The Provincial Board (PB) presided by Vice Governor Dionisio Balite appealed to Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to move the DA-7 main office from Cebu to Bohol.

The PB’s appeal was conveyed to Piñol through a resolution filed during the board’s regular session on Friday morning.

Board Member Venzencio Arcamo, the PB’s committee on cooperatives chair, said that most of the department’s projects, particularly the big ones, are implemented in Bohol.

The department’s Central Visayas office has more Boholano employees than Cebuanos, Arcamo added.

The legislator also pointed out that agricultural land in Bohol is wider than those in other provinces in the region.

Based on data from the Cebu Provincial Agriculture Office, Bohol’s agricultural land was measured at approximately 255,900 hectares accounting for 66.54 percent of the area for agriculture in the region.

According to Arcamo, moving the DA office to Bohol would hasten the implementation of projects, particularly those which will be implemented in Bohol.

However, the PB has yet to propose areas as location for the DA-7 headquarters should the plan push through.

With the raised factors considered, Arcamo expressed optimism that Piñol will favor the Bohol PB’s suggestion. (Rey Tutas)