Officials of Canadian partners from Blackfalds , Alberta are currently conducting Technical Exchange Mission Plan in Bohol cluster municipalities of Guindulman, Duero , Garcia-Hernandez and Jagna since September 12. The mission provides an opportunity for the Canadians to jointly assess the identified priority farm-to-market roads of Bohol partners in this cluster. Director for Corporate Services Donna Anderson and Public Worker Supervisor Phil Hoyle are the Canadian delegates who compose the mission team. Both personally inspected the proposed farm-to-market road in barangay Calabacita for the municipality of Jagna in particular. It can be recalled that the town of Balckfalds and the Bohol cluster municipalities are partners within the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Municipal Partnership Program (MPP).

The MPP facilitates local government to local government relationships in which partners with similar mandates and goals work together to find solutions to the problems and challenges they are facing. Partners implement two-year capacity development projects that address municipal capacity building issues in a key area of cooperation agreed upon the partners. Canadian expertise is provided in a strategic manner to complement local expertise and increase capacity. The partnership formally started in February this year when the first mission took place. It built relationships between the staff and elected officials of the four Bohol municipalities as well as an opportunity for the Canadians to increase their understanding of the local government sector. In June, the Inception Mission of the Cluster Municipalities to Blackfalds , Alberta took place.

It afforded the opportunity of the four mayors led by Jagna Mayor Exuperio Lloren and their respective municipal planning officers to observe the development, relationship among officials, organizational structure and system government of the town of Blackfalds. It is expected that at the end of this technical exchange mission, an understanding by the cluster municipalities of the challenges, both in terms of management and technical issues relating to pulling of resources and possible collaboration of resources with the technical assistance from the town of Blackfalds , be achieved. It is likewise expected that a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) be signed by the four municipalities to formalize their cooperation cluster and a technical working group be formed so that project progresses between missions. Present during the welcome program for Anderson and Hoyle on Monday last week included Mayor Maria Fe Piezas of Guindulman, Mayor Manuel Tan of Duero, Mayor Myrna Schreurs of Garcia-Hernandez and Mayor Lloren of Jagna. The 6th Sangguniang Bayan of Jagna headed by Vice-Mayor Teofisto Pagar Sr. also graced the activity.