Bohol Mirror

SPECIAL REPORT: FRED C. AMORA/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The Land Transportation (LTO) district office here said the operations against colorum or vans for hire that have no franchise will continue despite dialogue last Tuesday where van operators asked for a one year moratorium.

“The law on transportation must be implemented and this will continue until an order from the higher authorities instructs us to stop,” LTO-Tagbilaran officer-in-charge Joel Maloloy-on said.

There are now about 24 deputized LTO operations officer that have been issued official identification cards (ID) by the LTO regional office.

These deputized officers have undergone seminars and will be deployed to help the LTO team in apprehending these van for hire that have not secured franchise,” Maloloy-on said.

In a meeting held last Tuesday, the transport group of van operators submitted a resolution to Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board Regional Director Romulo Bernaldez asking for a one year moratorium for them to re-fleet or purchase new units in compliance to the tourism guidelines in the issuance of franchises of vans for hire transporting tourists.

Maloloy-on said the request of van owners is not new and the LTO have granted such similar request several times since last year; from July to October, then it was extended until December 2008.

By January 2009, the LTO, TMG and the LTFRB renewed the operations against colorum vans. But February this year, through the intercession of first district congressman Edgar Chatto, who is the tourism committee chairman in the Lower House of Congress, and provincial board member Alfonso Damalerio II, the operations were again stopped.

The request cited the purported effects on the tourism industry when these vehicles are pulled out from the streets.

Such moratorium has expired last April 12, 2009.

LTO district chief Maloloy-on said it is actually for the interest of the tourism industry here in Bohol that the standards for vehicles transporting tourists should be implemented and followed to the letter.

“Vehicles engaged in the tourism industry should be in its highest standards with regards to comfort, convenience and safety for tourists visiting Bohol.”

“Disregarding these standards would defeat the efforts of Bohol leaders to make this island a globally-competitive prime tourism destination,” Maloloy-on said.

FIRST CLASS BAD ROAD . Engr. Emmanuel Caberte of the Bohol Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO) peers at the culvert under a section of the Catigbian-Canmano Sagbayan Road – and its twin now lying on a rice field. Other areas show cracks on the pavement, a manifestation of poor workmanship by Oaminal Construction. (Foto: PEO)

Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado lambasted the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Central Visayas office for poor work on the Catigbian-Canmano Sagbayan Road .

DPWH Region 7 Assistant Director Marlina Alviso bore the brunt of the governor’s outburst after he received a pictorial report from Provincial Engineer Edwin Vallejos that showed the defects and deficiencies in the road construction.

Aumentado observed that more often than not, poor work is the result, and the provincial government is always at the losing end when the regional office conducts the bidding and supervises work on a project.

The concreting of the Catigbian-Canmano Sagbayan road was allegedly part of a P120-million funding allocated for Bohol by then President Joseph Estrada, with the provincial government undertaking the project.

With the ouster of Estrada and the change of administration at the local level due to the subsequent election however the project was reverted to the DPWH regional office.

And then the sorrows of the residents of Catigbian and Sagbayan as well as of commuters began,
Vallejos earlier sought clarification from Region 7 Director Josefino Rigor on the status of the road contracted by Oaminal Construction through a letter that Aumentado noted.

The former wanted an update as of October 28 considering that its implementation “has consumed such an extended period.”

“Its current state shows deficiencies: scaling concrete and unfinished shouldering,” Vallejos had written Rigor.
He said a riprap made of concrete hollow blocks (CHB) has been completely eroded. Other defects were similarly determined after a careful examination.

Vallejos also wanted to know from Rigor the accountability of the contractor for constructing a substandard road – and if the same has been properly turned over to the provincial government.

In fairness toi Rigor, Aumentado said, the project was bid out and started before the time of the present regional director.

The Vallejos letter was supported by the report of Assistant Head Angelita Fuderanan of the Planning Division of the Provincial Engineer’s Office.

On inspection, Fuderanan said portions of the road with deficiencies have already been reblocked but two such blocks were already severely damaged with large potholes to the extent that base materials were exposed and needed immediate repair while some blocks had scaling concrete.

Alviso admitted that this is often due to using less cement than required for a standard mixture. On the other hand, scaling occurs when rain suddenly pours while the concrete mixture has not yet set, thereby washing off the cement.

For this possibility, contractors must be ready with materials to cover the newly-poured concrete, she explained.

Fuderanan also pointed out that some culvert lines had no headwalls or grouted riprap at their ends.

She also observed that one culvert was even washed out and now lay on the nearby rice field apparently due to the absence of riprap at its ends. No collar was applied either.

While some culvert lines had grouted riprap, these were built perpendicularly to the ground.

CHB s four inches thick along rice paddies constituted side protection but this was unfinished. Although reinforced with horizontal and vertical steel bars , there was no plastering on the wall surface, continued Fuderanan.

She also said the road shoulders were not yet finished while the longitudinal drainage in some portions was not defined.

Alviso had represented Rigor at the recent 31st meeting of the Panglao Island Tourism Development Inter-Agency Task Force held at the Loboc Children’s Theater in Loboc town.

PEACE stalks may be stalled for now, but that does not dampen Bohol peace workers who, in their own way, help douse down the flames fanned by local insurgency here.

In the continuing local peace process pending the forging of national peace agreements, the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) has also been mending fences to stop the re-entry of the state enemies via a civilian-led internal security operations, the PPOC said.

“Over this, the Local Monitoring Board (LMB) is implementing confidence building activities through its human rights seminars, human rights abuse complaints desk, conflict mediation and joint fact-finding missions to areas of conflict,” Capitol peace consultant Romeo Teruel shared to the press.

Putting up the Bohol Local Internal Security System (BLISS) has also been found one effective way of making sure the return of the rebels and their reign of terror are put under control.

These activities have slowly allowed people to see the futility of a remote war directed by exiled leaders who bask in comfort in foreign countries, peace advocate Dr. Asteria “Atet” Estoreon also commented.

Peace talks were suspended in August 2004, when the NDF withdrew following the tagging of their group as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

“The peace process is still in place and the peace talks’ suspension becomes an opportunity to “right things the government thought should be agreed upon before we resume negotiations,” peace advocates said with confidence. (PIA/rachiu)

The much-publicized Commission on Audit findings of alleged multi-million anomalies in the utilization of funds from the Department of Agriculture is not happening here in Bohol.

Provincial Agriculturist Liza Migriño-Quirog said such reports probably happened in other places but definitely not here.
“I really wonder what is it all about. In our province the various programs on agricultural development are doing well.

There was a report of hybrid rice seeds allegedly falling into millers but the investigation proved it was only in one town and was an isolated incident,” Quirog said.

She said Agriculture Sec Arthur Yap will be coming to Bohol next week and the media can ask if there is such mis-utilization of funds, including those agricultural programs devolved to local government units.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has created a national task force to monitor implementation of President Arroyo’s flagship Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) programs for rice and corn.

This was made to plug whatever leak caused by the intricacies of devolution and the allegations of fund mismanagement by local authorities in the government program implementation.

Secretary Yap hopes that through his special order, the government can now ensure the efficient use of public funds and resources for these food security initiatives.

Yap is expected in Bohol next week for the World Food Day and Rice Festival set October 16.

He said “the GMA Rice and Corn Programs aim to boost the production of these food staples to significantly improve the country’s food self-sufficiency level by 2010.“

For palay, the DA is targeting 18.55 million metric tons (MMT) of palay production in 2009 and 19.77 MMT the following year to attain rice self-sufficiency level of 98% by 2010.

The 4 teams: Executive Mobilization Group, Component Coordinating Teams for the FIELDS program, a Field Mobilization Group and a Strategic Policy and Advocacy Support Team oversees the project implementation of the government support to farmers.

FIELDS—President Arroyo’s centerpiece program for agriculture that she unveiled last April is for Fertilizers, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure, Education and extension services for farmers, Loans, Dryers and post-harvest facilities and Seeds.

The newly-created Executive Mobilization Group is the clearing house of the annual and semi-annual plans of the GMA Rice and Corn Programs and the FIELDS components’ master plans.

This also includes fund allocations, disbursements and utilization of the GMA Rice Program.

On the other hand, the FIELDS Coordinating Team develops the components’ master plans and oversees their respective implementation. The Field Mobilization Group monitors the implementation at the regional, provincial and municipal levels.

Yap assured that the Strategic Policy and Advocacy Support Team, private sector and academic experts provide strategic advice on policy and advocacy concerns to help successfully attain the goals of the GMA Rice and Corn Programs. (With reports from PIA)

If you can't lick them, join them!

Allowing the operation of the Small Town Lottery (STL) could be the solution to finally stop the proliferation of the illegal suertres that continue to attract betting patrons all over Bohol today.

STL is a game officially endorsed and controlled by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). It has been launched in 15 approved test run areas which include: Quezon province, Angeles City, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, Pampanga, Laguna, Bulacan, Negros Oriental, Iloilo City, Tarlac, Oriental Mindoro, Ilocos Norte, Albay, Olongapo City, Batangas.

STL operates like a masiao with bets as low as P1.00 but with a promise winning of P800/unit and insured full payments with no dividendo (reduced winning) like what illegal suertres masiao operators do when many bettors win.

During its first year of operations (2006-2007), STL generated revenues totaling to more than P3B, creating about 62,500 jobs and livelihood for displaced jueteng cabos and cobradores, as well as for the organic staff of the agent-corporations. (PCSO).

STL practically eliminated the illegal operation of Jueteng in those areas in Luzon and is now seen to work the same way for Bohol.

A test case-study is the province of Isabela where Gov. Grace Padaca, a handicapped-journalist won and succeeded in eliminating jueteng long controlled by the powerful Dy political clan.

Third district House Representative Adam Relson Jala has requested the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for a resolution endorsing the entry of STL to this province. Such resolution is a PCSO requisite for the operation of STL in an area.

Jala is the Vice Committee Chairman on the Lower House Committee on Government Enterprises.

The League of Municipalities (LMP-Bohol Chapter) will also tackle the issue in their regular monthly meeting scheduled next week.

Under the STL charity fund sharing scheme, revenues accruing to STL will be divided as follows: city or municipality, 10 percent; provincial government, 5 percent; congressional district, 2.5 percent; and PNP, 5 percent.

Jala said that STL is a legal solution to a long-time problem of illegal gambling operations of suertres that have spawned corruption among law enforcers, violence among competing operators and helplessness of authorities that have tried almost everything to stop this illegal gambling operation but to no avail.

To effectively decentralize the use of charity funds, the proceeds of STL will directly reach the local government units remitted to the municipal treasurer’s office. PCSO executed memorandum of agreements (MOAs) with local government units on how to disburse the funds given to them via STL.

The remaining 7.5 percent of the charity fund will go to PCSO. (SEE SEPARATE STORY - “STL”)

ENDORSERS. They are not endorsing a popular eyeglass brand but they are to endorse the entry of the Small Town Lottery (STL) in this dominantly conservative, church-influenced province. Will these gentlemen (L-R) Rep. Roberto Cajes (2nd), Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st District Bohol) and Rep. Adam Relson Jala (3rd) still raise their thumbs up for STL now that the church have declared their opposition to such new form of gambling?

DOING QUICK MATH. Senator Mar Roxas compares the net income of rice farmers and oil palm growers to discover the latter earns 7 to 8 times more than the average food producer. He then tells PALM Inc’s CK Chang he hopes to push the executive to prop the country’s oil palm industry with credit facilities for palm growers needing to get a jumpstart. (PIA)

Less than a quarter of Bohol’s 47 mayors attended the daylong Stakeholders Forum of the Regional Minerals Development Council held at JJs Seafoods, Thursday September 25, 2008.

And for those who did attend, not all of them stayed long during the duration of forum.

Commenting on the lousy attendance, Mines and Geosciences Bureau Officer-in-Charge Director Roger de Dios said it is sad to say that they [mayors] lack interest.

Even the President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines–Bohol Chapter, Jagna Mayor Exuperio Lloren was not around.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 7 (DENR-7) brought in its Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) supposedly to explain to local chief executives the issues and concerns concerning the country’s and Bohol’s mining sector.

If attendance were any indicator, managing resources and implementing applicable mining laws to protect the environment here may not be a priority for mayors in Bohol.

The forum which was supposedly set to orient mayors on the regulatory framework of mining in the country, brief them on the local mining situation and update them of their complementary roles in the implementation of the mining laws, rules and regulations.

The MGB comment came after Boholanos openly ask for the DENR to update them on the mining status of Bohol just as Capitol’s Task Force Kabukiran and deputized environment agents are now scouring the upland areas to sort the legal from the illegal quarry operators.

The few mayors who were spotted at the forum were from Loon, Guindulman, San Miguel, Anda, Buenavista, Clarin, while Talibon sent in the vice mayor.

Other towns sent in representatives instead.

De Dios, who also talked about generating the needed revenues from local mining shares, hinted that if only towns could fully flex its powers, then revenue generation is complemented by small-scale mining operations.

He also cited the need to pass the local mining ordinance so that it could remedy the problem of sharing in the revenues especially when the operation is done in a private lot.

Records form the DENR 7 state that only Bohol and Cebu province have not enacted their specific local mining ordinances, this apparently has hampered the share claims of local governments especially when mining operation is within a private lot.

According to separate sources, municipal governments can earn as much as 70% of the mining shares while the remaining 30% payments for the operation goes to provincial governments. (REY ANTHONY CHIU)

LET JUSTICE BE DONE THOUGH HEAVENS FALL! Judges and Prosecutors of Bohol are shown in this undated file photo attending series of judicial system capability-building activities.

Where temptations of all sorts crawl, the government is now developing a new breed of values-oriented, iron-willed judges and prosecutors.

Judges from Region 7 had a three-day gab, Aug. 27-29, 2008 on the concern regarding extra-judicial killings and disappearances held at the Metro Center Hotel this city.

The activity was also attended by lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Justice Prosecutors, police, the military and representatives from the group Karapatan.

Simultaneously, newly-appointed assistant prosecutors and those who are only two years in the government prosecution service were also treated with a five-day orientation-seminar (Monday-Friday, Aug 25-29, 2008), by a team from the Department of Justice, as part of a countrywide program aimed to equip them in such challenging job in an equally tempting times.

About 32 participants from the four provinces of Central Visayas (Bohol, Cebu, Oriental Negros and Siquijor) ushered by Regional State Prosecutor Francisco Gubalane attended the DOJ activity held at the Bohol Plaza Resort, Dayo Hill, Mayacabac, Dauis, Bohol.

RSP Gubalane said prosecution job is hard, particularly when a case finds no witnesses.

“We engage in a frontal fight and the risk is high,” Gubalane said.

Prosecutors also score the attitude of the community not to get involved to stand as witness to a crime.

“People tend to forget that the community is part in the delivery of justice, aside from law enforcement, prosecution and the judiciary. Most people, as long as the commission of a crime does not affect them, do not want to get involved,” they said.

The Prosecution is also plagued by the lack of manpower. The country today needs about 2,300 government prosecutors but there are only about 1,600 in the service.

Adding also to the voluminous work of prosecutors is the standing Supreme Court administrative order that no longer allows inquest or preliminary investigation of cases at the municipal trial courts. All complaints are now to be filed at the prosecution office, including those not resolved by the Barangay Justice System.

DOJ team leader Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Donaire Fadullon said there are indeed pressures and temptations that comes along in the prosecution service and this is where values and strong foundation plays a vital role

“For instance, local prosecutors enjoy some benefits from local governments which are allowed by law. Such situation opens the gates for influence-peddling or some local officials may tend to use such relationship to tilt resolution of cases on inquest at the prosecution office. We must break away from that,” Fadullon candidly admitted.

Fadullon also heads the DOJ Administrative Grievance Committee which attends to complaints filed against prosecutors and department personnel.

`With a strong moral foundation and full knowledge of applicable legal statuettes, prosecutors can function without reservation in resolving cases assigned to them. Of course, the outcome of every preliminary inquest always has two reactions. The party who disagree with the prosecutor’s resolution would say some hands were behind it or it was fixed,” he stressed.

Also, in instances that a resolution at the local level is reversed by the higher state prosecution office, Fadullon clarified it doesn’t mean that the fiscal of the assailed resolution erred.

“Affirmation or reversal is always reached with a strong reason and justification,” he said.

Cases resolved at the local prosecution office can be appealed to the Regional State Prosecutor and still can be elevated to DOJ.

The orientation-seminars were conceptualized as early as last year but had some funding constraint. DOJ was able to tap some kind funding donors like the Asia Foundation, USAID and the Asian Development Bank for the activity.

The prosecutors’ intensive orientation-seminars cover the whole country. Central Visayas seminars are completed this month and by September the DOJ team will go to Iloilo for the Regions VI-VIII then to Davao for Regions X1-XII and back to Manila for Regions IV-V. Activities in all other regions were completed earlier.

“The job has a bigger responsibility to perform, requires high expectation and this demand can only be attained by providing our prosecutors the right training and right policy direction. Prosecution is like a house; when built, we do not start with the roof, the walls, and the interiors. A strong foundation must be built first.”

“Even if these prosecutors are placed under pressures or subjected to handle complicated or novel cases, if they have the basic and strong moral foundation, they will never go wrong,” DOJ assistant chief prosecutor Fadullon said.

Most, if not all, judges in trial courts come from the topnotch ranks of iron-willed prosecutors.

The controversy on the alleged P165-Million Talibon dam scam still breathes life even after the Ombudsman-Visayas threw it away for “lack of substantial legal basis”.

Complainant Petronilo Sarigumba, in his earnest Motion for Reconsideration assailed the resolution on the ground that subject resolution departs from the law and the evidence at that; resultantly, depriving the complainants - representing the sovereign citizen-taxpayers — their day in court.

Sarigumba, through counsel Artemio Cabatos, pointed out that the four (4) years that the instant case took before it was resolved is, in itself, annoying to the citizens of this country who care about the rule of law, official probity and resign of unadulterated justice.

A National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Fact-Finding Team reported irregularities in the questioned Talibon Small Reservoir Impounding Project (Talibon-SRIP) with a “Final Evaluation Report” categorically declaring the presence of prima facie case against respondents, particularly provincial irrigation officer Calixto M. Seroje.

An audit showed that as of December 1998, only about 49.01% of the project had been accomplished, and yet the project outlay of P165-M had been exhausted.

“Where had about 50% of the appropriation gone,” complainant Sarigumba asked.

“Years earlier, a prima facie case was found against respondents. What happened in the years later that led to the finding of “lack of substantial legal basis”, which came out in the resolution of the case on June 22, 20067?”

Complainants suspect that other than herein respondents, powerful officials are involved in this scam, thus heaven and earth have to be moved in order to wipe out the instant case and save them from the axe.

Sarigumba’s complaint cited two items in particular; first was the whereabouts of P11.7-million worth steel bars and the alleged `ghost’ accomplishment of a P18-million embankment.

“Where were the steel bars used? The dam embankment, where is it? Those two items were already reported in Seroje’s Physical, Financial Accomplishment Report.”

At the height of the controversy, farmers who were supposed to be the beneficiary of the multi-million dam project expressed frustration on the apparent cover-up of the case, which, they say, is brokered by some influential politicians possibly involved in the anomaly.

The perception of massive corruption on the project was further fueled by unrelenting media hype, which even attracted the attention of the giant TV network GMA 7 that did a segment-documentary titled “Drawing na Dam” with Mike Enriquez of Imbestigador as host.

SEROJE’S REACTION

Still under the pall of a virtual conviction resulting from massive trial by publicity in print, broadcast and national television, Provincial Irrigation Officer Engr. Calixto “Alex” Seroje heaved a sigh of relief as the Ombudsman Visayas threw away the multi-million graft case filed against him.

“I expected such dismissal. From the start, I knew that the cases won’t prosper since they were all fabricated and motivated by selfish interests,” Engr. Seroje said in a telephone interview yesterday.

He was still in Davao City attending some family matters.

Seroje’s counsel, Atty. Salvador Diputado said the Ombudsman’s resolution of the alleged Talibon dam scam was solely based on merits of the case.

“Everything that Sarigumba alleged in his complaint was found out to be lies. Like for example in what he alleged about a bridge that (according to his complaint) was only 10 meters long but a team from NIA found that it is actually 30 meters. And there is no truth that the Ombudsman sat (linger) on the case. In fact, Sarigumba submitted only few documents to support his complaint but the graft body made an intensive sourcing of documents to determine if indeed there was irregularity in the implementation of the project,” Diputado pointed out.

UNSEEN HANDS

During last Friday’s regular weekly radio program The Governor Reports, Governor Erico Aumentado was asked for his comments on perceptions from some quarters that the P165-M Talibon dam scam case was thrown out due to the influence of some “unseen” powerful hands.

“Kana bunga sa mga hugaw nga hunahuna ug sa mga tawo nga hugaw sad ug binuhatan. Walay maka-impluensiya sa Ombudsman bisan pa ang Presidente. Duna kini’y mga pamaagi aron makab-ot ang kamatuoran (those are products of dirty minds and from people who are dirty themselves. Nobody can influence the Ombudsman, not even the President. It has its own way how to find the truth),” Aumentado said.

Poverty is not a hindrance to success. This adage applies in all fours to Governor Erico B. Aumentado.

He rose from a very humble beginning to become a journalist, a lawyer, senior provincial board member, provincial vice-governor, congressman, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the 52-member Visayas bloc of congressmen.

In Congress, he is best remembered for two significant events: for standing 12 hours, the longest on record in Congress, to defend the national budget as vice-chairman of the Committee on Appropriations in 1999; and for standing alone to block the resolution signed by 119 congressmen urging the Supreme Court to allow Rep. Romeo Jalosjos, who was convicted of statutory rape, to attend the sessions and public hearings of Congress.

He also brought to Bohol about P12 billion worth of projects during his 9-year stint in Congress.

As governor, he presided, through aggressive promotion and development thrusts, the emergence of Bohol as the number one tourism destination in the country by winning the Department of Tourism-Philippine Tour Operators Association Travel Mart Premiere Tourism Destination Award and the prestigious DOT Kalakbay Award as the country’s number one tourism destination in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

He also propelled Bohol to become the top producer of rice, fish, livestock, root crops, coconut and other agricultural products in Central Visayas.

He is likewise the architect of Bohol’s on-going mega-projects – the P1.5-billion Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project Phase II, the P2.384-billion Bohol Irrigation Projects Stage II and the P1-billion Leyte-Bohol Interconnection Project Phase II that could accelerate Bohol’s economic development.

As chairman of the Central Visayas Regional Development Council, he piloted the RDC approval of the P13.5-billion National Transmission Corporation (TRANSCO) upgrading projects of the Leyte-Cebu Interconnection, Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection, and the Cebu-Mactan Interconnection projects to solve the power requirements of the entire Visayas region.

He also led the Regional Development Council into pushing for the various multi-billion-peso infrastructure developments such as roads, ports, airports, irrigation and other facilities, as well as regional poverty reduction programs that could drive the engine of progress of Central Visayas.

As Central Visayas Regional Tourism Council chairman, he worked hard for the region-wide development of tourism that enabled the McKinsey report commissioned by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to determine that the Cebu-Bohol link and the rest of the region is the best tourism destination in the country. Today, Region 7 is the hub of foreign and domestic tourists with the program WOW Central Visayas: “Cebu-Bohol Gyud and Negros Oriental- Siquijor Pud.”

For all his achievements, Governor Aumentado has been given the honor of being called “Mr. Achiever”. (LPP)

THREE tourists died in just one Sunday and two of them by drowning.

Provincial Board Member Amalia Reyes -Tirol has sought for an investigation on the reported deaths of tourists by drowning, particularly those diving in the blue sea depths of Bohol’s dive sites.

Rising in the privilege hour of last Tuesday’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan regular session, the lady board member from the second district pointed out that deaths in tourism related activities like scuba diving could be prevented if safety measures and strict compliance of diving instructions are followed.

She also scored the lack of emergency facilities, like competent rescue response crew, a ready stand-by ambulance and vital facilities like a decompression chamber for divers having trouble while underneath the water.

“An investigation, in aid of legislation is necessary for us to know what measures have been taken to provide safety to tourists and divers in particular who come to our island which is highly promoted as a prime tourism destination in the country today,” board member Tirol said in an exclusive interview after the Tuesday session.

Pres. Arroyo herself immersed in the deep blue seas of Balicasag in her last visit here in Bohol and highly admired the beauty beneath the island’s seawaters.

LGU INITIATIVES
Board member Tirol said she would also check if the municipalities with tourism related diving activities (Panglao, Dauis, Baclayon and others) have enacted ordinances that require a lookout or back-up crew to watch boats servicing divers, to monitor and insure that these tourists are safe while within our seawaters.

“Bantayan jod nila kon unsa na ang kahimtang diha basin ug naay nanghitabo unya walay nakahibalo aron makapangayo ug tabang (a guard must watch diving activities to know if something happens and can immediately ask for help),” Tirol said.

Two months ago, European divers which included a television broadcast crew drifted away from a Panglao dive site and were lost and feared dead for several days until they were found in nearby Leyte.

INCOMPETENCE
A female Japanese tourist drowned in the Balicasag Island seawaters last July 20 (Sunday) while diving in a spot known as Black Forest Diving Point in Panglao, Bohol.

The drowning victim was from Kasugi City, Japan, who together with her husband and some friends went purposely to Bohol to dive in its highly-publicized diving spots.

Initial report said that the victim was with her husband and were diving with supposed diving instructors from the Blue Corral Diving Tours Co., Ltd. based in Songculan, Dauis, Bohol.

About 30 minutes into the diving activity, the Japanese was noticed sinking deeper into the seawaters about 27 meters down from the surface.

Although the victim was immediately given a CPR resuscitation, a decompression chamber could have been more helpful in such kind of accident, diving experts said.

The equipment allows the drowning victim to regain body pressure, restore circulation of oxygen and release deposited seawater inside the drowning victim’s body.

The two other drowning victims were identified as Jung Choul, 24, from South Korea who reportedly fell into the swimming pool 2 o’clock dawn of Sunday at the Bohol Divers Resort in Tawala, Panglao while the other was Chinese national Gary Chua who died of heart attack at Bohol Beach Club.

The three victims were brought to a hospital in the city but were all pronounced “dead on arrival” by responding physicians.

SUPPORT
Several other drowning incidents here in Bohol pointed to the same lack of safety precautions, medical facility and competent emergency crews which resulted to victims reaching hospital already dead (DOA).

The move of Tirol was supported with the manifestation of first district board member Alfonso Damalerio and third district board member Aster Piollo that it is high time the tourism industry should look into these matters concerning safety and medical facilities for such concerns.

The investigation will be handled jointly by three committees which include the health, public safety and tourism committees of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.