TACLOBAN CITY – The Regional Development Council (RDC) is hopeful that Cabinet secretaries will consider the PHP193.7 billion proposed budget for various development activities in Eastern Visayas next year.
National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Bonifacio Uy, the region’s RDC vice chair, confirmed that the list of proposed projects and activities with funding requests have already been forwarded to Cabinet secretaries.
“We hope that secretaries will support by including the project in the budget proposal of their departments because these are the needs of the region to attain development,” Uy told PNA in a mobile phone interview Friday.
Of the PHP193.7 billion funds endorsed by the region’s highest policy-making body, PHP94.8 billion will be for social services, PHP89.5 for infrastructure and utilities projects, PHP8.8 billion for economic development sector, , and PHP667 million for development administration sector.
“These priority programs and projects support the development thrusts along economic, infrastructure, social, and development administration advancement as proposed by different stakeholders,” Uy added.
They are aligned with the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2017-2022, the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, as well as the 0 to 10 Socioeconomic Agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The early review of priority PPAs seeks to strengthen the link between the regional plan and the plans of the line agencies and state universities, and improve their respective operational plans.
The RDC, the region’s highest policymaking body approved the new RDP during its full council meeting late last year.
Eastern Visayas or Region 8 is the third poorest among 18 regions in the country. As of 2015, the region’s poverty incidence among families is pegged at 30.7 percent, which means that three out of every 10 families in the region are poor.
However, in 2016, its Gross Regional Domestic Product grew by 12.4 percent, the fastest growing region in the country, offsetting economic losses incurred from super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
For 2018 to 2022, the average target economic growth is 5.8 percent to 7 percent. (Sarwell Meniano/PNA)
