The two municipalities in Panglao Island gear up for an investment mode in the upcoming operation of the New Bohol Airport in August that will bring in more tourists.
Dauis Mayor Miriam Sumaylo expressed that their town may be inclined more to investments on stores, restaurants, services, and others other than housing projects.
Sumaylo said there are enough housing projects already in Dauis and it is high time to attract more establishments to open in their town.
She added that tax on establishments is higher than housing projects and it is a way to raise revenue faster.
This is also one way to be in pace with the economic boom that will go with the commercial operation of the New Bohol Airport in August.
Sumaylo also said Dauis is the closest area to Panglao town and, therefore, needs to be able to provide the services that visitors would need.
She said there should be enough hotels and resorts, restaurants, stores, and services.
Sumaylo, however, said the LGU will ensure that the natural resources of Dauis will be preserved amid the influx of investments and the construction of more buildings that is inevitable.
She also said that LGU-Dauis will host the seawater desalination project that will help address the concern on lack of sources of potable water in the island of Panglao.
For the town of Panglao, hotels, resorts and restaurants top the investment influx, which are the direct needs of tourists.
Both Panglao and Dauis towns expect malls to open in the coming years.
Preservation and conservation of the natural resources and bio-diversity are among the concerns of the two LGUs in Panglao Island and the adjacent Tagbilaran City.
On this, Panglao Island and Tagbilaran Executive Council (PITEC) was created through Provincial Ordinance 2016-015.
The LGUs of Panglao and Dauis- -the two municipalities in Panglao Island- -recently forged partnership with the adjacent LGU of Tagbilaran and the provincial government of Bohol at organizational meeting of PITEC.
The ordinance is in consideration that Tagbilaran City and “the municipalities of Dauis and Panglao are concerned with the eventual operation of the New Bohol Airport, the growth of business activity and the influx of tourists and visitors and their impact on the environment and natural biodiversity”.
The creation of PITEC is also in consideration that “transport, mobility and access, traffic management, roads and other infrastructure, water and sanitation, waste management, among others, are development concerns the Tagbilaran City shares with the municipalities of Dauis and Panglao”.
With these common development concerns, PITEC was created to include Tagbilaran City “and cover areas of common interest and benefit to all three local government units”.
These include collaborative delivery of mutually beneficial social and business development services, climate and disaster resiliency, urban development, transport planning and traffic management, private sector participation, promoting green economic development in tourism, investment promotions, agriculture, fisheries, and information and communication technology”.
“Collaboration and complementation are key to the inter-local network of the PITEC, where each LGU complements each other’s strengths, challenges and opportunities for more growth. Learning and development between and among LGUs in the PITEC is essential for the alliance to progress and prosper,” as stated in the ordinance.
It is cited in Provincial Ordinance 2016-015 that a previous legislation, Provincial Ordinance 2014-002, created the Panglao Island Executive Committee for Sustainable Environment Protection Project (PIEC for SEPP)” provides for the cooperation of the municipalities of Dauis and Panglao environmental protection and conservation that shall serve “as an avenue for the stakeholders, through the working groups, to identify the worsening problems relating to garbage, septic tanks, destruction of coral reefs and other negative environmental impacts of tourism and other activities in the island.
It is also provided in the earlier ordinance that the solution to these problems will be “channeled through the PIEC for SEPP”.
Tagbilaran City, for its part, “is currently implementing a project called Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“One of the three components of the SURGE Project is ‘expanded rural-urban connectivity and access’, specifically ‘to facilitate convening of the members and officers of inter-municipality institutions to identify possible collaboration with SURGE Project’ which has inspired Tagbilaran City to venture into this inter-municipal alliance and collaboration,” as noted in Provincial Ordinance 2016-015.
PITEC had recently identified committee members to where the Tourism and Culture Working Group comprise Provincial Tourism Officer Josephine Cabarrus, Shobel Ligalig of BAHRR (BoholAssociation of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants), and Dauis Municipal Tourism Officer Cristopher Nistal and Pat Ruiz- -representing the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC), compose the tourism group; while the Culture and Arts group- -Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) and the Center for Culture and Arts Development)- -comprises culture officers of the provincial government, Tagbilaran, Dauis and Panglao that include the Panglao Cultural Group, Arnel Libot, Lutgardo Labad, and Marianito Luspo.
The Environmental Protection and Preservation Working Group includes the Environmental Office, Waste Management Office, Coastal Resource Management Office, and the Health and Sanitation group.
The Environmental Office comprises representatives from Panglao Nature Advocates (PANA), environment and natural resources offices of the municipalities and the city, the Bohol Environment and Natural Resources Office (BEMO) for the province; Dauis environmental management specialist for PROCESS; and Environmental Management Specialist; Panglao MPDC Designate Jairus Fuderanan, the Panglao MENRO and CENRO Cesar Pelaez.
The Waste Management Officecomprises the LGU waste management in–charge, Dauis EMS, Tagbilaran City Solid Waste Management Office Head Lito Taladua, and Arbello Abelo of Panglao.
Coastal Resource Management Office is composed of Darwin Menorias for Panglao, Dauis Municipal Agriculturist, and Miramda Alcantara.
For the health and sanitation group, the members include the Provincial Health Office for IMAP; the City Health Officer of Tagbilaran and the Municipal Heath Officer of Dauis and Panglao for DOH; and CENRO Cesar Pelaez for DENR to focus on the Septage Management Facility.
Members of the Connectivity and Urban Development Working Group include the Provincial Engineer’s Office, City Engineer’s Office, Dauis Municipal Engineer Alexander Dolauta, and Panglao Municipal Engineer Florencio Bulabon for the Engineering and Transport Office; Engr. Teodoro Estoque for the Office of the Building Official; City Traffic Management Office (CTMO); and Head Tony Samante.
Other members of the Connectivity and Urban Development Working Group are the PICE Head, Transport Groups, PICC, BCCI, DTI, BIPC, LEIPO Tagbilaran, BAHRR, RCPI, and DBCA.
PITEC is an inter-LGU alliance and collaboration between and among the local governments of Tagbilaran City, Panglao municipality, and Dauis municipality.
The provincial government initiated the creation of PITEC so that the two municipalities in Panglao and the adjacent area of Tagbilaran City can craft policies for economic development, especially with the inevitable economic boom once the New Bohol Airport starts operation in August next year.
PITEC was created through Provincial Ordinance 2016-015 which Gov. Edgar Chatto signed on May 18 this year.
It is stipulated in the provincial ordinance that PITEC “shall serve as a coordinating and advisory body for economic development that is characterized by adherence to low-emissions, environmental protection and conservation, as well as smooth connectivity and access between and among Tagbilaran City and the Panglao Island Municipalities of Dauis and Panglao”.
PITEC also “serves as a mechanism for reaching consensus among the LGUs concerned and giving them proper advice for the formulation and implementation of their respective resolutions and ordinances, specifically those affecting environment and culture, tourism, urban management, waste management, water and sanitation, climate and disaster resiliency, investment promotions, connectivity and access,” according to the ordinance.
It is also provided in the ordinance that the operation of PITEC shall be anchored on coordination, harmony and collaboration.
PITEC, then, is expected to observe transparency in communicating with existing multi-sectoral coordinating bodies from both the public and private sector operating in the municipalities of Panglao and Dauis, and in Tagbilaran City.
It is also the mandate of PITEC to consult with various stakeholders from the government, business, academe, military, consumers, civil society, church on the common areas of collaboration such as environment and culture, tourism, urban management, waste management, water and sanitation, climate and disaster resiliency, investment promotions, connectivity and access.