Bohol culture has captured the heart of the 9-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On the 156th Bohol Day on July 22, the province was formally declared as the ASEAN Culture Capital for the month of July, the fifth in the series, with Pampanga as the first. Before Bohol was Batangas.
However, Gov. Edgar M. Chatto also marked the proud day as Bohol's "Day of Friendship" and "Day of Hope" because the province is definitely "ready to embrace the Philippines and the rest of the world" for it is a "major contributor to the tourism sector of which we are leading."
The governor accepted the ASEAN flag from Dr. Hubert Gijzen, regional director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNESCO Commssioner for Culture Ma. Guidote-Alvares and Dr. Vilma Labrador, undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and chairperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
It was also noted during their visit that every year, specifically on March 21-27, is observed the UNESCO - International Theatre institute (ITI) World Theater Week in the Philippines pursuant to Presidential Proclamation (PD) No. 1262.
