Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas lauded a united and committed Bohol on his latest visit to the province on Tuesday.

Holding out a drawing of a rocket ship presented to him by one of the pupils of Barangay Cogon Day Care Center in Inabanga, Roxas said the rocketship best symbolizes Bohol’s progress in its recovery, further proof that adversity brought out the best in the Boholanos.

Roxas, joined by Gov. Edgar Chatto and municipal officials of Inabanga led by Mayor Roygie Jumamoy, inaugurated the repaired day care center.

From Inabanga, Roxas proceeded to inspect the ongoing rehabilitation of the municipal covered court and public market in Sagbayan.

DILG has assured Sagbayan mayor Ric Suarez that the P52-million reconstruction of their public market is scheduled to be completed this October, along with the rehabilitation of the municipality covered court worth around P23.4 million.

The day care center, covered court and public market are some of 1,066 projects funded through the P2.3 billion Bohol Earthquake Assistance, coursed through the DILG and the Provincial Government, mapped out in a graphic display which as ceremonially lit by Roxas, Chatto and local municipal officials in Sagbayan.

Roxas said the successful implementation of the projects across calamity-affected municipalities will support Bohol’s growth as public markets, civic centers, and town/city halls become conducive to the delivery of public goods and services.

Chatto, for his part, expressed gratitude to National Government, extending his thanks in behalf of Boholanos, to Pres. Noynoy Aquino for consistently supporting Bohol.

Aside from the Bohol Earthquake Assistance Fund, the province also benefits from projects under the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) exercise now called the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process, which was expanded to fund projects across cities and municipalities in the country in 2015.

The BuB program was implemented to attain the national development plan of inclusive growth and poverty reduction. It seeks to increase citizen’s access to local service delivery through a demand-driven budget planning process and to strengthen government accountability in local public service provision.

Under the program, project beneficiaries identify the projects that the government will in turn include in the preparation of the national budget.

The development needs of cities/municipalities are identified in their respective local poverty reduction action plans that shall be formulated with strong participation of basic sector organizations and other civil society organizations.

Under GPBP, municipalities are qualified to receive a maximum of PhP15 million while cities are entitled to at least PhP25 million annually to fund poverty reduction projects.

As projects are being implemented throughout the province, Roxas rallies Boholanos to continue to take the high road in the exercise of transparency in government spending. (Leah/EDCOM)