2030. One key issue stressed during yesterday’s strategic planning workshop for the BCDS (Bohol Center for Development Studies) was the need to “coordinate” the activities of Filipino and foreign consultants doing research in Bohol. They actually come and go without anyone in provincial government knowing their TOR and the results of their research. Most of them get data from offices such as PPDO, BEMO, CCAD, but they never bother to submit any copy of their research findings so that these can be used somehow to improve development-related database.

In recent months, we have had consultants and researchers asking information and borrowing reports from PPDO. They promised to give copies of their research outputs in return. Well, you have guessed it, they have not turned up to date. Worst, their respective host agencies have told us they had left weeks ago. These agencies were not also given any report on their research at all. They also reported during the workshop that they had to assign staff to accompany the researchers, who had to do their assignment at their own expense.

We have been told informally that foreign consultants are doing research in various parts of the province. Nobody knows what they are up to. In recent memory, an Italian consultant from FAO and a Japanese researcher obtained data from our files and promised to touch base with us later; then they just disappeared. Not a phone call nor email from them.

The BCDS will probably draft an executive order to compel these researchers to at least discuss their TORs and submit to the provincial government copies of their reports. Probably the EO will help make the researchers have some respect for us.

Which reminds us of some consultants who come here, do their assignments (not necessarily research), promise to keep us at least posted on what happens after all the consultations, field visits and validation missions … and then they do not even bother to inform us on what happens to the proposed project. In one case, we happened to know through a third party that the proposed micro-credit is already being implemented in Mindanao. Can they at least spare us the agony of a long wait? Even consultants should know basic courtesy.

Yes, this is how shabbily we are being treated by donors. And they endlessly talk about partnership in their glossy brochures.