Bohol’s Open Governance model took center stage in this year’s ASIA PACIFIC LEADERS FORUM ON OPEN GOVERNMENT in Jakarta, Indonesia last December 14.
The host country through Indonesia’s Ministry of Planning invited Governor Edgar M. Chatto to speak on Sub National Open Governance and its impact to development based on experience of Bohol province.
Gov. Chatto’s name was among the list of nominated speakers evaluated by the organizing committee in Jakarta.
Bohol’s innovations in Open Government both in executive and legislative branches and the strong endorsement of the Philippine government earned for him the slot to speak in the forum attended by over 500 delegates from Asia Pacific countries.
Also invited to speak in the Forum was DBM Secretary Ben Diokno, who spoke on Participatory Budgeting and COA Chairman Michael Aguinaldo who shared the Philippine experience in transparency policies.
The Philippine delegation was received warmly in Indonesia by Philippine Ambassador Maria Lumen B. Isleta and top officials of Liwayway Group of Companies owned by Amb. Carlos Chan, Richard Yu, and Kyle Sy.
The one-day trip of Gov. Chatto to Indonesia was his shortest foreign travel so far fully sponsored by the Indonesian government at no expense to the province of Bohol including that of his wife Balilihan Mayor Pureza Veloso Chatto who accompanied him.