Agusan Norte, Butuan City signify commitment of support to Caraga dev’t plan
By
Renelle Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY – The local governments of Agusan del
Norte and Butuan City signified their commitment to support the full
implementation of the Caraga Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2023-2028 during
the first leg of the provincial caravan spearheaded by the Caraga Regional
Development Council (RDC) on January 31.
The key contributors in the province and the city
of Butuan, together with the different line agencies of the government,
academe, civil society organizations, business, the private sector, and other
development sectors, expressed their enthusiasm to align their programs in
accordance with the six-year RDP.
Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr., of the Province of Dinagat
Islands and chairperson of the Caraga RDC, gave emphasis on the Caraga RDP
2023-2028 as the blueprint that will pave the way for the region's development
and economic transformation.
Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. of the Province of Dinagat Islands, as chairperson of the Caraga Regional Development Council, gave emphasis on the importance of bringing down the RDP 2023-2028 to the local level. Photo of PIA Caraga.
“With this gathering, we are hoping for stronger
support from all stakeholders throughout the entire duration of the plan. We
are bringing down the RDP 2023-2028 to all provinces and to their respective
local government units so everyone can appreciate and give their untiring
contribution and share in its full implementation,” the governor said.
He also amplified the significant role of the
production sectors in fishery, agroforestry, mining, and ecotourism (FAME) as
the core strength of the region.
The Caraga Regional Development Plan 2023 - 2028 establishes the foundation to sustain economic transformation, recovery, and creating quality jobs at the regional level. Photo of PIA Caraga.
“The Caraga RDP 2023-2028 emphasized the
industrialization and innovation of these sectors through the ‘industrialize
and innovate FAME (i2 FAME)’ as the significant strategy to propel and
reinforce the plan,” Demerey underscored.
i2FAME
The i2FAME strategy shall enable the region to
transition from an agricultural or resource extraction-based economy to one
where manufacturing is the primary industry. In particular, the economic
transformation agenda, fueled by industrialization and innovation, shall be
pursued through:
· Upgrading FAME products and services;
· Establishing and leveraging strategic industrial
and innovation centers;
· Developing an industrialization- and
innovation-ready workforce;
· Cultivating an industrialization- and
innovation-ready investment climate; and
· Implementing industrialization and innovation
support programs and projects.
This strategy aims to revitalize these production
sectors, create high-quality jobs, and enhance production competitiveness,
ultimately leading to sustainable development and global competitiveness in the
next six years in the region.
Gemima Olam, assistant regional director of the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in Caraga, provided a good
picture of the region’s economic standing that would serve as a benchmark for
the implementation of the plan at the local level.
“Caraga’s economic landscape is on the right path
towards full recovery and has regained its growth momentum. In 2022, the
region’s economy expanded by 5.9 percent, recording a gross regional domestic
product (GRPD) of P323.9 billion,” Olam shared.
She further presented the recent report on the
compilation of provincial product accounts (PPA), data that determines the
economic state of provinces and highly urbanized cities, stating, ”Looking at
the contribution of the provinces and Butuan City to the regional economy,
Butuan City, as the regional center, only tailed as the 4th biggest
contributor, emphasizing the need to level up the local economy by improving
the productivity of the city’s industry players.”
“Agusan del Norte accounts for the second lowest
share of the region’s economy. Now that these local economic accounts are
available, it is imperative to properly analyze these numbers in order to
develop more effort and responsive economic policies and actions,” Olam added.
Mayor Judy Chin Amante of Cabadbaran City, the provincial capital of Agusan del Norte, gave her commitment to align the local projects and programs with the RDP 2023-2028. Photo of PIA Caraga.
Cabadbaran City Mayor Judy Chin Amante, who also
chairs the Caraga RDC - Social Development Committee, expressed support
for the implementation of the Caraga Regional Development Plan 2023-2028.
"Let us unite all our efforts for the
implementation of the plan and make each one an instrument for its successful
implementation," she said.
Ricardo Onate Jr., regional executive director of
Department of Agriculture (DA) in Caraga said, “The numbers shown that
agriculture remained a vulnerable sector in the region, which called for improved
productivity and resilience against natural hazards such as weather
disturbances, animal diseases like African swine fever and bird flu, and
climate change, among others.”
Engr. Ricardo Onate Jr., regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Caraga expressed his willingness to collaborate with the local government units to implement the i2FAME strategy at the local level. Photo credit of PIA Caraga.
“We, in the DA, are more than willing to sit down
in every municipality in the region and collaborate with them. We will allow
them to present their respective flagship programs, and we will bring down to
them the different banner programs of DA and our attached agencies and
align them as one with i2FAME,” Dir. Onate said.
“We are calling for a whole-of-the-nation approach
to other line agencies and stakeholders and expanding our partnership with them
so we can reduce the operation cost while we increase the yield of production,
as this is the primary area of challenge in the agriculture sector,” Onate
added.
Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Head
in Caraga, Venus Garcia, who chairs the Communication and Advocacy
Committee of the Caraga Regional Development Council (RDC), encouraged the
participants of the activity, saying, "Let us own the RDP and do our share
to see it come to fruition. We have also heard our key regional line agency
directors’ call to action, and it is very reassuring to hear our local chief
executives’ responses, expressing their support for the execution of the
RDP."
Regional Director Venus Garcia of PIA Caraga and chairperson of the Communication and Advocacy Committee of RDC thanked the local chief executives and chiefs of the line agencies of the government for their commitment of support to RDP 2023-2028. Photo credit to PIA Caraga.
"And with our key stakeholders from the
regional line agencies, private sector, academe, and industries also pledging
their commitment to implement the RDP, I am hopeful that we remain dedicated to
this purpose until the end of the plan period in 2028," Garcia said.
To continue this significant advocacy, Caraga RDC has set the schedules of the remaining provincial caravans to Agusan del Sur on April 17, Surigao del Norte and Province of Dinagat Islands on July 17, and Surigao del Sur on October 16, with high trust that local development will guarantee that the Caraga Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2023-2028 will effectively contribute to the attainment of the country’s long-term vision of a “Matatag, Maginhawa, at Panatag na Buhay Para sa Lahat.” (RLE/PIA-Caraga)
