THE Negros Occidental Provincial Development Council (PDC) Executive Committee (Execom) has endorsed to the Regional Development Council (RDC) - Western Visayas almost P2 billion worth of infrastructure projects for the province in 2020.
Execom member representing the business sector Frank Carbon said the endorsement was made by the PDC chaired by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson during a meeting at his office in Bacolod City on Friday, March 6.
Carbon, also the chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said the amount covers infrastructure projects in three districts of Negros Occidental.
These are P699 million in Fifth District, P320 million in Sixth District and P923 million in Fourth District.
"Most of these projects are construction, rehabilitation and expansion of roads and bridges as well as other government structures," he said, adding that RDC-Western Visayas will take these up to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas.
The business leader also said that earlier in 2020, during its previous meeting, the PDC also endorsed to RDC-Western Visayas various infrastructure projects also amounting to about P2 billion particularly for the First, Second and Third Districts of the province.
The endorsement from RDC will be the "details" to be used by the national government agencies, the DPWH in this case, to allocate funds for the projects per region through Special Allotment Release Order (Saro), Carbon said.
The local business sector is positive that these infrastructure projects to be realized this year, will spur developments towards the rural areas.
Carbon stressed that there is currently an "unbalanced development" as all investments and employment are concentrated in the urban area.
He said social problems have been "transferred" to urban areas as manifested by growing number of informal settlers especially in the city's shoreline barangays.
“The cost in rural areas is getting bigger as there's an increase in requirement for housing and healthcare services, among others,” Carbon added.
"There's no production in the rural and agricultural areas where the water and land are abundant," he said, adding that infrastructures like irrigation and farm-to-market roads should be expanded outside the urban centers so investments can be brought there.