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Saturday, July 01, 2006
GMA ‘pledged’ P75B funding for supraregions
With President Arroyo expected to push for the creation of supraregions in her State of the Nation Address, local government heads of the proposed Central Philippines are scheduled to meet in Cebu within the next two weeks.
Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 Chairman and Oriental Negros Gov. George Arnaiz said yesterday that a P75-billion funding is among Arroyo’s promise to supraregions that will be created.
Arnaiz attended a meeting in Manila yesterday as the Visayas representative to the National Economic and Development Authority RDC committee.
He revealed that many governors already approved of the move although some insist on becoming part of a particular supraregion.
In the proposal, Central Visayas will be grouped with Regions 4, 5, 6, and 8 to comprise Central Philippines.
Documents furnished to participants of yesterday’s RDC 7 meeting say that the objectives of the proposal is to undertake development planning and consultation from a multi-regional perspective.
It will group regions into “super regions with economic features, market size, economies of scale and synergies that will be more attractive to public, private and multilateral sources of investment.”
It is also expected to help achieve a “seamless collaboration” between the national and local governments in drafting, deliberating and deciding on development plans.
Supraregions are also seen to help achieve a “timely, efficient and effective implementation” of projects through regular consultation.
They also ensure “top funding priority.”
“(Supraregions also helps) to better harness development support and investment from all sectors, including National Government agencies, financial institutions and corporations, local governments and officials, domestic and foreign business, nongovernment organizations and local communities,” read the document.
However, Arnaiz mentioned that the move is “a good practice in going to federalism.”
He assured the full council that RDCs will “continue to exist but the supraregion will be the mega-planning bodies.”
The meeting is expected to be held on July 6 or 7 but organizers are still finalizing the venue.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 1, 2006 issue)
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