Trade and Industry Updates: Bohol

LRED Planning Workshops in Bohol: Laying the foundation for competitive local economies

The Department of Trade and Industry – Bohol Provincial Office and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development – Sustainable Employment Program of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) applied the LRED model to support the economic development of the LGUs involve in the Abatan River Development Project. LRED is a process to mobilise stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as from the civil society, to become partners in a joint effort to improve the economy of a defined territory and thus increase its competitiveness. The approach is being implemented in the Abatan River Development Program, involving towns covered by the Abatan River Tour, namely: Maribojoc, Cortes, Balilihan, Antequera and Catigbian, The five municipalities are planning collectively for the economic growth of their cluster.

The implementation of LRED in Bohol started with the LRED training of facilitators (TOF) conducted last September 2 to 5, 2008 at the Metro Centre Hotel graduating thirty (30) facilitators coming from the Department of Trade and Industry, Provincial Planning and Development Office and the local government units of Maribojoc, Cortes, Balilihan, Antequera and Catigbian.

Following the training of facilitators (TOF), Local and Regional Economic Development (LRED) Planning Workshops in the municipalities of Catigbian (Sept. 9-11), Cortes (Sept. 16-18), Maribojoc (Sept. 23-25), Antequera (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) and Balilihan (Oct. 8-10) were conducted.

On October 17-18, 2008, 8:30AM to 5:00PM at the Metro Centre Hotel, Tagbilaran City, the final activity, Abatan River Cluster LRED Workshop was conducted. The activity presented an economic picture of the cluster using the outputs of the municipality workshops as discussion inputs on how the area can leverage its strengths and opportunities as it moves towards greater economic development. ***

posted by dtibohol @ 3:39 PM