[As Prepared]

[Greetings]

Since 2014, Tagbilaran City has been one of USAID’s partner cities of under the Cities Development Initiative. Through this partnership, USAID provides a range of technical assistance in economic growth, health, energy, environment, governance and education to help them realize their full potential as engines of inclusive and resilient growth for their respective regions.

Tagbilaran City, together with the entire province of Bohol, is undoubtedly one of the key economic hubs of the Visayas Region—a hub with so much potential to spur on further growth, livability and dynamism for the region. Through the years, I am delighted to learn that USAID’s partnership with the city and the province has resulted in a more competitive tourism and business climate, better and more accessible health services, higher quality basic education and improved marine biodiversity conservation.

USAID believes that broad-based economic growth is essential to sustainable, long-term development. This growth creates the opportunities impoverished households need to raise their living standards, provides countries with the resources to expand access to basic services, and—most important of all—enables citizens to chart their own prosperous futures.

This is why USAID has been helping people access markets, so they can play a productive role in their economies. This is why we are working with private sector companies to spur economic development that benefits all Filipinos. And this why we have been investing in improving infrastructure such as roads and electrical grids, critical to boosting tourism revenues and lifting the limits on a country’s growth.

USAID’s close partnership with Bohol goes back to 1995 when our Governance and Local Development project helped identify and strengthen the capacity of local champions. Among these champions was none other than Governor Chatto, who then led Bohol’s local government in formulating a development plan based on its core strengths and resources that would one day transform Bohol into the ecotourism destination that it is today. It was also at this time that the province, with USAID’s technical assistance, crafted the Bohol Environment Code of 1998, the first environment code prepared by any local government in the country, that would help the province to sustain growth while protecting its precious natural resources.

But I must admit that I’m in the same boat as most tourists in their first visit to Bohol. I am just now learning that Tagbilaran City also has a rich culture—a mix of different eras that involved the Spanish, the Americans and the Japanese. I am looking forward to experiencing soon first-hand the city’s heritage tour and learning more about this history.

USAID has been very pleased to collaborate with Tagbilaran City to develop a new tourism strategy anchored on the city’s heritage assets and creative industries. It is expected that this approach will transform the city into a leading heritage tourism destination and a major hub for cultural arts not only in the Philippines but for Southeast Asia as well.

Through our partnership, the city government enacted a heritage ordinance and delineated a heritage district showcasing the city’s rich heritage assets dating back to the Spanish colonial times. More heritage sites will be developed and packaged into new tour circuits to diversify the city’s existing attractions. A cultural hub will be established which will feature the works and crafts of artists from the city and the whole Bohol Province, and support a continuing stream of local creative talents.

The city will also be positioned as an alternative site for meetings, conventions, and exhibits in the Visayas Region, banking on its diverse cultural and heritage offerings.

USAID is proud to have partnered with Tagbilaran City in organizing a series of consultations and activities with various industry partners. Through a participatory process, you, the people of Tagbilaran, have set the strategic direction of your tourism sector. The Tourism Development Plan embodies the future of Tagbilaran City, detailing actionable steps to promote priority tourism attractions, upgrade needed infrastructure and enhance overall policy environment and tourism governance.

Beyond tourism, USAID is also proud to have been supporting Tagbilaran City’s good practices in governance, including investments in infrastructure, water and social services. We celebrate with you that the city has been recognized as the most competitive component city in the entire Visayas Region. I also congratulate the city government of Tagbilaran and the Provincial Government of Bohol for earning, just recently, the coveted Seal of Good Local Governance Award for 2017 from the Department of Interior and Local Government. We at USAID are proud to be your development partner.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank our other partners—the city government and national agencies, the private sector, the academe and civil society—for promoting sustainability and accountability of our development initiatives. Without your support, our partnership with the province and the city would not be the success it is today.

As we look forward to even more growth in Bohol as a result of this Tourism Development Plan, I urge you to use these opportunities responsibly, by advancing growth that is sustainable—drawing on and protecting your rich local resources—and by advancing growth that is inclusive, so that the benefits are spread far and wide even beyond Tagbilaran City.

Together with you, I look forward to seeing Tagbilaran not only become a top tourist attraction, but model of growth that helps bring a brighter future for the Filipino people.

Daghang salamat at maayong buntag!