Central Visayas Regional Development Plan 2017-2022 launched

CEBU CITY - The National Economic and Development Authority Region 7 (NEDA-7) launched the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and the Central Visayas Regional Development Plan (CVRDP) 2017-2022 during a recent roadshow at the Cebu Normal University.

NEDA chief and Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning Dr. Ernesto Pernia led the roadshow and presented the PDP 2017-2022. “It is not NEDA'S plan, nor the government's plan but the people's plan. We will now undertake efforts leading to its implementation,” Pernia said.

The regional development plan is anchored on the PDP, the 0-10 Socioeconomic Agenda, Ambisyon Nation 2040, and the observations from the previous Regional Development Plan (2011-2016.)

NEDA Regional Director Efren Carreon presented the CVRDP which will serve as the region’s framework in socioeconomic development for the next six years. The programs and projects under the CVRDP is aimed to address poverty alleviation, generating jobs in creative industries like IT-BPM, manufacturing and tourism, support agriculture to ensure production and access to food supply, among others.

Carreon added that the region’s primary growth drivers are still tourism, information technology, business process outsourcing, manufacturing, and construction.

Region 7’s Infrastructure Flagships Projects are the New Cebu International Container Port, New Bohol Airport, Bohol Northeast Basin Multipurpose Project, and three bridges under the Nationwide Island Link Bridges Projects namely the Bohol – Leyte Link Bridge, Cebu – Negros Link Bridge and Cebu – Bohol Link Bridge.

Other highlights in the CVRDP are the Proposed Metro Cebu Expressway, North and South Cebu Bypass Roads, and other roads/expressway projects, seaports, airports, power projects to increasevisayas grid capability, water supply projects, and the establishments of ecozones and IT Parks such as the Bohol IT Park.

The NEDA board already approved the New Cebu International Container Port for implementation with a budget of P9.2 billion. Central Visayas had a 7.5 percent average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) average growth rate among all the regions in the last regional plan period.

The new plan targets to reach 7.5 percent to 8 percent GRDP growth, 93.5 percent employment, 17.6 percent poverty incidence and achieve the sustainable development goals within six years.