Monday, December 17, 2007 S. Cotabato planners eye P108M investments By Allen V. Estabillo
DEVELOPMENT planners in South Cotabato have proposed for some P108 million worth of investments for next year for various development projects in the province's 10 towns and lone city.
The proposed investments were based on the 2008 Annual Investment Plan (AIP) approved by the Provincial Development Council (PDC), the province's highest development policy-making body.
South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes, PDC chair, said the approved AIP covers programs and projects for human development, environment development, economic development, infrastructure development and development administration.
She said the bulk of the proposed investments will go to infrastructure development with an appropriation of more than P55 million.
Human development received an allocation of P32.406 million while economic development got P8.614 million, environment development with P8.607 million and development administration wit P2.944 million.
Under the infrastructure component, Fuentes said they set aside P36 million for the delivery of basic services and the repair and maintenance of provincial roads and bridges.
The Provincial Government has also appropriated around P5 million as counterpart fund for foreign-assisted and several special projects being implemented in the province.
The governor said they also approved the allocation of an additional P5 million next year for the third phase of the Lake Sebu Tourism Development Project.
She said the project involves the upgrading and installation of various facilities at identified tourism destinations in Lake Sebu town, among them the famed Seven Falls and the town's three lakes.
Early this year, the Provincial Government allocated P4 million for the opening of an access road leading to waterfalls one and two.
The development initiative for the seven waterfalls was an offshoot of a partnership between the local governments of the area and the government of New Zealand, which invested on building the capacity of local residents and leaders on the management of the area's environs.
Aside from the New Zealand, the area was also included as among pilot beneficiaries of the replication program of the European Union-funded Upland Development Program.
