The 1st Bohol Water Summit – “Protecting Bohol’s Water Resources” which was held last July 23, 2007 at Metro Center Hotel marked a significant day in the history of the province as 160 Boholanos gathered and joined hands for the protection of the island’s water resources. 

The summit highlighted the State of Bohol Water Address (SOBOWA) delivered by Governor Erico Aumentado calling all Boholanos to play an active role in sustaining the water resources for the next generations to come.  In his SOBOWA, he said that the province is faced with the challenge of balancing the needs of the economy, the needs of the people and the needs of the environment.    

As a sign of commitment, Governor Aumentado signed the Executive Order (E.O.) creating the Bohol Integrated Water Resources Management Board (BIWRB) who will ensure that the water resources and sanitation activities of the province will be managed and sustained well.  The signing was witnessed by Mrs. Juliana Hinterberger (GTZ), Mr. Sam Zappia (Australian Embassy), Mr. David Goodwins (LGDP, AusAID) and His Excellency Australian Ambassador Tony Hely.

The summit was jointly organized by the Province of Bohol, GTZ Water and Sanitation Program and the AusAID Local Governance Dev’t Program (LGDP).