11/08/2026
WEEKDAYS-OUT: Building Worthwhile Learning Experiences - MPDO Kolambuganโs journey to the Mystic Island of Siquijor ๐โด๏ธโด๏ธโด๏ธ
The journey of the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO) of Kolambugan from Plaridel to Siquijor represents a deliberate blend of benchmarking, strategic observation, and team cohesion. Billed as a "work with pleasure" learning dynamic, this travel narrative captures how exposure to Siquijorโs unique governance, tourism ecosystem, and environmental management offers an experiential blueprint that Kolambugan can replicate back home.
๐บ๏ธ The Route: From Plaridel to Siquijor
The journey begins with the logistics of transition. Moving from the coastal terrain of Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, the team crosses the Mindanao Sea toward the island province of Siquijor.
The Transit Transition: The physical movement via ferry and road networks serves as the first planning lesson. Observing port operations, inter-island connectivity, and tourist handling at entry points provides immediate insights into how gatekeeping and hospitality infrastructure affect local economies.
The Siquijor Context: Siquijor, known historically for its mystical reputation, has successfully rebranded itself into a pristine, eco-tourism powerhouse. For an MPDO team, entering this ecosystem shifts the perspective from theoretical land-use planning to observing live, functional spatial management.
๐ผ The Work: Planning Insights and Replicable Models
The core objective of the travel is not just benchmarking but a way of gaining learning experiences that like Kolambugan, the Municipality of Siquijor is also a 3rd class municipality receiving the similar NTA share each year. With that, Siquijorโs development model offers several high-value strategies that the Kolambugan MPDO can adapt to its own local government framework:
1. Eco-Tourism Infrastructure and Zoning
Siquijor has mastered the art of low-impact, high-value tourism. Places like Cambugahay Falls and the coastal stretches of San Juan demonstrate strict zoning laws where commercial establishments are built to respect natural topographies.
Kolambugan Application: Kolambugan can replicate these strict zoning templates for its own natural assets, ensuring that future municipal developments protect water catchments and coastal zones before commercial exploitation begins.
2. Heritage Conservation as an Economic Driver
From the historic Lazi Convent to the centuries-old Balete tree, Siquijor integrates cultural heritage directly into its municipal income generation. The local government units (LGUs) maintain these sites seamlessly.
Kolambugan Application: The MPDO can look into preserving and commercializing Kolambugan's own historical narratives or older structures, transforming local history into organized community-based tourism.
3. Solid Waste and Environmental Management
One of the most striking features of Siquijor to a municipal planner is the cleanliness of its highways and public spaces. This is driven by strict local ordinances, active community monitoring, and a deeply ingrained culture of tourism preservation.
Kolambugan Application: Replicating Siquijorโs strict implementation of solid waste management at the barangay level by establishing functional materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and localized plastic bans.
4. The Gender Perspective
Livelihood opportunities in the areas reflect the essential role of women in a thriving economy most seen in the souvenir itemsโ shops and food services. Much so, the visibility of the marginalized sector to thrive just like the peopleโs organizations and cooperatives also count to the economic vibrance of the place. This is evidently shown with a gasoline station run by a cooperative.
5. The Historical Connectivity
The courtesy visit with Mayor Adam Samson Duhaylungsod , the Local Chief Executive of the Municipality of Siquijor paved the way in filling the missing piece of Kolambuganโs political history. His great grandfather happened to be one of the Mayors of Kolambugan. He was the late Mayor Romulo Samson leading the town of Kolambugan in 1960s. This new-found information completes the political history written in the updated Ecological Profile of Kolambugan.
6. Reconnecting co-Kolambuganons
It is indeed a small world after all. The MPDO team reconnected with a home-grown Kolambuganon, the former Punong Barangay of Austin Heights at the same time the former Sangguniang Bayan Member of the Municipality of Kolambugan โKons Domar Endrinaโ who warmly accommodated us in his humble home and newly established home-stay entity at Barangay Tongo, Siquijor named as Pearly Shell. The team was the first-user to the said place. Together with his supportive wife Maโam Richie, the team simply feels a home away from home. The team also met other Kolambuganons settling in the area namely Edgar and Dexter.
๐น The Pleasure: Team Cohesion and Experiential Learning
A "work with pleasure" framework recognizes that the best planning ideas rarely come from sitting in a conference room. They emerge when team members experience a space as consumers and observers simultaneously.
Shared Perspective: Swimming in the turquoise waters, traversing the island's clean highways, and interacting with local operators allows the MPDO team to feel what a "successful municipal product" looks like.
Breaking Silos: Traveling together strips away office hierarchies. The casual evening debriefs over local seafood become organic brainstorming sessions where planners and staff align their visions for Kolambugan's future.
๐ The Blueprint for Kolambugan
Ultimately, the journey from Plaridel to Siquijor serves as a mirror. It forces the MPDO to look at Kolambugan not just as a map of coordinates, but as an evolving canvas. By taking Siquijorโs lessons in eco-zoning, community-led cleanliness, and heritage integration, and combining them with the team synergy built during the trip, the MPDO returns equipped to draft plans that are not just compliant on paper, but transformative in practice
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