Davao Region Aims For 6.5% Growth

Davao region aims for 6.5% GDP in 2010, says Neda Regions Written by Hiyas Diwata D. Valdenor / Correspondent WEDNESDAY, 27 MAY 2009 23:34 THE Davao region is eyeing to increase its gross domestic product to 5.9 percent this year and 6.5 percent in 2010, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Regional Development Council (RDC). RDC XI chairman Vicente Lao said the region’s performance and development targets are vital to measuring its accomplishments. These targets were listed in the Davao Region Development Plan 2008-10. The region adopted 30-bottomline indicators and targets to be monitored by the council in the plan’s last two years. The indicators reflect the region’s status and socio-economic development conditions and correspond to strategic outcomes that are cited in the Regional Development Plan for 2004-10. These include job creation through economic growth, social development through direct poverty reduction measures, improved physical planning and sustainable management of the environment, improved infrastructure and logistics support, and good governance. “For the remaining plan period, national government agencies and the local government units shall endeavor to implement the necessary programs and projects in partnership with the private sector and civil society organizations, in order to achieve the targets set,” the Neda RDC said in a statement. RDC XI vice chairman and Neda regional director Maria Lourdes Lim said the goals are achievable but not without challenges especially in lowering the region’s poverty incidence to 17.5 percent next year. Lim said the biggest challenge in development planning is not in the initial stage of implementation but in sustaining the gains to the end and beyond the plan period. The development plan aims to create 130,000 and 145,000 jobs in 2009 and 2010, respectively; expand investments by 12 percent annually and exports 10 percent in the next two years; and reduce malnutrition to less than 9 percent in 2010. The plan also seeks to reduce maternal deaths to 90 per 100,000 live births in 2010; increase school participation rate to 93.5 percent; reforest an average of 3,274 hectares annually; construct 2,622.8 kilometers of road in the next two years; and energize and provide all

households access to potable water. The RDC also said the plan also provides for the construction of irrigation facilities to cover an additional 43,533 hectares, as well as easing local government unit reliance on the Internal Revenue Allotment by 55 percent in 2010; and improving the crime- solution efficiency rate to at least 95 percent. To further promote development in the region, RDC XI endorsed public investments amounting to over P17 billion to the national government during the review of budget proposals for the fiscal year 2010. Around P5 billion of the amount is slated to go to the social sector, P800 million for state universities and colleges, and P1 billion for the economic sector. Administrative development will receive P160 million and infrastructure P11 billion. Lim said the budget-review guidelines would guide the region’s agencies and schools, universities and colleges in preparing for their budget proposals.

DTI confident to meet Davao's target growth By Carlo P. Mallo

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Southern Mindanao office is confident the region will meet the economic growth target set by the Regional Development Council for 2009, which has been pegged at 5.9 percent. In an interview with Sun.Star Davao, lawyer Lucky Siegfred Balleque, officer-in-charge of the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center of DTI, said that based on the economic indicators of the region, it is not impossible to reach economic growth target this year. "The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ. "Unless external factors which we totally have no control of affect the economic growth (unprecedentedly), we can meet the target of 5.9 percent," Balleque said. Balleque said that with the cooperation of the private sector and concerned government agencies, Southern Mindanao will have an economic growth of as much as 5.9 percent for 2009, despite the on-going global financial crisis. "Hopefully we can achieve that target," Balleque said. Earlier, RDC-Southern Mindnanao, the highest planning and policy making body in Davao Region, approved the region's development target for 2009, which is at 5.9 percent. Early this year, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) and the RDC started the

groundwork for plan benchmarking or target setting activity together with the RDC Sectoral Committees. These development bottomlines represent the status and condition of the socio-economic development of the region and correspond to strategic outcomes that are cited in the Regional Development Plan for 2004-2010, which are as follows: increased job creation through economic growth, social development through direct poverty reduction measures, improved physical planning and sustainable management of the environment, improved infrastructure and logistics support, and good governance. Moreover, the council is urging the region's stakeholders to contribute to the achievement of the region's development targets: bring down poverty incidence to 17.5 percent in 2010; create 130,000 and 145,000 jobs in 2009 and 2010, respectively; expand investments by 12 percent annually and exports by 10 percent in the next two years; further reduce malnutrition to less than nine percent in 2010; reduce maternal deaths to 90 per 100,000 live births in 2010; increase school participation rate to 93.5 percent; reforest an average of 3,274 hectares annually; construct 2,622.8 kilometers of road in the next two years; energize and provide all households with access to water facilities; construct irrigation facilities to cover an additional 43,533 hectares; ease up LGU reliance on the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) by 55 percent in 2010; and improve the crime solution efficiency rate to at least 95 percent. RDC chair Vicente Lao said that assessing the region's performance and setting development targets are vital in measuring the accomplishments of the region. Thus, for the remaining plan period, he said National Government agencies and the local government units shall endeavor to implement the necessary programs and projects, in partnership with the private sector and civil society organizations, in order to achieve the targets set.