Mayor Cirilo P. Jalad welcomed participants during the recent workshop which prepared the Five-Year Eco-Cultural Tourism (ECT) Plan for Albur. The plan seeks to develop unique products from traditional livelihood in the seven other barangays not covered by the Community-Managed Tourism Project. The project, which ended June 30, was implemented in three barangays (Ponong, Basacdacu, Sta. Felomena) by the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF) under the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP). Albur is known for indigenous products such as calamay, brooms and place mats made from the buri palm. Pottery and rock salt making will be given technical assistance in terms of promotion and marketing, as well as product design, starting the first year of the plan. The Municipal LGU will make the Interpretive and Tourism Information Center fully operational during the plan period to ensure full support to all 11 barangays in carrying out their ECT projects as part of overall poverty reduction efforts in the municipality. For its part, BLDF has included Albur among the nine municipalities where it will implement a new microfinance project, according to its president, Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos.

 

Aida Bisaya, municipal planning and development coordinator in Anda, explains to the officers of people’s organizations their responsibility to manage tour destinations in their respective communities during a recent planning workshop. She heads the Municipal Poverty Reduction Action Team (MPRAT) which provides technical assistance and policy support to local initiatives in eco-cultural tourism. Mayor Paulino Amper has directed the MPRAT to visit all the existing and potential ecological and cultural tourism sites and determine needed government support to enable people’s organizations to make them viable social enterprises. The Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF) will continue to provide support despite the phase-out of assistance from the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP) by the end of this month.

 

Rico Seman of the 20-member Badiang Cultural Collective in Anda plays the role of shaman or faith healer in a play staged recently to tell the story of one of the four caves featured in a mystical experience tour in Lamanok Island. The group was recruited and trained by Lutgardo Labad and the Teatro Bolanon under the Community-Managed Eco-Cultural Tourism Project (CoMET) implemented by Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF). The project is funded by the Philippine Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP), which phases out its three-year assistance by the end of this month. The Municipal Poverty Reduction Action Team (MPRAT) headed by Aida Visaya, municipal planning and development coordinator, was on the island last June 10 to assess how the municipal government under Mayor Paulino Amper can continue to provide support and ensure the sustainability of the local eco-tourism project.   

 

Photo shows Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, president of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF), stressing a point to his Swiss friend,  Felix Hurlimann, during the latter’s visit to the BLDF office. Dr. Pestelos says more NGOs are finding it hard to survive during the last 10 years on donor grants alone. They must spin off a social enterprise unit from their normal operations to realize income to maintain their operations. Mr. Hurlimann was one of those who have extended a no-interest loan to enable BLDF to survive during these tough times. The Foundation will soon launch a campaign to raise funds for a microfinance facility for disadvantaged families in municipalities which will experience phase out of donor assistance by the end of this month.