BOHOL governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado came down to the ground swinging, nailing power and water on top of his administration’s priorities, on the first hour he was sworn into power in front of a jam-packed crowd of Boholanos gathered at the Bohol Cultural Center.
Winning on a record widest margin after campaigning on a platform of clean governance and progress for all Boholanos, Aumentado, who stands under two giant shadows of an illustrious late president and a father who master-minded Bohol’s development and progress, admitted feels small as he had “no lofty degrees and sterling credentials”.
But borrowing from British leader Winston Churchill, he offers his “blood, toil, tears and sweat,” and a heart that truly beats and empathizes for every Boholano.
In his first day of office, the governor signed an executive order forming a task force that will focus on Bohol’s post-pandemic and typhoon recovery, one that clearly attends to the loudest clamor of every Boholano, during his pre-election consultations.
Admitting that his father was right in orchestrating the tapping of the Leyte-Bohol Interconnection Project, he also pointed out how unreliable the connection is, especially during disasters or during repair and maintenance activities along the line.
“We cannot rely only on one source. We have to seek for an alternative. Without the stable spark of electricity, the engines of our economy will sputter and our people’s lives suffer,” he stated.
After his proclamation by the election commission, the governor hit the ground running and met with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to fast track the completion of the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project. The transmission project meant to avoid overloading the Leyte-Bohol line will bring in 600 megawatts of power. Barring any major hitches, it will be completed next year.
However, Aumentado said relying alone on external power sources is not a smart option, the option for alternative sources, especially tapping into a renewable resource that may prove to be more resilient, more reliable and environment friendly.
“This administration is serving notice that in our aim to build our own power source. We will harness the power of the sun, water and the wind. We will go for solar, wind, hydro and biomass power.”
He added, Boholanos have learned the painful lessons of relying on sources that are hostage to calamities or on fossil fuels that only pollute the air and exacerbate climate change.
On the other hand, the new governor pointed out the water problem as an urgent concern needing an urgent action.
Promising to be consultative, Aumentado is set to sit down with town and barangay leaders to map out strategies to find creative ways that will not necessarily burden LGUs with huge loans.
And he promised to protect and rehabilitate watershed areas to ensure sustainable water supply and quality.
“For our people, real progress flows from a steady supply of water and genuine growth ignites from a stable source of power,” he bared.
And not losing sight of other development agenda we laid down during the campaign, the new governor promised to look into jobs and livelihood, peace and order, infrastructure, governance reforms, health and social services trade and industry, eco-cultural tourism, agriculture, education and heritage as well as protection of the environment. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
