Advancing Panglao’s Tourism thru the CALD Smart Mobility Project

“Panglao is endowed with stunning beaches, an incredible marine bio-diversity, exquisite corals and sea life, and a hard-to-discover school of tropical fish…Because of this, tourism serves as the foundation of our vibrant and progressive local economy and is indeed its main economic driver,” said Vice Mayor Noel Hormachuelos of the Municipality of Panglao in Bohol, Philippines during the opening of the CALD Local Government Workshop on Smart Mobility.

Panglao was the first stop for the CALD Smart Mobility Project’s aim to extend technical assistance in developing smart mobility plans to local governments.

With the theme “Transforming Smart Mobility Ideas into Local Government Solutions,” CALD convened the local officials and stakeholders on 12-15 October 2023, through the efforts of Councilor Dennis Hora of the Liberal Party of the Philippines, to identify mobility challenges and assess the needs of the communities.

The first order of business was site visits and sectoral consultations to observe the state of transportation in the locality and to identify “hot spots” or areas where transportation issues were most present.

According to Vice Mayor Hormachuelos, “Despite the fact that tourism is the primary driver of our economy, we could not draw in more visitors if our transportation system is inefficient, inconvenient, or ineffective.”

Among the key issues raised during the consultations included: the lack of regular and reliable public transport; lack of designated stops for public transport; lack of pedestrian infrastructure; lack of a comprehensive transportation network plan; drivers of public transport are not knowledgeable on traffic laws, rules and regulations; and public utility vehicles are not convenient and road-worthy; among others.

Sarah Arrojado, a transport specialist, said “Panglao has the potential to further boost its economy by enabling better access to places of interest and attracting more tourists through improving its transport system.”

In her presentation of the ideal public transport system, Arrojado emphasized on reliability, safety, accessibility, affordability, as well as convenience and comort, which can help increase access to good and services and help stimulate economic growth.

She added that, “As a start, making walking and cycling easier can already unlock several economic, health, and environmental benefits for everyone, whether you’re a local or a tourist. Integrating these in the long run to achieve an intermodal transport system can transform Panglao into a world-class destination that will set it apart from other tourist spots in the country.”

Through the input and guidance of experts on public transportation, active transportation, as well as local government and policy for transportation, the participants were able to identify potential interventions (benefits, plans, funding, executive and legislative requirements, stekholders and offices involved, and potential barriers) to the issues, which served as preliminary guide for Panglao’s transport plan.

“I truly believe that the plan that would come out from the workshop would serve as our guide in implementing the best practices in both public and active transportation, not only in our emerging town, but to the nearby local government units as well. May this shift in focus, from private to public, find its ground for the benefit of the public at large and not only of the privileged private individuals,” said Councilor Hora, who also participated in CALD’s smart mobility event in Jakarta, Indonesia last July 2023.

The CALD Smart Mobility Project serves as a platform for liberal local governements to push for urban and rural mobility systems that put people at the heart of the solution. Apart from the municipality of Panglao, CALD will also work with the municipality of San Mateo, Rizal for its own transportation and mobility plans before heading to neighboring countries in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

In his closing message, CALD Secretary General Francis “Blue” Abaya said “What transpired here in Panglao in the past two days is crucial. It’s an important milestone in our Smart Mobility Project, which we launched last year, to push for opportunities to consolidate ideas and efforts in providing inclusive, safe, efficient, equitable, accessible, and sustainable transportation for the people.”

“This event, I hope, is a first of many discussions to come to further develop mobility plans and to sustain the exchange of ideas on new and revolutionary approaches to transportation,” Abaya added.

The workshop was organized with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) for Freedom and in partnership with AltMobility PH, a group of policy advocates promote sensible and humane transport policies which create a system that is safe, accessible, and dignified.