TUBIGON.- The delegation of public officials from the City of Pangkalpinang, Indonesia headed by Mayor Karim embarked on an exchange visit program funded by the Partnership for Democratic Local Governance in Southeast Asia (DELGOSEA) in cooperation with its Philippine partner, the Local Government Development Foundation (LOGODEF) on July 4-8, 2011. Pangkalpinang is the largest town in the Indonesian island of Bangka and the capital of the province of Bangka-Belitung. It is located on Bangka's eastern coast. is one of the major ports on the Java Sea, and tin , pepper , fish , and copra are exported from here. There is a producing industry of coastal vessels here, and deep-sea fishing in the Java Sea is important for the town. The “Partnership for Democratic Local Governance in Southeast-Asia (DELGOSEA)” was launched in March 2010 and is co-funded by the European Commission  and the  Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)  of Germany through the German Ministry for Development Cooperation. The project is a network of Local Government Associations (LGAs), local authorities, non-government organizations and academic institutions in  Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, focusing on transnational exchange of sustainable good governance practices in four main areas: people’s participation in planning and decision-making; institutional governance; urban environment; and fiscal management and investment promotion strategies.

The Indonesian mayor Zulkarnain Karim Salim arrived at the Tubigon Municipal Hall Monday afternoon. Comprising his team are the First Lady Sunarsin Abdulrazak, Gamar Hasanalhamid, Budi Dharmasetiawan, Saraulianto Sardi, Catharina Kritiatmin, Hasan Boenardi, Sunada Abdulkarimasalim, Riawan Damanik, Muhammad Yasser, Sunardi, Wibinastiti Indah, Mutianastiti Indah, Mutiahsari Irma and LOGODEF’s Antionio Avila. They were welcomed by Mayor William Jao and other department heads. Municipal Planning Officer Noel Mendana gave them an overview of the municipality as well as the Indonesian delegates did their share in presenting the profile of their city. The focal point of the discussion is the municipality’s initiative on its Marine Culture (MariCulture), Coastal Resource Management (CRM) and Conservation. On the second day of their visit, the delegates were given a chance to see for themselves the projects initiated by the municipality through its people’s organization. First stop was the Pangapasan Mariculture Site for its grouper culture and breeding. The Macaas Bangus Offshore Culture proved be a learning experience for the visitors as they interacted with the baranggay and people’s organizations.

The areas of discussion included local legislations/policies for project implementation, government support to the project, strategies for encouraging support for the community, project location, design and human resources. On the third day, the Batasan Island Aquarium Fishery Project and Island Mangrove Plantation and Bilang-bilangan Bangus Offshore Culture taught the delegates strategies for successful implementation in the area, mobilizing community participation, and the project’s impact to the community. The last day served to be an integration of what they have learned during their five-day visit to Tubigon where they interviewed the mayor about his plans and vision on the said project. The send-off lunch held at Matabao Beach Resort capped the activity. “ We are very fortunate grateful to the Municipality of Tubigon for opening their doors to us and we assure that we would do our best to replicate the things we have learned from your municipality in Pangkalpinang”, relates Mutiahsari Irma from the Pangkalpinang delegation.