Model governor honor

makes Chatto humbler

Gov. Edgar Chatto has more become an epitome of humility in not flaunting his newest
recognition as one of the countrys model local chief executives to disprove his rabid critics
wrong, according to his fellows in government.
The capitol board, city council, leading peace and order and development councils, and mayors
league instead heard the provincial leader attributing the honor as a testament to Bohols
shared leadership with the people.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the administration of Pres.
Rodrigo Duterte last week released the honor roll naming the countrys 10 model governors,
including Chatto.
After three stringent stages of screening and validation, with the relentless anti drug campaign
effort as one of the yardsticks, the DILG came up with the honor list and submitted it to the
Malacaang.
Containing the illegal drugs problem is only one thing. These governors are also model
governors. They are governors in governance and transparency, DILG Sec. Ismael Sueno said in
a Malacaang press conference.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), Tagbilaran Citys Sangguniang Panlungsod (City SP),
Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), Provincial Development Council (PDC) and
League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) - Bohol Chapter congratulated Chatto in
separate resolutions.
The mayors commended the governor at their meeting at the Bohol Tropics on Thursday, during
which they also met with Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Loyd Dino on varied
concerns affecting the welfare of the Boholanos.
The LMP-Bohol thanked in another resolution Dutertes trusted man in the Visayas for coming to
converse with the Boholanos and listen to their leaders topped by the governor, who has
repeatedly rallied for full support to the national development agenda.
Thu an SP resolution, the province likewise thanked the presidential assistant for visiting Bohol
and accommodating the concerns of the Boholanos.
The consultative dialogue was also attended by other provincial officials and local heads of
national agencies.

CELEBRATION FOR
THE EXEMPLARY
As we utmostly condemn the alleged narco-politicians, we should also be celebrating these
provincial chief executives for showing exemplary management prowess and strong character in
thwarting illegal drugs in their territory, Presidential Communications Sec. Martin Andanar said
in a text to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Sueno said the drug problem is enormous that it has expanded throughout the country, but the
president is not only exposing the bad guys, but also the good guys in government.
Chatto and the nine other top governors were identified also in terms of good governance,
transparency, business competitive and disaster preparedness, social protection and environment
management, according to the DILG which also posted the honor list on its official website.
Sueno said, They are awardees. They are good in disaster preparedness, and they have made
their provinces competitive when it comes to business. They are model leaders, model local
executives.
Just on Friday, DILG Usec. Ricardo Jalad, a Boholano, joined Chatto and graced the culmination
of a disaster preparedness activity here which was the all-hazard incident management team
training on incident command system.
Some provincial board members and mayors agreed that it is not surprising that more
recognitions, as in the past, can come with the consistent brand of Chattos administration.
It is less surprising, they said, that some quarters continue to paint a picture different from what
Chatto truly is, obsessed to weaken the peoples trust in him and grab leadership by all means,
legal or extra-legal, at all cost.
According to them, the validated DILG honor roll has backfired at Chattos fiercest false
accusers, some of them believed to be in direct contact with certain politicians and hiding in
pseudo social media accounts in their smear works.
WORLDWIDE PRIDE
Like his fellow Boholanos outside Bohol, including those in foreign lands across the globe, Dr.
Cesar Saloma of the University of the Philippines (UP) expressed pride as he congratulated the
governor.
Saloma is a member of the UP Advisory Council that has partnered with the Chatto
administration, shared its expertise in different fields and volunteered services in a partnership
unknown to other provinces in the country.
Another member of the council is no less than Dr. Ernesto Pernia, the Boholano director-general
of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) of the Duterte administration.

Sueno said the listing of top governors intends to challenge and inspire the local chief executives
nationwide to prove their worth, especially that the heightened war on drugs has affected a
number of local leaders.
The DILG honor roll includes Chatto, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy
III, Quirino Gov. Junie Cua, Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez, Romblon Gov. Eduardo Firmalo,
Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Maraon, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, South Cotabato Gov.
Daisy Avance-Fuentes and Agusan del Norte Gov. Ma. Angelica Rosedell Amante-Matba.
CONSEQUENCE
OF SERVICE
Chatto said all awards and recognitions earned by the province since he assumed governor in
2010 are just a consequence of our service anchored on the principle of shared leadership.
The governor made this statement when sought by the press to comment on the utter disregard by
his harshest critics for the latest recognition of Bohols leadership from Dutertes administration
thru the DILG.
The detractors circle even again used the social media in maligning Chatto by copying certain
parts of the Inquirer report, pasting them in a sequence that could mislead the netizens and
posted the news story on fake facebook accounts.
The disturbing posts would read and appear that Chatto and nine other governors in the honor
roll are to be recognized by the president when he will name in public the second batch of the
elected officials, judges and policemen alleged links to narcotics trade.
A positive thinker, Chatto chose to find comfort in appreciating the recognition, saying it truly
is humbling and, of course, inspiring.
He thanked the DILG led by Sueno even if certain local broadcasters also linked to the
detractors group aired malicious remarks apparently intended to generate public doubt on the
official act of the DILG.
Still, the governor thanked the media for the greater good it has done to the Boholano
community.
Last year, mediaman Salvador Diputado and company questioned DILGs recognition of Bohol
among the 10 best governed provinces in the country based on the agencys competitive Local
Government Performance and Management System.
The recognition was given by the DILG under former Sec. Jessie Robredo, who later died in a
plane crash.

This only shows that the critics and their brains could and would not respect any national
administration which official act they deem inimical to their vested interest, by which their serial
smear campaign is motivated, according to some local DILG people.
A good source said all black propagandas here had been considered before the DILG concluded
its three-phase validation process, finalized the honor list and submitted it to the president.
NO EXTRA AWARD,
BUT SO ENOUGH
The DILG secretary said in the Malacaang press conference that the model governors will not
receive extra bonuses or awards for being announced as the good guys in the government.
Initially, there were 41 names of candidates (governors) for the honor roll which were trimmed to
25 during the second phase of screening until the top 10 emerged after the third and final
validation.
The recognition is more than enough because it is an honor itself to have faithfully served to the
best of our ability, the governor said while reiterating his appreciation and gratitude to the DILG
and its secretary.
Under his leadership, Bohol has kept reaping awards and recognitions such as the Best Governed
Province in 2010 & 2011; Seal of Good Local Financial Housekeeping, 2012, 2013 and 2014;
Gawad Pamana ng Lahi, 2014; Seal of Good Local Governance, 2015.
To date, Chatto has remained as the only Philippine local government official conferred the
countrys two highest awards for outstanding public officials given by the Civil Service
Commission (CSC), Commission on Audit (COA) and Ombudsman.
These are the Lingkod Bayan Award and Dangal ng Bayan Award, which he received as then
vice governor and now governor, respectively
Each award granted him P200 cash prize, college scholarship for him or his dependents and raise
in salary to the next higher level of position in the government.
Because of Chattos Lingkod Bayan Award, Bohol was then the only province in the country
whose vice governor and governor (by that time was Rene Relampagos, now the First District
congressman) got the same salary amount.
Already the governor in 2011, Chatto received the Dangal ng Bayan Award for exemplary ethical
behavior and conduct as a public servant-leader.
He was awarded a cash prize, scholarship grant transferrable to his child and salary increase to
the next higher pay grade.

But Chatto opted not to avail of or enjoy the salary grade hike because he did not want the
province to pay him more than how much a governor is mandated to receive.
Chatto, at present, is one of the most sought-after resource persons of the DILG-Local
Government Academy (LGA) conferences on local governance.
These are just among the records which critics of Chatto have been desperately trying to break
until now, according to his government colleagues. (Ven rebo Arigo)