Ten countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)have chosen Bohol as the site of the five-day high-profile meetings of transport policy makers and industry players starting tomorrow at the Bohol Beach Club, in Panglao Island. The choice is an indication that Bohol is fast becoming not only the venue of national gatherings but of international scope as well. Eighty-five delegates from 10 member-countries will convene starting tomorrow for the 21 st ASEAN Transport Facilitation Working Group (TFWG) Meeting, 9th ASEAN-TFWG - Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (AFFA) Forum on the Operationalization of Transport Facilitation Agreements, and the 3 rd Meeting of the ASEAN Transit Transport Coordinating Board (TTCB). The ASEAN member states are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos or Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The province led by Gov. Edgar Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim will tender to the Bohol guests a welcome dinner spiced with local tourism video presentation and cultural shows by the acclaimed Loboc Youth Ambassador Brass Band and Tubigon Lungsoranon Performing Arts Ensemble tomorrow night.

As soon as Chatto assumed the governorship in July last year, Bohol was declared the ASEAN Cultural Capital for the month. Department of Transportation and Communications ((DOTC) Asec. George Esguerra heads the Philippine delegation to the ASEAN meetings which bid to realize an integrated and harmonized transport system in the region. The ASEAN delegates are up to tackle updates on the implementation and operationalization of transportation facilitation agreements and ratification by the respective member countries of their protocols. These accords include the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit which aims to simplify transport, trade and customs regulations. Another is the Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Inter-State Transport geared toward the integration of regional economies thru inter-state transport of goods. The third involves the Framework Agreement on Multi-Modal Transport which aims to stimulate efficient multi-modal transport services adequate to the requirements of the international trade.

The ASEAN-TFWG and ASEAN-AFFA will exchange experiences in transit, inter-state and multi-modal transport practices to assist member countries in readying for the faithful operationalization of the agreements. The ASEAN-TTCB will take a final look at its overall work plan which serves as guide and reference for the implementation of key activities of the agreements until 2015. The leading delegates to the ASEAN meetings are Dir. for Transportation Pengiran Haji Md Zain and Asst. Dir. of Ports Helmi Talib, Ministry of Communications, Brunei Darussalam; Usec. of State Leng Thun Yuthea and Dep. Dir-Gen. of Transport Chan Dara, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Cambodia; Dep. Dir. for International Cooperation, Legal Bureau and International Cooperation Franciscuss Budi Prayitno, Ministry of Transportation, Indonesia; Dir-Gen. for Planning and Cooperation Sounmala Math and Chief of Secretariat Office Bouaphanh Khammoune, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Lao PDR;

Usec. Rohaini Mohd Yusof, Land Division, Ministry of Transport, Malaysia; Dep. Dir. for Transport Aung Ye Tun, Ministry of Transport, Myanmar; Asec. for Planning George Esguerra, Asec. for Administrative and Comptrollership Dante Lantin and Asec. Anneli Lontoc, DOTC, Philippines; Policy and Planning Group Dir. Jeremy Yap Weng Lock, Land Transportation Authority, Singapore; ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Association Chairman Somsak Wisetruangrot, Dir. of International Highways Development Siriphan Jitprasithsiri, Department of Highways, and Insp-Gen. Chula Sukmanop, Ministry of Transport, Thailand; and Dep. Dir-Gen. for Transport Nguyen Cong Bang, Ministry of Transport, Vietnam; and Asst. Dir. and Chief of Infrastructure Division Tran Dong Phuong, ASEAN Secretariat.

SIGNIFICANT

Chatto said the three-in-one ASEAN meeting is most significant to the Boholanos as the host Philippine province braces for what now tends to be the apparent fulfillment of the dreamt new Bohol airport on Panglao island. DOTC officials are here along with a Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA investment mission - technical team also to repackage the airport project into best public private partnership mode of implementation as strategized by Pres. Benigno ‘Noynoy' Aquino III. DOTC Sec. Jose de Jesus will catch up on Thursday for the ASEAN transport huddles and then meet with the governor and new Bohol airport Local Project Management Team (LMPT). Japan itself is sending to the ASEAN transport meetings a delegation led by Kiyoshi Odashima, director for International Cooperation Policy Planning, International Affairs Unit, Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Chatto said the ASEAN meetings can hint on how to professionalize and capacitate the local transport sector, a vital frontline service provider to the ever-growing tourism industry in which Bohol strives to be most competitive.

In a recent economic cooperation forum in Cebu, Ambassador Kristiarto Legowo of ASEAN member state Indonesia cited Bohol and three other top Philippine destinations and Bali in his own country for a ‘mutual' potent tourism drive marketing both countries as leisure destinations in Asia. The ASEAN has recognized the importance of an integrated transport system in the region to enhance and strengthen competitiveness in the global market. As a member state, the Philippines supports the establishment of an ASEAN economic community as a single market and production base defined by free movement of goods, services and investments within the 10-country region. The ASEAN Transport Facilitation Working Group met in Cebu last October. Each member country will host the bi-annual meetings of the TFWG in two years. This is the last year that the Philippines hosts the ASEAN meetings, with Bohol as the proud venue, until all the other member states shall have taken their turns in years to come. Reversely said, the ASEAN transport meetings, after the Bohol hosting, will take place in the Philippines again but some 20 years yet from now. (Ven rebo Arigo)