THE British Government has approved to fund a project in Bohol on strengthening local governance for sustainable economic growth and effective service delivery. British Ambassador Peter Beckingham met March 14 with the Bohol Local Development Foundation, the implementing NGO, headed by former Tagbilaran City Mayor Jose Ma. Rocha, BLDF chairman, and Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, founder and president.

Ambassador Beckingham was in the province in connection with the visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The project seeks to further build on existing capacities of 48 local government units in the province to deliver basic services to target households, as well as involve the latter in activities designed to promote local economic growth. It is among priority projects under the Bohol Program Framework on Poverty Reduction formulated under the administration of Gov. Erico B. Aumentado. Beneficiary households will be identified through a state-of-the-art poverty targeting and mapping software developed jointly by BLDF and the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) headed by Atty. Juanito G. Cambangay.

Ambassador Beckingham said he was impressed by the presentation on the software by Dr. Pestelos and Atty. Cambangay. The LPRAP (Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan) Software makes possible the identification and ranking of municipalities, barangays, puroks and households based on 12 core poverty indicators.

These indicators include: education (school dropouts); health (malnutrition; child mortality; sanitation); unemployment; water source; income, meal and food thresholds; housing; tenure status. Information on access to electricity; disability and illiteracy has been included recently in the household survey in response to the requests of various government agencies and NGOs. Designed and field-tested two years ago by VSO Anthony Irving and Arnold Seloterio, BLDF database management specialist, the software has been installed in around 50% of the municipal LGUs.

British assistance will enable the conduct of the household poverty survey in the rest of the municipalities, validate the data collected and encoded in selected municipalities, and further upgrade the software in relation to increasing demands for greater monitoring of projects and their impact at household and local community levels. The project will enable BLDF to establish a Local Governance Support Office in cooperation with PPDO, the Center for Local Governance of Holy Name University and all the LGUs in the province. Dr. Pestelos said the LGSO will provide systematic support to LGUs to replicate the household poverty survey methodology, install a poverty database unit for poverty-focused project development and monitoring, and ensure that poor households are reached by basic services and timely assistance for their economic activities. As a resource facility, the LGSO will sponsor an Annual Development Forum to enable donors to match their assistance with priority needs identified by LGUs and local communities in working jointly for adequate and prompt service delivery and create preconditions for economic growth.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham is met at the Tagbilaran City airport by Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, founding president of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF). Amb. Beckingham arrived March 14 in Bohol province in connection with the visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The British Government has approved a project to be implemented by BLDF which seeks to build on capacities of LGUs to carry out initiatives based on the poverty targeting and mapping software developed by BLDF in cooperation with the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham (left) is shown here with former Tagbilaran City Mayor Jose Ma. Rocha, chair of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF), and Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, BLDF founding president. Amb. Beckingham visited the BLDF office March 14 to inform the Foundation about the approval of a project submitted by the Foundation on strengthening local governance for sustainable economic growth and effective service delivery.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham (left) visited last March 14 the office of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF) in Tagbilaran City . The British Government has approved funding for a project to be implemented by BLDF which seeks to strengthen capacities of local government units to facilitate economic growth and effective service delivery among disadvantaged local communities and households. BLDF has developed a software for targeting disadvantaged groups in cooperation with the Bohol Provincial Planning and Development Office.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham, second from left, talks with Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, founding president of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF), Atty. Juanito G. Cambangay, Bohol Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator (right) and Anthony Irving, VSO Information Technology Specialist (second from left), during the Ambassador's visit to the BLDF office in Tagbilaran City. Amb. Beckingham was in Tagbilaran March 14 in connection with the visit of New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The British Government has approved a project on strengthening local governance for sustainable economic growth and effective service delivery for the 48 local government units in Bohol . BLDF will implement the project in cooperation with the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham (center) talks with Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, founding president of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF) and former Tagbilaran Mayor Jose Ma. Rocha, during the Ambassador's visit March 14 to the BLDF office. The British Government has approved a project on strengthening local governance for sustainable economic growth and effective service delivery for the 48 local government units in Bohol . BLDF will implement the project in cooperation with the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

British Ambassador Peter Beckingham, seated right, poses with the staff of the Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF) during his visit March 14 at the BLDF office in Tagbilaran City . Also shown in photo are former Tagbilaran Mayor Jose Ma. Rocha (seated), BLDF chair, Atty. Juanito G. Cambangay, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator (first from left) and Dr. Nestor M. Pestelos, second from left, founding president of BLDF. The British Government has approved a project on strengthening local governance for sustainable economic growth and effective service delivery for the 48 local government units in Bohol . BLDF will implement the project in cooperation with the Provincial Planning and Development Office.