first administration building of the Central Visayas Coconut Seed Production Center, and the protection and development of the Ubay Seed Garden.
Following the devastation of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan authorized the PGBh’s partnership with the PCA for the Debris Management Program, mobilizing manpower and resources for the clearing of fallen and damaged coconut trees.
Another policy intervention supported the registration of coconut farmers under the National Coconut Farmers Registry System, enabling thousands of farmers to qualify for government assistance, livelihood programs, farm inputs, training, and other benefits under the CFIDP. Nine province-run hospitals have also been designated as implementing partners for the CFIDP Hospitalization and Medical Assistance Program.
The province has also identified sites for proposed coconut hubs in Balilihan and at the Bohol Agricultural Technology Center (BOATECH) in Ubay, supporting coconut processing, product development, training, entrepreneurship, post-harvest activities, and market linkage.
Support to farmer organizations has likewise extended to enterprise development, including assistance to the Small Coconut Farmers Organization in Loon in strengthening its Bahalina enterprise through the Philippine Rural Development Project.
Rather than treating coconut development as a stand-alone initiative, the province has mainstreamed it into its regular agricultural programs, work plans, extension services, technical assistance, and performance targets, as envisioned in PGBh’s Strategic Governance Roadmap.
Together, the two awards underscore Bohol’s continuing commitment to making coconut farmers not merely beneficiaries of government programs but active partners in building a more productive, resilient, and sustainable rural economy across Bohol, a designated UNESCO Global Geopark. (GO-PR/JSB)
