More than two years after the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake on October 13, 2013, the town of Cortes was left behind in the over-all rehabilitation efforts of the provincial government of Bohol.

This is the problem facing the incoming administration of mayor-elect and incumbent Vice Mayor Iven Lynn Lim as Mayor Roberto Tabanera will leave office without a single earthquake rehabilitation project started.

Cortes was among the top 17 municipalities that was considered “hardest hit” and was listed as no. 8 in terms of the total amount needed for reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed or damaged infrastructure.

Lim told DYRD Balita that Tabanera totally neglected the rehabilitation of the water works system and the construction of a new municipal hall.

Cortes submitted an amount of P98.53 million for the rehabilitation of the water system and the construction of a new municipal hall to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Bohol and the Provincial Project Management Team.

Three new municipal halls including Cortes were scheduled to be constructed with Loon and Tubigon almost completed.

According to Lim, one of the conditions for the release of funds from the P2.4 billion Bohol Earthquake Assistance (BEA) was the liquidation of funds spent by the Local Government Units (LGU) as recommended by the Commission on Audit (COA).

The unliquidated funds were disbursed during the term of former Mayor Apolinaria Balistoy who was ordered dismissed from government service by the Sandiganbayan on July 23, 2015.

Tabanera, who was the Budget Officer during the term of Balistoy and succeeded Acting Mayor Danilo Montero neglected the liquidation of funds that amounted to a million pesos more or less, according to Lim.

The rehabilitation of the town’s water system is estimated at P65 million and the construction of the municipal hall at P31 million. (Chito M. Visarra with reports from Allen Doydora)