Abatan PCoP development 

Wows ASEAN, WB delegates 

CORTES, Bohol, December 12 (PIA)—Community residents of the five towns along the Abatan River and members of the Abatan River Development Management Council (ARDMC) wowed the guests from the World Bank and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) who witnessed what the world leaders have been adopting in its processes in sustainable development. 

Here in Bohol for the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) hosted conferences which takes its turns visiting ASEAN nations, the guests had their real experience of the Planning Community of Practice (PCoP), where community practitioners and ASEAN delegates and officials shared experiences and learned from each other, especially in the use of culture and heritage in the development and management of the Abatan River Community Development (ARCD). 

Managed by the ARDMC, the ARCD is a development program of the towns of Cortes, Maribojoc, Loon, Antequera, Balilihan and Catigbian, which share a common resource: the Abatan River. 

Developed with judicious use and management of the common resource while getting culture and heritage as its strategy, the ARDMC and the communities, through PCoP ironed out channels for development planning with the communities and guided by practitioners coming together, sharing, and discussing ways to solve common issues and challenges arising from the economic and political landscape that are continuously changing. 

While development in the river communities is not phenomenal, the goal of coming up with an indigenous solution to improving the community’s planning systems and strengthening the connections between planning and service delivery, has started to work for the towns here. 

Common interests from the ASEAN planners were how the community from the towns were able to agree on an integrated development and how politics figured out in the planning processes. 

At their Abatan River Community Life Experience, ASEAN planners and World bank delegates along with NEDA stepped off the bus to the experience of cleansing rituals as they enter the world of the mystical Abatan. 

A cultural dance drama retelling the story of the lady warrior Wadji also had the guests on the edge of their seats. 

Cortes Mayor Lynn Iven Lim, Maribojoc Mayor Romulo Manuta, Antequera Mayor Lilioso Nunag and Balilihan Mayor and ARDMC chair Pureza Chatto personally interacted with the guests as they welcomed the guests to the sharing with the Community of Practice. 

The group also feasted on local deliciacies, took to the bandungs for more community experience in the Maribojoc nipa weaving communities, cruised off to the mystical fireflies experienced and capped the night with the cultural program that peaked the community immersion experience. 

After the experience, NEDA Regional Director Efren Carreon personally shared his elation and pride at the communities that were able to come up with an excellent development model that can be replicated in communities in the region. 

He also urged the Regional Development Council which convened in Bohol last Friday to have one of their committee meetings at the Abatan to allow the regional planners to experience the same cultural immersion used as a development strategy. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

ASEAN AND THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE. ASEAN planning delegates immersed to a community along the Abatan River to test the model for Planning Community of Practice which was the model used for the development of the Abatan River Communities. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

WELCOMING THE GUESTS. Cortes Mayor Lynn Ivenn Lim as host mayor welcomed the ASEAN Planners and World Bank delegates in their visit to the Abatan River Communities to experience the community life tourism that has become a model for the ASEAN. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

ARDMC Chair and Balilihan mayor Pureza Chatto explains to the ASEAN planners and WB delegates the long process before the Abatan River Community Development Management Council put up the eco-tourism activity that has helped the community manager the river resources batter. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)