Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) in Region 7 are now brainstorming to make Bohol’s 2nd District the first “Green District” in Bohol.

This after Aumentado, Neda Region 7 Director Efren Carreon, Assistant Director Dionisio Ledres and their staff Thursday met the municipal planning and development coordinators (MPDCs) of the 2nd District’s 14 towns at the JJs Seafood Village in Tagbilaran City to discuss solar energy.

Carreon, Ledres and staff answered questions posed by the MPDCs on the advantages of solar energy, the partners to tap for the implementation and the wherewithal to purchase the panels.

Solar energy does not discharge waste or effluents to the environment, hence, “green”.

For starters, the development workers plan on using solar energy to power their lights and small appliances during daytime, and switch to energy from power distributor Bohol Electric Cooperative (Boheco), if needed, for overtime work at night if required.

The towns also have the option to purchase batteries to extend the solar power’s e

Plans are afoot for piloting San Isidro town for the project. The scheme proposes for the town to get all its power requirements from solar energy for the next four to 10 years.

The solar panels will be installed on the rooftops of the municipal building and other government structures. The rest of the towns are expected to follow suit before the year is over, hence the first “Green District”.

This way, Aumentado said, the 2nd District will have the ascendancy to tell other local government units to also protect their environment.

He added that this is his district’s contribution to the national government’s campaign of using more green energy.

Meanwhile, the MPDCs are now at the height of preparing their lists of tourism destinations, products or finished goods.

This is in line with the master planning of the whole district conducted by Neda 7 to ensure that the towns’ destinations or products complement – and not compete – with each other.

This also follows the solon’s resolve to make the 2nd District actively look for opportunities.

“Let us not wait for opportunities to find us,” the solon said, following in the footsteps and the mantra of his namesake father and immediate congressional predecessor, Erico Boyles Aumentado. (June S. Blanco)