The Ateneo de Naga University has been involved in the preparation and development of the Municipal Tourism Development Plans (MTDP) of the 8 member LGUs of the Metro Naga Development Council (MNDC). Four faculty members from the Ateneo de Naga University were involved and referred to as coaches namely: Dr. Malu C. Barcillano, Director of Center for Local Governance (CLG); Dr. Michael A. Cuesta, Director of Ateneo Social Science Research Center (ASSRC); Rolan Jon G. Bulao, MA, Chairperson of the Social Sciences Department; and Emmanuel Vito C. Abejero, faculty member of the Social Sciences Department. They were assigned to assist and coach the following LGUs: Naga, Canaman, Magarao, Milaor, San Fernando, Pamplona, Pasacao, and Libmanan in coming up with their own Municipal/City Tourism Development Plans.

Rolan Jon G. Bulao (left) during the Input Orientation; the coaches from AdNU with the LGSP-LED Consultant (center photo);
and the LGSP-LED logo with its partners (right)

On 15-16 January 2014 a workshop session was held at Eurasian Paradise Resort in Pasacao, Camarines Sur. Bulao served as the lead facilitator while the other three assisted the LGUs in coming up with ideas that will support their plans.

The last segment focused on the actual coaching sessions by the coaches in their assigned LGUs. AdNU’s involvement started on January 2014 and ended on March 2014.

The Ateneo de Naga University’s involvement together with Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation-Naga Campus was initiated by Nicolas Beda Priela, the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) Project Consultant for MNDC, in order to assist other LGUs of MNDC in developing their own Tourism Plans from which they can identify additional investment projects that can be linked to the MNDC Tourism Circuits.

 by Jay P. Abawag