Bohol culture has captured the heart of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On the 156th Bohol Day on July 22, the province was formally declared as the ASEAN Culture Capital for the month of July, the fifth in the series, with Pampanga as the first. Before Bohol was Batangas.
However, Gov. Edgar M. Chatto also marked the proud day as Bohol’s “Day of Friendship” and “Day of Hope” because the province is definitely “ready to embrace the Philippines and the rest of the world” for it is a “major contributor to the tourism sector of which we are leading.”
The governor accepted the ASEAN flag from Dr. Hubert Gijzen, regional director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNESCO Commssioner for Culture Ma. Guidote-Alvares and Dr. Vilma Labrador, undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
It was also noted during their visit that every year, specifically on March 21-27, is observed the UNESCO – International Theatre institute (ITI) World Theater Week in the Philippines pursuant to Presidential Proclamation (PD) No. 1262.
For July of 2010 and 2011, the Philippines is honored for being named as the ASEAN Culture Capital by the 10-nation association, according to Alvarez.
The guests were also joined in the historic event by other Bohol leaders like Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim, Rep. Rene Relampagos, and the members of the provincial board.
Alvarez considered July 22 as a very historic day for Bohol as it is a recognition and appreciation of the province’s wealthy biodiversity and its commitment to nourish the artistic talents, not only of its own, but also of the national community due to its very rich and very beautiful history.
“Showcasing Bohol’s culture and arts,” Alvarez said, “means a lot in keeping the memory of our community, our habitat and our language, alive because the Philippines is considered as the cultural gateway to ASEAN.”
According to Alvarez, after 250 years, the impact of the galleon trade could still be strongly felt in uncovering, appreciating and projecting the Boholano heritage, in fighting all our problems and in mitigating and adapting to climate change because there is a solid partner in development, in this case, the ASEAN.
Alvarez stressed that “tourism must be culture-raised” because it is a very important tool for entrepreneurship.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Alberto Lim, keynote speaker on the Bohol Day, emphasized tourism as an industry that can create jobs and livelihoods in the poorest parts of the country.
The country’s tourism czar also graced, together with Chatto and Tourism Usec. Simeon Marfori, the 1st National Tour Guide Convention at Metro Centre Hotel here on Bohol Day. The Bohol governor is a former chairman of the tourism committee in Congress and the principal author of the Tourism Act of 2009.
Although the Philippines gets 3 million tourists a year, it is still imperative to improve the infrastructures and the departments of the government, especially the local government units (LGUs), to bring out the best in the Filipino culture, Lim said.
The new tourism secretary pointed out that the DOT should “over-deliver” and “not just promote” tourism to hit the revenue target and encourage all LGUs to continue their support the programs of the DOT and Bohol province. (jlv/EDCom)
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