GMA wants Central Phils. to be center of tourism and 'Green Philippines'

President Gloria Arroyo wants the Central Philippines, to which Cebu belongs, to become the Tourism Center and the Center of the new Green Philippines or Berdeng Pilipinas under the proposed creation of four "super regions" within the next five years.

"We need the leadership of Central Philippines to move the rest of the country to embrace this new clean, green Philippines," Arroyo said in her opening statement before the joint Cabinet and Regional Development Council-7 meeting at the Malacañang sa Sugbu yesterday morning.

According to Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri and RDC-7 chairman and Negros Oriental Governor George Arnaiz, this entails over P300 billion worth of projects and programs, as suggested by local chief executives from all over Central Philippines, who were each given equal chance to present their place's respective programs and projects to be included in the priority infrastructure agenda.

Arnaiz said the implementation of these priority projects might necessitate contribution from each of the LGUs in the Central Philippines Super Region.

However, he said the earlier information that he got from one member of the RDC-executive committee that Arroyo committed to shell out P75 billion for each of the four super regions during the first two meetings with the stakeholders of the North Luzon and Metro Luzon super regions was not discussed in the meeting yesterday.

He, nevertheless, said that since Arroyo already committed to put up funds for the first two super regions this could also be applicable to the Central Philippines and Mindanao.

In general, he said local chief executives were happy that they were finally allowed to air their concerns with Cabinet members and discuss things as a group.

Arnaiz said they were generally happy with Arroyo's confirmation of the long-recognized fact of Central Philippines being the tourism center in the country, adding that 55 percent of the total foreign tourist arrivals in the country are destined for Central Philippines, as presented during the National Economic Development Authority report of Neri.

Under Arroyo's plan to divide the country into four multi-regional investment and development areas, the regions that belong to the Central Philippines Super Region are Regions 4-B (MIMAROPA), 5 (Bicol), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas) and 8 (Eastern Visayas).

She emphasized that yesterday's joint meeting, the third of the series of four scheduled joint Cabinet and RDC meetings for the proposed creation of super regions, was purposely made to map out strategies to enhance the competitive advantage of the Central Philippines as the Tourism Center of the Philippines.

Pointed out as the tourism center in the country are the Visayas, Bicol, Palawan and Romblon, Camiguin and the Mindanao Islands of Dapitan and Siargao.

Arroyo said it is here in Central Philippines that vast coastal and marine resources can be found and which "made an excellent foundation for tourism".

As such, Arroyo said she wants to turn our coral reefs and beaches into national parks and international sanctuaries for eco-tourism and scientific research.

"I want our Tourism Center to be also the Center of the new Green Philippines or Berdeng Pilipinas, and I issue a call to action to make the new Green Philippines happen within the next five years," she said.

As part of her Green Philippines program, Arroyo said we must take back our forests and replenish fallen trees, clean up the environment, beautify the villages and cities of trash and build more urban parks and recreation areas.

She also wants an energy efficient nation free from reliance on costly and exhaust-spewing cares and smokestacks.

"We can harness our sun, wind and geothermal resource and produce our own clean fuels through bio-fuels and not rely on foreign suppliers," she said.

Further, Arroyo revealed plans to bolster education, invest in infrastructure and encourage greater investments all over the country to the respective competitive advantages of the other regions, such as logistics investments in Clark and Subic economic zones, investments in expressways and ports in the urban beltway of Luzon, business process outsourcing in the cyber corridor from Baguio through Cebu to Davao, and agri-business investments in Mindanao and Northern Luzon.

Yesterday's meeting also proved wrong the reported opposition by some provinces to be assigned to certain regions.

Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond Villafuerte, and who is also the chairman of RDC-5 (Bicol Region), yesterday clarified they are happy that Bicol is part of the Central Philippines, pointing out that Bicol's strategic location is the link to the Visayas and even from the people in Mindanao.

Southern Leyte Governor Rosette Lerias, also the president of the Federation of the Regional Development Councils in the Philippines, said they welcome this latest development, pointing out that unlike RDC super regions "is not a structure".

She said it is a system that is designed to foster closer relationship between the executive and/or the Cabinet and the LGUs, and to hasten the implementation of projects.

"I think the purpose of supra-region is macro-planning. It will allow the national government to look at the country from a bigger perspective. It will foster closer relationship among the island provinces by establishing linkages among the provinces," she said. - Cristina C. Birondo