Youth leaders, organizations cited in Pasidungog sa Pagdumala Awards
Outstanding youth leaders and youth organizations were honored at the first Pasidungog sa Pagdumala Awards on March 24, 2025.
Cong. Edgar Chatto conferred the awards to 8 youth leaders and 4 youth organizations.
Hailed outstanding youth leaders were Joshua Barbacina, Niña A Margaret Deocareza, Christian Ivan Orilla, Diana Rysiamie Huraño, Victor Kim Naquila, Adrian Bucoy, John Thed Labajo and Clement Paulinel Ingking.
Named outstanding youth organizations were the Sangguniang Kabataan Municipal Federation of Calape, Historical Sophists Club, Tagbilaran City Science High School Supreme Secondary Learner Government and Koro Seraphim Inc.
Each youth leader received plaques and cash worth P10,000 while youth organizations bagged P30,000 each.
John Liquit, member of Koro Seraphim, Inc., conferred the most outstanding youth organizations, thanked Chatto for being the first to believe in the talent of the choral group when the latter was then governor.
He also thanked Chatto for his consistent support for the group as well as the encouragement for the choir to establish legal identity through the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Siya gyud ang public servant nga makig-unong, makig-istorya gyud og tarong sa mga kabatan-onan,” he said, sharing that Chatto inspired the group to pursue their passion for music, faith and community service.
Meanwhile, John Thed Labajo, who was recognized as most outstanding youth leader and who served as SK Federated President of Calape from 2018-2023, lauded Chatto as an inspiration for servant leadership.
John Lendon Rubia, representative of the Historical Sophists Club, also expressed gratitude to Chatto for acknowledging the groups’s contribution to the community.
Chatto, for his part, reminded youth leaders and organizations of the powerful force of the youth to lead transformation in the community.
“Leadership means inspiring others and likewise making a difference in the lives of others,” he stated.
The Pasidungog sa Pagdumala Awards Program was launched in October in partnership with the Philippine Center of Young Leaders in Governance (PCYLG) and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Provincial Federation led by Board Member Lawrence Ancla to honor young leaders and organizations within the first district of Bohol that demonstrate leadership, innovative practices and significant community impact.
Comelec to train MBC
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will start next week the training for the municipal board of canvassers (MBC).
This was disclosed by Comelec-Tagbilaran election supervisor Roco Lamanilao in a guest appearance on Wednesday over Open Forum with Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Gloria Leodivica Araneta.
He said the poll body has been training the teachers who will serve in the precincts. The training started on March 3, 2025.
He said some of the election paraphernalia such as the ballot boxes have already arrived from Manila.
He expects the vote counting machines (VCM) and the actual ballots will arrive by the end of April and first week of May, respectively.
HOTSPOTS
Lamanilao said no area in Tagbilaran City has been declared as a hotspot.
Therefore, he said, Tagbilaran is in the green zone.
He said following a command conference on March 22, 2025, the Comelec identified one area as a hotspot in Bohol, the town of Buenavista. This town has been placed as a yellow area, an area of a bit of concern.
Green zone means there is no cause to be concerned over potential election-related violence.
The police normally recommend to the Comelec the level of security concern for a particular area, he said.
Other colors are orange and red, where orange is an area with more concern and red as an area touted to be with utmost concern given the potential for violence.
OPENING
Lamanilao said the Comelec updated the opening times of the precincts, as the poll body will allow early voting window from 5 am to 7 am. During this time slot, the following are allowed to cast their votes: persons with disability (PWDd), pregnant women, and senior citizens.
The regular voting time is from 7 am to 7 pm on May 12, 2025.
There is always a priority lane for the seniors, PWDs, and pregnant women.
Moreover, Lamanilao said the poll workers are trained to discipline people in the precincts.
Chatto lauds TaRSIER 117 on its anniversary
Rep. Edgar Chatto lauded the Telephone and Radio System Integrated Response System (TaRSIER 117) on its 14th year anniversary.
According to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the operations arm of disaster management in Bohol started on March 24, 2011.
It was during Chatto’s time as governor when the TaRSIER was implemented as an emergency response system.
Over the years, TaRSIER 117 has received numerous accolades and awards. It has become a gold standard in disaster risk reduction and management in the Visayas.
TaRSIER 117 maintains several sub-stations in key areas in the province and assists local disaster risk reduction and management offices especially in emergency situations.
Chatto said the group has been a huge help in emergency response in Bohol.
He said the group started as one team and it was organized before the great quake in 2013.
He said without the team it would have been difficult to respond to emergencies during the earthquake.
Council bet to focus on education
Former Department of Education (DepEd)-Bohol executive Marina Salamanca said she is going to focus on education as she embarks on a journey to become a city councilor.
Salamanca mentioned her qualifications during her guest appearance on Newsmakers ug Uban Pa with Ardy Araneta-Batoy on March 25, 2025.
She is running under the ticket of Abante Tagbilaran, Uswag Tagbilaran led by mayoralty candidate Atoy Torralba.
She said she could make a difference if she would handle the education committee.
She said that for the longest time, the said committee was not handled by someone with a solid background in education.
She also said she would focus on making sure that projects for the education sector will be fully implemented.
Aside from education, she will also focus on women and children as she will serve based on her experiences and profession as an educator.
She became the superintendent of schools in Siquijor before she retired in DepEd after several years in service.
She was also assigned in Dumaguete City, which she describes as one of the highlights of her career.
A native of Tagbilaran, she will champion the interests of education as well as learners, which is something that needs focusing on.
Electric coops fear getting bought by huge conglomerate
Bohol Electric Cooperative 1 and 2 (BOHECO 1 and 2) fear the possibility of getting acquired by a large conglomerate.
It is possible consumers may lose their voice if the coops will be merging into a conglomerate via a joint venture agreement.
The coops pointed out the instances where coops in the other areas have been absorbed by private firms via joint venture agreements.
This issue was raised by Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) party list representative Sergio Dago-oc who said coops have become part of private firms.
He said that consumers may be the one that will be affected when there is a merger as their voices may no longer be heard.
The consumers may no longer be able to complain about sudden surge in electric bills.
He said there are ways to prevent the privatization of the cooperatives if the member-consumers would block such agreements of the politicians in the areas.
To recall, some mayors in Bohol signed a resolution calling for the merger of the BOHECO with private firms. The resolution asked the three congressional representatives to integrate BOHECO with private firm, The Bohol Light.
This comes as some areas in Bohol have been suffering brownout issues, especially in BOHECO 2 service areas, which have been a source of complaint among consumers.
Police raid Calape home, seize gun, ammo
A home in barangay Sta. Cruz, Calape was raided by elements of the police force and the latter seized a firearm and ammunition in the process on Monday.
Elements of the Provincial Intelligence Unit (PIU) and the Calape police were armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Lindecita Arcamo.
The police raided the home of a certain Joseph Mendrena, 49, of the said barangay in Sta. Cruz, Calape.
The police raided the home for alleged violation of the law on illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Seized was a .45 caliber pistol, a magazine and five rounds of live ammunition.
The suspect may face charges related to illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Two alleged bomb jokers freed as police find difficulty in filing raps
The two alleged bomb jokers who made jokes about the presence of a bomb in a Cebu Pacific flight at the Bohol Panglao International Airport (BPIA) on March 22, 2022, were released after a couple of hours of being detained.
It was learned that the police released the two suspects after a couple of hours fearing the possibility of being charged with arbitrary detention.
As it is, the police were reportedly having trouble filing charges against the suspects.
Moreover, the police were unable to obtain an affidavit from the flight attendant who allegedly overheard the bomb joke.
The flight attendant was reportedly back in the Capital city after the incident.
It was reported that flight operations at the Panglao airport were disrupted due to the alleged bomb joke coming from two suspects who are not natives of Bohol.
The flight attendant who allegedly heard the bomb joke relayed what she heard and caused a disruption at the airport.
After several minutes of searching, no bomb was found on board the plane.
It was reported the two were amused about their bomb joke which is a crime under the law.
The police await the airline whether it will be the one which will be filing the case and will abide by the actions of the airline’s legal department.
Capitol releases aid to ASF-affected hog raisers
The provincial government on Monday reported that it released the aid given to 171 hog raisers affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Each affected hog raiser received P10,000 where 169 are from San Miguel and two are from Trinidad town.
The aid was disbursed through the cooperation of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) and the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD).
Apart from the 171, other recipients of aid were 54 hog raisers in Ubay and 14 from Pilar.
There were also 106 beneficiaries from Batuan and 11 from Carmen who received similar aid coming from the Capitol.
The Capitol thanked the affected hog raisers for their cooperation in the handling of the disease affecting hogs.
Ex-Lila whale watching workers placed under TUPAD
The former workers at the Lila whale watching attraction have been placed under a government program for displaced workers.
The workers at the former whale watching at Lila town are now earning some livelihood under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD), which is a program under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The former workers are now under the said program after Gov. Aris Aumentado signed an executive order closing all whale watching activities in Bohol.
Aside from Lila, the towns of Dauis and Albur also offered whale watching activities.
The closure stemmed from allegations of violation of environmental regulations and issues affecting the environment.
Sources said that only 153 former workers are placed under TUPAD, out of the total 203 displaced workers.
Those placed under TUPAD underwent validation made by the DOLE, according to a source.
The qualified workers worked for 20 days starting Feb, 24 and ended work on March 18, 2025.
The TUPAD workers received P501 per day of work of four hours or a total of P10,020 in compensation in 20 days.
The DOLE is validating other workers located in other towns of the province affected by the closure of the whale watching activity.
Comelec-Tagb holds operation to remove illegal campaign materials
The Tagbilaran-Commission on Elections (Comelec) conducted, starting on Friday, Operation Baklas, which is an operation to forcibly remove illegal campaign materials, as local campaign period started on March 28, 2025.
The poll body removed materials placed in areas that are not supposed to have posters.
Posters and similar campaign materials are only allowed on common poster areas.
Posters placed on private properties are allowed as long as the owner of the property allows the placement of the posters.
The said operation was done simultaneously nationwide as the 45-day campaign period started on Friday.
Comelec election supervisor Rocco Lamanilao said the poll body already informed the local bets about the operation to voluntarily remove their campaign materials before March 28
These are the materials placed in areas not designated as common poster areas.
Those ordered to remove the materials but did not comply, may face sanctions, Lamanilao said.
Comelec-Bohol releases data for province in May polls
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has released the data for Bohol in the upcoming May polls, where the total number of registered voters reached nearly a million.
Boholanos join other Filipinos who will choose a new set of senators, congresspersons, party-list representatives, governors, vice governors, board members, mayors, vice mayors,
and councilors.
During a command conference early this month, the Comelec revealed that Bohol has tallied 981,564 registered voters eligible to vote on May 12, 2025.
The campaign period for national candidates started on February 12, 2025, while the local candidates’ campaign period started on March 28, 2025.
Reports said the command conference was joined in by members of the law enforcement community here in the province.
Moreover, there are 1,074 voting centers in Bohol, 1,542 clustered precincts as there are 6,494 established precincts in the province.
Meanwhile, there are three candidates running for governor and also three running for vice governor.
Reelectionist Gov. Aris Aumentado is running with Board Member Nicanor Besas, the father of third district Cong. Kristine Alexie Tutor.
They will be challenged by former Tagbilaran mayor Dan Lim and former Board Member Gerry Garcia.
The independent gubernatorial candidate is Hardy Leopando as well as independent vice gubernatorial candidate Santos Abella.
Four bets are running for congressmen of the first district, while it would be one-on-one fight in the second district and the same scenario in the third district.
There are eight bets for 1st district board members, five in the second district, and nine in the third district.
There are 105 candidates for mayor in various Bohol localities: 96 are running for vice mayor and 851 are running for town councilor, and 26 bets are running for councilor of Tagbilaran City.
There are 10 mayoralty bets who are sure winners as they have no opponents and there are eight vice mayoralty candidates who don’t have any opponent, too.
Boholano bishop appointed as apostolic nuncio to EU
A Boholano bishop has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new apostolic nuncio to the European Union (EU).
Archbishop Bernardito Auza has been appointed as the Vatican’s ambassador to the EU.
The Vatican Press Office made the announcement on March 22, 2025, Philippine time.
Archbishop Auza, 65, used to be the apostolic nuncio to Spain and Andorra and worked at the diplomatic service at the Vatican.
He also worked at the Office of the Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
He is also the Titular Archbishop of Suacia.
His latest appointment shows the trust of the Holy See on the Boholano bishop from Talibon.
Auza is a seasoned diplomat and will be representing the Holy See to the 27 member states that compose the EU.
He will become the bridge in the dialogues between the Vatican and European institutions.
Auza was ordained priest in 1985 and joined the diplomatic service at the Vatican in 1990 where he served in Madagascar, Bulgaria and Albania.
He has been known for his advocacy on human rights, and peace and development.
Nursing assistant dies in road accident
A nursing assistant in a public hospital died after getting run over by a sedan in barangay Loudes, Panglao on March 22, 2025, belated reports say.
The victim was identified as April Agan, 39, of barangay Lourdes.
Initial investigation revealed the victim was on board her motorcycle and was heading home and she was run over by a sedan.
The impact caused the victim to be flung across the street for a distance of around 10 meters, reports say.
The victim was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and sustained a huge injury to the head and other parts of the body.
Reports did not mention the name of the driver and it was mentioned the issue has been partially settled between the driver and the family of the victim.
Albur landfill reopens
The Albur sanitary landfill reopened on Tuesday after a two-week temporary closure to allow rehabilitation works.
This landfill has been accepting the residual waste coming from the 18 local government units (LGUs), which are members of the cluster.
The development was announced by Albur mayor Don Ritchie Buates after he ordered the temporary closure to allow the rehabilitation works at the landfill.
The landfill was closed to allow the Albur LGU to fill the landfill with earth and rehabilitate the facility.
Before the reopening, an inspection was conducted to find out if the landfill could accept new residual wastes.
The said landfill is critical as it is being used by 18 LGUs who dump their residual wastes there.
The landfill was closed for two weeks after issues were detected at the said area.
The heavy equipment lent by the provincial government helped in the hastening of the reopening of the landfill.
BOHECO 2 consumers to continue experiencing brownout says APEC rep
The representative from the party list group Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC ) says the consumers of Bohol Electric Cooperative 2 (BOHECO 2) will continue to experience brownouts until a new substation is built.
APEC’s Sergio Dago-oc, belongs to a party list that represents the interest of electric cooperatives at the House of Representatives.
It is possible to easily build substations in the future once amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) is approved, he said. The measure was approved in second reading. This means that in the future brownouts will become less frequent because it would be easier for electric cooperatives like BOHECO 2 to build substations.
Dago-oc says the House already approved the amendments to the EPIRA on second reading the measure providing more power to the Energy Regulatory Comission (ERC) to add another commissioner and to create a division for the Visayas.
Dago-oc says if Visayas will have its own division, it would be easier for electric cooperatives to add more facilities such as sub-stations.
The measure will also seek to add a division that will focus on Mindanao. Dago-oc said.
BOHECO 2 has said it has applied before the ERC the plan to build a new sun-station in Getafe town as a way to address the problem of frequent brownouts experienced in the said town and other nearby areas.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has already conducted a probe on the matter and it was learned the lack of sub-station was the culprit behind the frequent brownouts.