Bohol opens doors to BPO, estimated 10,500 seats up

BOHOL is now ready to accept investors for business process out-sourcing with the new fiber-otic system in place, reports Governor Edgar Chatto during his recent weekly program.

The development effectively opens some estimated 10,500 seats for call center agents in Tagbilaran or in any part of Bohol with the connection to the information technology data superhighway.

Prospected as a good venue for business process outsourcing, Bohol has never failed to amaze information technology entrepreneurs who see the presence of competitive schools offering standard call center courses as a telltale sign of competitiveness.

The support infrastructure however was the question.

The need to put up the fiber optic cables to tap Bohol into the vast world wide network was completed last year, sources at the Bohol Investment Promotion Center said.

The formal tapping of Bohol to the world also signaled the opening of Bohol One Stop Shop (BOSS) for investment support now located at the BIPC. (PIABohol)

Jatropha funders back out, Capitol reviews contracts

WITH the project jatropha showing signs of being in jeopardy, Governor Edgar Chatto said he has commissioned a study group to review the contracts and see what the provincial government can do.

Then briskly sold by capitol through a point person, Project jatropha hopes to ignite in Bohol’s idle lands the habit of cultivating jatropha curcas, as an alternative source of livelihood and at the same time furnishing the source for the government’s bio-fuel development program.

Former governor Erico Aumentado believed that growing jatropha is a good alternative livelihood especially when the government itself is buying through the Philippine National oil Company under the Department of Energy’s alternative energy development program.
The project jatropha accordingly assures some 24,000 farmhand jobs, and the governor wasted no time in inking a memorandum of agreement with Philippine National Oil Company-Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC-AFC) that would seal the Project Jatropha here.
The initial covenant was for Bohol to convert its idle lands into productive green-fuel source with the initial 3,000 hectares of jatropha curcas plantation, the farmers themselves getting paid P1.25 per plant while eight years later still owning the fruit-bearing tuba-tuba.
That agreement signed in 2009 also allowed PNOC to put up P23,000 per hectare as mobility fund which would be used for sourcing out for planting materials, labor component and inputs.
According to sources, one of the MOA provisions, call for the PNOC to buy jatropha from Bohol farmers in the next 25 years, considering the escalation costs.
But despite a dream-come true promise for Bohol farmers, recent reports said that financiers have backed out of the agreements and the present governor is at a loss on how to manage the problem.

Left with practically a combustible investment with people already nurturing fruiting jatropha and no buyers, Governor Edgar Chatto said part of the study is to determine the content of the initial agreements, identify the sites reforested with jatropha, and what are the deliverables of each signatory.

We need to review the agreements to that we will have an idea on how to approach the problem and craft solutions, Chatto said. (racPIABohol)

Gov speaks at webinar On Rabies Day Sept 28

GOVERNOR Edgar Chatto would be the only Filipino and the only local government leader and resource speaker during the webinars on World Rabies Day September 28, 2010 at 6:00 PM, said reports from the Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Council (BRPEC).

A webinar is a workshop or lecture delivered over the web. They may be one-way Webcast, or there may be interaction between the audience and the presenters, almost similar to a virtual seminar, web conference and webcast, according to pcencyclopedia.

Provincial Veterinarian and BRPEC Acton Officer Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz said Chatto’s participation in the web-based seminar is a great privilege for Bohol to share its experience in rabies prevention and control to the whole world.

One of the country’s leading anti-rabies program, Bohol’s rabies prevention has even taken off ahead of the passing of the country’s anti-rabies program and its implementing rules and regulations.

With a perfect record of zero human or canine rabies cases 23 months after launching the province-wide community based anti-rabies program, authorities couldn’t hide their excitement on the success considering that Bohol used to be among the top provinces threatened by rabies.

Gov. Chatto, she said would be sharing the “Implementation of the Bohol Provincial Rabies Elimination Program: Perspective of the Chief Local Executive” as a way of input on a web seminar that top-bills the world’s leading anti-rabies advocates.

He could be seen on the web on September 28, 6:00 PM.

Home-based inter-actors who pre-register on a pre-determined link can join the webinar, co-hosted by Global Alliance for Rabies Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Speakers, along with governor Chatto include Manhattan-based Betsy Miranda of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control on Generating Community Support in Implementing a Rabies Elimination Program, Brenda Rivera of Puerto Rico’s Department of Health who will be speaking on Engaging school-age children in the fight against rabies: The Puerto Rico experience.

Also on the webinar is Katinka deBalogh of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Rome Italy, who will speak on the One Health Concept as an opportunity for Rabies Control, Todd Smith of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta with his Past, present and future rabies biogenics, G. Robert Weedon of Global Alliance for Rabies Control on Animal Population Control and Rabies Prevention. (rac/PIABohol)

Province-wide massive clean up drive batok sa dengue ipahigayon karong hapon

IPAHIGAYON karong hapon ang province-wide nga massive clean-up drive batok sa dengue virus nunot sa pagsaka sa makamatay nga sakit.

Ang kalihukan nga gipasiugdahan sa kagamhanang probinsiyal ubos ni Gobernador Edgar M. Chatto pagasugdan ala 1:30 sa hapon hangtud sa alas 6 sa gabii.

Mga opisyal ug empleyado sa kapitolyo lakip na sa 47 ka mga lungsod ug sa siyudad sa Tagbilaran gitakdang mosalmot sa maong kalihukan alang sa kampanya batok sa dengue diin duna nay 1,412 ka mga Bol-anon ang nataptan ug siyam na ang namatay sukad sa bulan sa Enero hangtud sa Septiyembre 13 ning tiiga.

Lakip nga mosalmot sa kalihukan mao ang private sector, religious group ug non-governmental organizations.

Tuyo sa maong kalihukan nga malimpiyo ang palibot sa usa ka dapit ug ipangyabo ang mga tubig nga napundo aron wala nay maitlogan sa maong lamok nga nagdala sa virus.

Si Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot nibutyag kini sinugdana lamang sa ilang kampanya aron masumpo ang maong makamatay nga sakit ug mahimo kining masundan pa.

Ang dakbayan sa Tagbilaran nga maoy topnotcher nga dunay daghang kaso, gitakdang mohimo og clean-up drive sa barangay Cogon ug barangay Bool ug lakip sa ubang mga barangay nga dunay natalang daghang kaso. (Andy Nalzaro)

Chatto bares comprehensive plan for sports development

HOW do we make sports champions of Boholanos?

Definitely not with the current sports programs that engage athletes only a month before the
competitions.

Apparently fed up with Bohol’s dismal showing in sports competitions as its athletes often are made
to be content occupying the less loftier heights in sports dais, Governor Edgar Chatto said the new
Capitol administration wants a comprehensive sports program for the youth.

Sharing his thoughts during the weekly “Kita ug ang Gobernador” at the People’s Mansion, Chatto
said a year-round sports activities ending with an annual meet that enough and would want to get its
money where its mouth is.

Governor Chatto revealed Friday that Capitol is now embarking on a no-nonsense sports program
that would make a comprehensive province-wide sports program that is destined to bring out the
champions in Bohol.

He said that aside from the regular Congressional, Provincial and the Regional Meets handled by the
Department of Education, continuous sports development activities would be run.

“After the [athletic] meets, the kids will find an arena in further developing [their sports]”, he added.

“We must be able to get the most outstanding players through a sustainable sports program,” he
stressed.

We have to make sure that, instead of doing drugs, we can push their energies into positive values of
discipline and teamwork, by giving them alternative activities other than helping work in the family,
Chatto explained.

Consistent with this and assuring that Capitol puts its money where the mouth is, the provincial
government is reportedly increasing its financial assistance, along with the district representatives to
the different athletic meets.

Chatto revealed that they have increased to P400,000 financial aid to district meets, P600,00
to provincial and P3,000,000 to the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association meets.

In Bohol, Catigbian town embarked on a no-nonsense sports development program and the effect
was a stunning show of sports prowess from trained athletes.

“How can you expect consistently winning athletes when you only train them for a week?” asked
Mayor Roberto Salinas in an interview.

For his town’s sports development, Catigbian earmarks a sizable amount for trainors, equipment and
training programs for the whole year, after showing a significant record of stunning successes after a
year of sports development program implementation. (racPIABohol)