On the anniversary of the strong earthquake that hit Bohol years back, we look at a time of despair and despiration. It seemed, back at that dark time in our province’s history, hope was lost, really lost and simply vanishing into thin air.
Seven (7) years hence, we have a new challenge in our hands with the Coronavirus disease 19 (Covid 19) pandemic impacting our lives and our livelihood. We now face a huge challenge and our resilience as a people to survive this new challenge will be tested to the hilt.
The good thing is that we have a silver lining we can bank on. Key support systems are in place to help those who are on the verge of losing hope and spiraling towards despair, with particular focus on Bohol’s youth.
In the succeeding paragraphs you will read a first-hand narrative penned by Bohol Governor Arthur Yap explaining and detailing the importance of bringing better hope for Boholanos, especially those who are vulnerable—the youth, through Laum Bohol.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING
BETTER HOPE FOR BOHOLANOS
by Gov. Arthur C. Yap
“ When I spent time on the campaign trail last year, I saw first hand how, despite great developments in terms of roads, business, infrastructure and tourism we were experiencing in Bohol, many could not advance in life because of the absence of basic services.
Our hospitals were ill equipped, many baranggay roads remained muddy, more than half of all baranggays were badly lacking in water, municipal water systems were poorly inadequate, and farm mechanization was absent so that costs of production were high and food production limited. All of this have been exacerbated by the Covid 19 pandemic which has made life harder and more difficult to live.
With support from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Governor Rene Relampagos, we were able to pass a 2020 budget that funded: a hospital equipment modernization program in all our provincial hospitals and clinics, the procurement of a new fleet of road building equipment by this year will proceed , and water piping and water tank projects in the baranggays are being implemented now. We are also investing in farm – tractor mechanization projects in 2021 so that we can bring down the costs of production and hopefully increase the volume of food as well.
But one sector that has remained faceless and voiceless through the suffering are the youth of Bohol. Many of them are silently suffering increased poverty, joblessness for themselves and their family members, domestic violence, hardships in learning, bullying, and the pressures of barkadas in their communities. Many are intimidated to approach others for help. Those who are willing to try do not know how or who to approach. In desperation many first became withdrawn and lonely, then depressed and became easy victims to drugs, teen pregnancies, petty crime and for some, suicide.
Faced with this reality, a group of concerned individuals joined me in intensive sessions to discuss the problem and see what can be done. Clearly, the subjects were taboo for many and for others, were even beyond their comprehension. The problem was complex and required a multi faceted approach involving many sectors and requiring out of the box responses.
In these intensive sessions was born LAUM BOHOL. Laum or ‘HOPE’ because we sought to reach out to the Youth of Bohol who is our hope and our tomorrow.
LAUM Bohol, launched on October 15, 2020, the 7th year marking the Strong Bohol Earthquake of 2013, was our way of honoring the courage and resilience of Boholanos in the face of great adversities. LAUM Bohol will have five component projects: AMOMA which will run the counseling and call center operations, DAYAG which will use culture and the arts to address youth problems, DUWA, which will feature sports programs, BANSAY which will train and micro finance the youth to teach them life skills and ABIBA, which will run the communication and advocacy platform of LAUM BOHOL.
The counseling numbers for those who need to reach our trained professionals are: 09950682070 / 09950682068 / 09284322550 / 09284322511. For more information on our programs, please reach the following: AMOMA – Dr. Em-em Uy and Dr. Kit Balane; DAYAG – Engr. Jerrey David Aguilar; DUWA – David Aliño and Peter Naron; BANSAY – care of (Agriculture Training Institute) ATI, (Department of Trade and Industry) DTI, (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) TESDA, (Department of Labor and Employment) DOLE, Bohol Employment and Placement Office) BEPO; ABIBA -Beau Marie Tinio.
I hope people will find their passion in LAUM BOHOL. I hope many will join us in our programs not only for the youth, but in what will eventually be self resilience programs for all Boholanos, as we face and beat this pandemic and future challenges to Bohol and our people.”
Signed:
Art C. Yap
Bohol Governor
WHAT LAUM BOHOL IS ALL ABOUT
Laum Bohol is carving a niche for those falling through the cracks, for lost souls to find hope streaking through an alley and onto the intersection of choices- – all these pulsate “Laum Bohol”.
Laum Bohol, as launched through Gov. Art Yap’s Executive Order 50, thus comprises five components to create an atmosphere of “care” to envelope the Bohol populace.
Amoma Bohol is designed to provide psychiatric intervention through tele-counselling, spiritual nourishment, capacity development and medical treatment.
Duwa Bohol program promotes sports activities incorporating values formation, physical exercises, mental quickness and alertness for the youth and athletes.
Dayag Bohol program supports creative arts towards healing and self-discovery.
Abiba Bohol program advocates mental health awareness and psycho-social support through social/mass media platform.
Bansay Bohol provides trainings for the youth in various field that will hone their skills.
As Laum Bohol spells hope, its launching coincided with the 7th annual commemoration of the Bohol Earthquake- -dubbed as the biggest challenge in the decade that tested the province, and within the same week the world observed the Mental Health Day (Oct. 10).
Laum Bohol Program is designed to be a total integrated program for the youth where mental health or psychiatric health is only part of it.
Through the Provincial Youth Development Office (PYDO), the provincial government gathered advocates from different sectors who took their pledge of commitment to support the program before the governor during the launching ceremony on Oct. 15.
All gathered to support the program were Vice-Gov. Rene Relampagos, First District Rep. Edgar Chatto and former Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Abel Damalerio, SP Member Aldner Damalerio, SP Member Frans Garcia, Sangguniang Kabataan Provincial Federation president Christian Victor Bolos III, Loon Mayor Elvi Relampagos, members of the Management Executive Board, members of the civil society organizations and various youth organizations.
“We name it Laum Bohol, because it is Hope Bohol. It is the youth. This is for us all, for our future. We, the present leaders of Bohol, we will pass the scene very soon. And in a few years, you will be seated here. And, I will be there watching you. We will allow you the space, we will allow you to make the plan as you will be helping many other youths of Bohol,” as the governor addressed the youth.
As the governor appreciates that the youth partners are keen on the sustainability of the program and for the program to reach the purok levels in the towns, he announced that additional satellite youth hubs will be established.
Since Amoma program receives all those who need help, the Amoma core group will evaluate all and distribute them to the other programs that can best address them.
“For example, if arts and culture will help them, we can bring in Dayag Bohol. If sports be the key, so Duwa Bohol can come in. Do these youth need training? We can bring them to Bansay Bohol and we can even micro-finance it. We are proud of this program not because it is led by the province but because it is led by the youth. It is really the youth, and we are going to be looking to all of you for inspiration, pagpadasig gikan sa atong kabatan-onan,” the governor said.
Also on the launch date, the governor led the inauguration of the Amoma Wellness Center at the BMCI Compound, the Youth Hub beside the new Capitol Building, and the Duwa Center at the CPG Sports Complex.
The Amoma Wellness Center, that spells nurture, offers psychosocial interventions, tele-counselling and even person-to-person counselling.
Dr. Kit Balane, a psychologist, serves as co-program director of Amoma; in tandem with Dr. Em-Em Uy and Dr. Joy Bueno as co-directors.
Balane announced that the tele-counseling hotline numbers that can be contacted: Globe – 09950682070 / 09950682068; Smart – 09284322550 / 09284322511.
Uy explained that the center is created to serve as a safe place where the youth can run to whenever they are going though emotional pain but they could not express it to anyone among their immediate environment- -immediate family or friends.
“If you need a safe place to go to, we are here,” Uy said.
DUWA Program Sports Coordinator David Aliño, for his part, said announced that they will be launching a youth athletics program, a pilot program that will test the management of trainings for the youth under the new normal.
“Our office is always open to anybody who wants to learn and experience sports,” Aliño said.
PYDO Head Maricres Anunciado, for her part, explained that the Youth Hub is created to hone the talents and abilities of the youth for them to express, and to also utilize and mobilize them.
“Although the Youth Hub is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., it can extend the office hours whenever the youth needs the place for their activities. Do not hesitate. If you have problems, we encourage you to come to us,” Anunciado said.
The provincial government designed the Laum Bohol program “as a multi-sectoral response to use advocacy, education, counseling, sports, training, livelihood financing, culture and the arts: to reach out, to aid, and to capacitate those who need a lifeline in these dark and troubling times”.
“By launching this program may it be an inspiration for everyone to join in the cause of saving those who are lost, confused and feeling hopeless, especially the youth of Bohol.”
The Laum Bohol Executive Committee arrived at designing the five component programs for Laum Bohol to compartmentalize the appropriate approaches to address the various concerns of the youth amid the pandemic.
Also part of the ExeCom were Beau Marie Tinio of Project Bohol: Mental Health Awareness project, representatives of Pagpakabuhi and the Diocese of Tagbilaran, and PDRRMO Head Anthony Damalerio.
Laum Bohol ExeCom gathered different organizations, the private sector, experts, researchers and other professionals to first identify the problems besetting the youth and the different approaches that may address them.
Through Laum Bohol, the governor wants to ensure that the youth are being taken care of at this time that they have to stay home in five days of the week.
“The youth is an irreplaceable resource; and the future of Bohol would come from the efforts, the sweat, the values, the virtues, the mentality, academic mind power of the youth. These are the people who will propel and take care of the future of Bohol in the coming generations,” according to the governor. (With reports from A. Batoy and A. Valencia)