GOVERNOR Aris Aumentado bared that the provincial government under his watch will pursue a case against former governor whom he did not named.
“I have just received OGAR’s latest recommendation signed by all members led by CabSec Jun Evasco to file a criminal case against a former governor,” Aumentado said in his single spaced 19-page State of the Province Address (SOPA) he delivered during the 169th Bohol Day, July 22, 2023 held at Bohol Cultural Center.
And he told OGAR “to proceed and carry on.”
He stressed that thru OGAR he created by Executive Order No. 02, s. of 2022, his administration is very serious in pushing for the investigation and prosecution of cases against the past and present Capitol tenants, who allegedly committed a serious “acts of corruption and graft.”
“A criminal case shall also be filed against the persons secretly using our own provincial internet network to spread fake news and cyber libel,” the governor said.
The filing the cases are concrete manifestation of his administration’s advocacy to clean the provincial government of scalawags and put the Boholanos first.
Earlier on, the Office of Governance and Accountability Review (OGAR) thru Evasco said that gathering pieces of hard evidence at the Capitol was met with “unfriendly atmosphere” as what Evasco has described. Hence, the delay in their work and careful evaluation and filing the case.
Evasco said OGAR’s duties are no “walk in the park” but it’s trying hard to pursue its mandate. He said that OGAR ensures cases filed against the respondents must progressed in court so as not to embarrass the governor.
OGAR member retired provincial prosecutor Delusa said they wanted that cases filed must be airtight.
The said filing of the case under the governance reform is one of the aspects of his speech. Others include are the environment sustainability, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable tourism, micro-small-and-medium entrepreneurship, human capital, infrastructure/utilities, health/social services and information/communication technology. Each of these he meticulously expounded.
And he cited what he called breakthroughs in his administration.
“For the first time, sand and gravel and quarry fee collections have breached the P35 million mark because there is no more Ivan. For the first time, national retails giants and shopping malls are finally coming to Bohol, Kini nagpakita sa ilang pagsalig sa atong administrasyon. For the first time, we have disbanded the shadowy procurement unit and more suppliers are submitting their bids, again underscoring their trust in our governance,” the governor said.
He cited the SM mall which already started for its development as Puregold to start construction in Ubay, among others.
The Prime Infra of Razon group is interested to push for the Bohol-Cebu bridge.
“The San Miguel Global Power thru universal Power Solutions will put up a 20-MW battery storage system in barangay Imelda, Ubay, Bohol. It will operate by the end of this year to supply more power to the NGCP grid.”
He thanked all those, particularly the Sangguniang Panlalawigan chaired by Vice-Gov. Dionisio Victor A. Balite and all those who, in one way or another, made these things possible after a year of his governance.
“For our beloved Bohol, I call on everyone to do your sworn duty as responsible Boholanos and citizens of our country. Keep us, your public servants in your daily prayers that God will grant us His Divine guidance,” the governor concluded.
Aumentado’s SOPA was delivered during the session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bohol on Bohol Day (July 22, 2023) chaired by Vice-Gov. Dionisio Victor A. Balite. (rvo)
