The NEDA Regional Office in Central Visayas (NRO VII) launched the Regional Development Plan (RDP) and conducted a roadshow for the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) for 2017-2022 in Cebu last August 4.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia led the event’s panel of speakers that also included NRO VII Regional Director (RD) Efren B. Carreon and officials from the regional line agencies.
The event with the theme: Aksyon Alang Sa Ambisyon: Our Accountability, Your Partnership, was held in Tandang Sora and Samuel MacClintock Halls of the Cebu Normal University.
Bringing the idea of the PDP closer to home, Pernia said that while Central Visayas is doing good economically, it can still do better if Cebu takes the lead and if the strategies laid out in the Central Visayas RDP are followed.
“If the performance of Central Visayas in the last six years can be sustained and even improved on, its share to the national gross domestic product (GDP) will naturally grow relative to the other regions,” he said.
He also said that it is important for the public to support and help ensure that the strategies in both Plans are implemented. “The PDP and RDP are the people’s plans and with better services, facilities and infrastructure in place, people can be productive members of society,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, NRO VII RD Carreon presented the CV RDP and said that he is optimistic that if targets in the RDP are met, the region will continue to perform well and maintain its position as one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
The RDP focuses on improving connectivity among island provinces in CV and with the rest of the country, which could be boosted with the implementation of port improvement projects and bridges.
Other targets under the CV RDP include an average annual gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate of 7.5-8.0 percent, average annual employment rate of 93.5 percent and poverty incidence of 17.6 percent by 2022. The RDP gives importance to the expansion of tourism, manufacturing, IT-BPM, and creative industries as economic drivers.
The RDP also spells out programs on poverty alleviation and activities that seek to promote access to economic opportunities, health, education and skills.
Meanwhile, speakers from the line agencies including agencies that set up booths were clustered according to the development thrusts of Malasakit, Pagbabago, and Patuloy na Pag-unlad.
For Malasakit, Civil Service Commission VII RD Editha D. Luzano spoke about the agency’s initiatives that help cultivate thrust in public institutions and in fellow Filipinos. For the Pagbabago, Department of Trade and Industry-Cebu Provincial Director Ma. Elena C. Arbon talked about activities that could bring about inequality-reducing transformation. Department of Science and Technology 7 Director Edilberto L. Paradela, on the other hand, talked about how they could help in the Patuloy na Pag-unlad thrust by undertaking programs that promote science, technology and innovation.
All the speakers and participants signed the “commitment wall” as a manifestation of their support for the PDP and RDP. This was followed by the regional launch of both the PDP and RDP wherein copies were distributed to select participants.
Moreover, around 21 agencies took part in the Government–Beneficiaries Interaction, where they set up booths that showcased their services and programs that could help contribute to the achievement of the PDP and RDP targets.
NEDA Central Visayas
Photos by Central Visayas