Bohol, US mark strong partnership in 20 years

UNITED States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. and Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto graced the opening of an exhibit in Tagbilaran City last week that highlighted USAID initiatives in the province.

Thomas, together with US Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gloria Steele visited Bohol to celebrate the US government’s strong partnership with the province.

“We consider Bohol as one of the success stories of our development assistance. We are proud to be part of Bohol’s achievements as an emerging growth center and we look forward to further advancing this productive partnership as we work towards our shared goal of achieving broad-based and inclusive growth,” Ambassador Thomas said.

The exhibit highlighted past and current projects implemented in the province, including those supporting good governance, economic growth, environmental sustainability, health and other social services.

“The role of USAID in the transformation of Bohol dates back to 1991 with projects such as the Local Development Assistance Program which have helped establish the Bohol Alliance of Non-Government Organizations, Thomas said in his press statement.

The program supported the Philippine government’s decentralization reform through local revenue enhancement, environmental protection, and strengthening of local government units (LGUs) and non-governmental organization capabilities to accelerate local development and investment, he added.

The Governance and Local Democracy (GOLD) project in 1996 played a catalytic and pivotal role in Bohol’s development and environmental management resources. Under the GOLD project, Bohol crafted the Bohol Environment Code (BEC) of 1998, the first such environment code passed by a local government in the country.

Among the current projects implemented by USAID in Bohol is the advancing Philippine Competitiveness Project (Compete), a project under the Partnership for Growth (PFG). The PFG is a White House initiative that focuses on accelerating and sustaining broad-based and inclusive economic growth.

USAID also provides assistance to Bohol through the private sector mobilization for Family Health Phase 2 Project which aims to increase private sector participation in the delivery of family planning, maternal and child health services.

Steele said, “the strong and productive partnership that we have with the people of Bohol is instrumental as we move towards meeting our vision of putting the Philippines on an accelerated growth trajectory with broad-based growth that benefits all Filipinos.”