Neri bats for balanced regional development

The government should push for a balanced approach in developing the regions in order to propel overall economic growth at a faster pace, the country’s top economic planner said.

"Balanced development among the country’s regions is key to achieving overall national growth," said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and National Economic and Development Authority Director General Romulo L. Neri.

He said aside from providing physical and digital infrastructure to boost countryside development, the administration needs to likewise enhance the synergy between the national and local government units (LGUs) to achieve overall growth.

"Given that we are an archipelagic state, our islands have to be interconnected by good transport and communication networks that will open up new economic opportunities, reduce transportation and transaction costs of doing business, and increase access to social services," he stressed.

He emphasized that this interconnection will strengthen the socioeconomic, cultural and political linkages between and among regions that will eventually decentralize progress and bring development to the countryside.

Neri added the need to encourage entrepreneurship through the One-Town Program or OTOP, among others, as a way to advance trade and investments in the regions. "The program entails developing and supporting a product or service where a town has competitive advantage."

OTOP interventions include the provision of a comprehensive package of assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), converging services of LGUs, National Government agencies and the private sector.

Neri said agricultural development is another way to reduce rural poverty as this can be done by addressing production bottlenecks in agriculture and its inherent vulnerabilities. "What is needed is a more holistic approach that is why we are now promoting agribusiness to substantially expand the production base and to raise productivity that is parallel with the regional norm."

NEDA Region IV-B director Oskar O. Balbastro likewise urged local government officials to improve the quality of coordination and partnership between NEDA and the LGUs.

Balbastro said the synergy of efforts at the national and local levels is crucial in the fulfillment of the medium-term goals, as contained in the 2004-2010 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and the 2005-2010 Medium-Term Regional Development Plans (MTRDPs).

"NROs (national regional offices) and the LGUs could work together in developing projects that would create jobs and promote local economic development. We can tie up with LGUs in certain activities, such as project development assistance, investment promotion, knowledge management networking, and capability-building for LGUs," he said.

NEDA could give technical assistance in project development while the LGUs can provide manpower and logistics support and the required counterpart funds.

NEDA can also assist LGUs in tapping alternative financing schemes such as BOT (build-operate-transfer) and other forms of public-private sector partnership schemes.

Modernizing physical infrastructure and logistics system at the least cost to ensure efficient movement of goods and people should also be a responsibility of the LGUs, not just of the National Government.