The Carood Watershed has taken shape through the years primarily because of the people who managed it since 2003 and the regional convergence initiatives’ efforts to develop the watershed areas.

The Carood Watershed Model Forest Management Council (CWMFMC) was established not for political reasons but to address the concerns of the seven municipalities in Bohol, namely,  Alicia, Anda, Candijay, Guindulman, Mabini, Pilar, and Ubay.

Governor Erico Aumentado issued Executive Order No. 30 series of 2003, which created the CWMFC outlining the issues of deforestation in the headwaters, soil erosion, low productivity, inadequate supply of potable water, and solid waste management.

Since then the CWFMC has faithfully performed its task to protect the watershed. A solution seen was to reforest the denuded areas using the community-based strategy. A community-based approach mainly capacitates people at risk to play a central role in determining how others assist them in the risk they face. 

Mayor Constantino Reyes, who is a three-termer chairman of the CWMFMC has worked closely with the Regional Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (RCI-SRD) Central Visayas since the RCI was launched in 2017.

In 2022, the DA registered the biggest allocated budget for the Carood Convergence Area with 5,718 farmers receiving P 5,000 each for rice subsidy which the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Central Visayas program of the DA intends to alleviate the poverty of the marginalized farmers specifically addressing the needs of corn farmers in Mabini, Bohol.

The Department of Environment and  Natural Resources’ investment in the Carood reached P10M this year. Included in the agency’s investment is the spring development project in Mabini. The infrastructure is known as the life of the farmers who depend on their livelihood in the watershed areas, without the spring development project the farmers will never succeed in their endeavors.

The DENR’s focus on reforestation is highlighted in the annual activities which included the protection and maintenance of the established plantations in Carood.

The Department of Agrarian Reforms’ financial contribution to Carood may be small, but the technical staff’s presence in building the social infrastructure cannot be understated. DAR’s assistance in strengthening the agrarian reform beneficiaries has firmed up the societal fabric among the farmers in Carood.

The Department of Interior and Local Government Central Visayas contribution to the sustainable development of Carood consists of establishing a potable water supply for the residents.  Potable water supply provides convenience to women who do most of the household chores and to children who are susceptible to water-borne diseases.

Indeed the Carood watershed convergence has taken shape to become one of the country’s most sustainable regional watershed convergence. ###