Bohol showed full support for DILG Sec. Mar Roxas’ presidential bid in the Cebu leg of the “Gathering of Friends” for the Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer.

Gov. Edgar Chatto, provincial party chairman, manifested Bohol’s strong commitment to Roxas who has been anointed by Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III to succeed him.

Aquino himself reechoed his trust in the interior secretary—and unlucky runningmate in the 2010 election— to keep the nation on “straight” track during the “show of support” at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City on Monday.

The governor chanced to get updates from attending cabinet officials of their departments’ actions on various concerns affecting Bohol.

In his speech, the Bohol leader thanked the secretary for having been behind the province’s rehabilitation and recovery from disasters and other crises.

The DILG implements the national P2.3 billion Bohol Earthquake Assistance (BEA) thru the provincial government, which downloads the allocations to LGUs affected by the great earthquake.

Additional completed BEA projects are set for inauguration this week such as the rehabilitated barangay halls in Sawang, Pondol and Canlasid, all in Loboc, one of the hardest hit during the earthquake.

Chatto likewise thanked the contributions of DILG under Roxas to the local and regional development and growth.

The Bohol governor is the chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for Central Visayas.

Along with the governor in the Cebu gathering for Roxas were Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim and Board Members Cesar Tomas Lopez, Venzencio Arcamo, Abeleon Damalerio, Gerardo Garcia, Brigido Imboy, Romulo Cepedoza and Antonio Ouano, Jr.

Cepedoza and Ouano are provincial federation presidents of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL).

Twenty-nine mayors were also there led by Bohol mayors’ league president and Loon Mayor Peter Lloyd Lopez.

The cabinet official and other national figures in the gathering included DA Sec. Proceso Alcala, DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman, DBM Sec. Florencio Abad, DOH Sec. Janette Garin, DOJ Sec. Laila Delima, DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson, DENR Sec. Ramon Paje, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Laciera and MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino.

Tagbilaran City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso, city party chairman, was also invited but could not come while Kag. Agustinus Gonzaga confirmed thru text message that he was in Cebu during the gathering. (Ven rebo Arigo)