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In just five days this April, Bohol will host three high-profile meetings on transportation to be attended by delegates from the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

These will be the 21st ASEAN Transport Facilitation Working Group (ATFWG) Meeting, 9th Forum on the Operationalization of ASEAN Transport Facilitation Agreements and 3rd Meeting of the Transit Transport Coordinating Board (TTCB).

Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Asec. George Esguerra formally informed Gov. Edgar Chatto of the important ASEAN assemblies in one Philippine venue. He quickly sent an operating working team for close coordination.

To a certain degree, the three-in-one event, which opens on April 25 until 29, can hint on how to professionalize and capacitate the local transport sector, a vital frontline service provider to the ever-growing tourism industry in which Bohol strives to be most competitive.

The event will be attended by at least 100 delegates from the ASEAN states which include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
         
Chatto sees the significance of the ASEAN transport meetings as Bohol braces for what now tends to be the apparent realization of the new Bohol airport project on the prime tourism island of Panglao.

Esguerra said Bohol has been chosen to be the Philippine venue of the three ASEAN meetings because of the island-province's "leading tourist destinations that boast of natural wonders, from beautiful beaches to world famous sites---the Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, tarsier sanctuary, the myriad of falls, springs and caves."

As soon as he assumed the governorship in July last year, Bohol was declared the ASEAN Cultural Capital for the month.

Bohol recorded a total arrival of over 532,000 tourists, visitors and guests last year as against the more than 461,000 in 2009, marking an increase of close to 71,000 or 15%, according to the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office.

The DOTC official broke to the Bohol leader the news of the province being picked for the three ASEAN meetings while Chatto last week hosted the visit here of Canadian Ambassador Christopher Thornley.

The North American dignitary and the governor discussed, together with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Director for the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia Regional Program Michael Brownell and Chief of Cooperation for the Philippines Laurenne Garneau, the Bohol projects assisted by CIDA.

They were joined by Local Government Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) Field Director Marion Villanueva, Associate Field Director Francis Gentoral and LED and Local Governance Program Manager Ramon Alampay.

In July or three months after the ASEAN meetings, Bohol will host the world conference of rabies experts. (Ven rebo Arigo)

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