The NEDA Regional Office (NRO) VIII conducted the AmBisyon Natin 2040 Conference for more than 200 faculty and students from state universities and colleges (SUCs) and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Leyte, as part of a series of fora and advocacy activities for AmBisyon Natin 2040. The event was held last January 12 at Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City.
The AmBisyon Natin 2040 represents the collective long-term vision and aspirations of Filipinos for themselves and for the country for the next 25 years. It will serve as an anchor for development planning across at least four administrations
In his message, Regional Director (RD) Bonifacio G. Uy of NRO VIII shared the positive developments in the region, including the reduction of poverty incidence by 6.5 percentage point in 2015 despite the lingering impact of typhoon Yolanda. He added that the government has lined up programs and projects that will support the long-term vision. “There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic. However, the realization of the vision still requires equal measures of cooperation, determination and hard work of various stakeholders, especially the youth, who are the successors of actions in realizing the Filipinos’ long-term vision and aspirations,” he added.
The NRO VIII also presented the draft Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan 2017-2022, as the first medium-term plan that will steer the region in attaining the Filipinos’ long-term vision and aspirations embodied in the AmBisyon Natin 2040.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) VIII RD Maura Consolacion D. Cristobal, on the other hand, presented the status of the higher education sector in the region and the highlights of the programs and projects of CHED to ensure quality higher education. She also encouraged the students to exercise excellence and efficiency to earn “real education” and make meaningful participation to attain the Filipinos’ long-term vision of “Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag na Buhay.”
Meanwhile, the participants shared their inputs and raised questions and clarifications on AmBisyon Natin 2040 and other development issues concerning the youth during the open forum.
Meliza Y. Bacolbas, DRD-NRO VIII
Photos by Mr. Benedicto Militante, EVSU-NRO VIII