New Administrative Divisions (Regions, Provinces, Cities, etc.)

[lochinvar]

Region VI Development Council joins supra regional meet
THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina
The Philippine Star 07/08/2006

The officers of the Western Visayas Regional Development Council suddenly found themselves invited to a meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and representatives of the Central Visayas Supra Region in Cebu City yesterday.

The meet will have far-ranging impact. The reason: the President is strongly encouraging Western Visayas to shift its medium-term development program from agri-industry to agri-tourism, pointing out the need to make Central Philippines the tourism hub of the country.

Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said RDC chairwoman Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez will present the President the Western Visayas tourism development program with Boracay as its anchor.

THE TWO NEGROS GOVERNORS, HOWEVER, WILL PUSH FOR BRIDGES TO INTERCONNECT PANAY, NEGROS AND CEBU TO BOOST THE ECONOMIES AND TOURISM POTENTIALS OF THE THREE ISLANDS.

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL GOV. JOSEPH MARANON AND ORIENTAL NEGROS GOV. GEORGE ARNAIZ HAVE LONG BEEN BATTING FOR THE AMBITIOUS BRIDGE-LINK PROJECT.

Both said they will also push for the production of ethanol and jatropha as well as organic farming.

Arnaiz will handle the presentation of the common concerns of the two Negros provinces.

Gov. Zaldivar-Perez intends to invite the President to attend the special celebration of RDC VI by the third week of this month to award the first-ever winners of the Best Public Sector Projects evaluated by the private sector components of the council.

[Jimbu]

Originally Posted by lochinvar

Region VI Development Council joins supra regional meet
THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina
The Philippine Star 07/08/2006

Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela said RDC chairwoman Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar-Perez will present the President the Western Visayas tourism development program with Boracay as its anchor.

THE TWO NEGROS GOVERNORS, HOWEVER, WILL PUSH FOR BRIDGES TO INTERCONNECT PANAY, NEGROS AND CEBU TO BOOST THE ECONOMIES AND TOURISM POTENTIALS OF THE THREE ISLANDS.

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL GOV. JOSEPH MARANON AND ORIENTAL NEGROS GOV. GEORGE ARNAIZ HAVE LONG BEEN BATTING FOR THE AMBITIOUS BRIDGE-LINK PROJECT.

Visayas also deserve mega projects such as this. If Luzon has NLEZ, SLEX, LRT, MRT then I hope the government could also build bridges to inter-connect Cebu-Negros-Panay islands.

[JustHorace]

PGMA to preside over joint Cabinet-Urban Beltway Mega Region meeting in Clark tomorrow
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2006 | PROGRAMS/PROJECTS


President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will preside over the second round of the joint Cabinet-Regional Development Councils (RDCs) meeting on development planning for the Urban Beltway Mega-Region at the Clark Economic Zone’s Museum in Pampanga tomorrow.

It is expected that the meeting would map out the government’s plan to develop the Metro Luzon mega-region into an urban beltway and identify the priority development projects in the area.

The Metro Luzon mega-region is composed of Regions 3, 4A, and Metro Manila.

Governors of the provinces in the Metro Luzon mega-region led by RDC-3 head and Bulacan Gov. Josie de la Cruz are expected to be in attendance.

The President is also scheduled to inaugurate the Clark Institute of Aviation, a world-class training institute for international airline personnel, at the Clark Polytechnic College Complex.

In the first-round discussions held in Malacañang last June 20, the President encouraged greater logistics investments in Clark and Subic Economic Zones as well as in expressways and ports in the urban beltway as well as Aurora.

The President also batted for agri-investments in Nueva Ecija, the country’s number one rice-producing province and investments that would benefit the island provinces of Mindoro and Marinduque from the development of the CALABARZON (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) growth corridor.

[Sinjin P.]

‘God will judge me’ -- Arroyo

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQ7.net
Last updated 03:03pm (Mla time) 07/13/2006

CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, Pampanga - As her foes prepare to again cast doubt on her legitimacy and prepare for another impeachment attempt, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here on Thursday that only God could ultimately judge her.

"What we were born to be, we were born to serve God,” she said in an interview with a local radio station. “In the end, it's going to be God who will judge who has been good and who has not been good."

Asked if she was confident about the judgment she might get, she replied: "That's what I said, that's for the Lord to determine at the end of my life."

Arroyo was here to launch the Clark Institute of Aviation and preside over a meeting with local officials of Metro Luzon, one of the four mega regions Malacañang created to spur growth and development.

Groups and individuals from all over the political spectrum who are seeking Arroyo’s ouster have joined forces for the latest effort to impeach here. The administration has also claimed the existence of a “leftist-rightist” conspiracy to grab power.

But Arroyo said all she wants is to be good President.

"I'm not after being a great person, I said I want to be a good president," she said, adding that "it is not necessarily history" that judges whether one has been good or not.

Arroyo has taken credit for the economic gains of the past months, saying this was due to her continued focus on governance despite the “political noise.”

[flesh_is_weak]

why dont they just grant independence to cebu?

[kyle@1008]

taxes....

[Jimbu]

Super-regions a blueprint for federalism -- Ermita

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer
Last updated 05:59am (Mla time) 07/14/2006

A PLAN by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to divide the Philippines into four economic super-regions may well be the blueprint for federalism in a post-Charter change scenario.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita admitted as much at a briefing at the Clark Special Economic Zone Thursday.

“Yes, we can say that. The President has been addressing the local governments’ concerns about imperial Manila,” said Ermita.

The government has identified four super-regions that are to be turned into investment and development areas -- North Luzon (to include the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and the Cordillera Administrative Region, including the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija), Metro Luzon (Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions and Metro Manila), Central Philippines (Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas) and Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Socsargen and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).

Ermita said the super-region strategy was designed to give governors and mayors direct access to official development assistance funds without having to go through central government agencies to speed up the construction of infrastructure projects in their communities.

Solid support

“The President is giving the local government officials more importance because she knows that our economy moves with what is happening in the provinces,” Ermita said.

Local government officials became the most solid support of Ms Arroyo during the most serious political crisis she faced last year as well as the most rabid promoters of her Charter change campaign.

The governors and mayors have agreed to aggressively pursue the campaign to change the present form of government from a presidential-bicameral to a parliamentary-unicameral system through a people’s initiative despite opposition from the influential Catholic bishops.

The President was at Clark Thursday, the last stop of her national consultations with regional development councils in each of the proposed super-regions.

In her opening statement, the President said the consultations were meant to gather inputs for her State of the Nation Address later this month in which she will outline her super-region strategy as one of her policy initiatives in the next 12 months.

“We envision developing the economic landscape for the better because each super-region or sub-economy has its own natural competitive advantage and we will build on that,” Ms Arroyo said.

[Jimbu]

Super regions defended

He said among the programs included in the medium term development plan are the proposed bridges to interconnect Panay, Negros, Cebu and Bohol and the conduct of a feasibility study has been approved.

The building of the bridges is quite ambitious because the financial requirements are huge but at least they have been included in the master plan, before we were told we were just dreamers and now a feasibility study is under way, he said. here

[mygz14]

If there are proposed bridges to connect panay, negros, cebu and bohol, why leave palawan and samar-leyte?

[beads_strawberries]

The implementation of these super regions will be good for the economy as those key cities and provinces will help those provinces and cities in terms of economic progress. In the long run, this will greatly help maintain a stable economy not only to those who are stable but also those cities and provinces who need this kind of strategy.

All in all, this will bring us towards a more stable economy both in the macro and micro level.

[Jimbu]

Ermita said the super-region strategy was designed to give governors and mayors direct access to official development assistance funds without having to go through central government agencies to speed up the construction of infrastructure projects in their communities.

If local officials can now access development funds without having to go through central governemnt then it's much better. I can't wait how they will implement this. Anyway, I hope by this setup we could move faster to catch up our progressive ASEAN neighbors.

[lochinvar]

"One of the advantages of the super regions is that local government can access financing facilities with concessionary rates without sovereign guaranty, Gamboa said.

In other words it is not a loan by the republic but by the region therefore it is not a burden on the taxpayer but on the local government concerned, he said."


Wow. So regions can now borrow from international institutions to fund superhighway construction to connect twin cities. I understand a superhighway is scheduled to be built between Iloilo and Kalibo. That's good news. Bicol Region can now solicit funds also from international institutions to fund the superhighway that will connect Naga and Legazpi. I hope they will do that also between Bacolod and Dumaguete.

[sandrin]

Mega-regions priority projects to push RP to first world status

"We need to increase investment by ten percent a year in order for us to catch up with the richer countries of Asia," President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said at the opening of the second round discussion on development planning for the Northern Luzon, Central Philippines and Mindanao super regions.

President Arroyo underscored the need to identify the priority projects in each mega region based on the area's natural competitive edge to push the country for First World status.

She said that the government's planning and economic development strategy of grouping the country's 16 regions into four mega-regions will help spur a quantum leap in foreign investments and jobs, the Malacanang press report said.

The new planning tact, the president said, would allow national government and local government units to put together a series of development packages and invest in the region's strength. The President likewise emphasized that education must be bolstered especially in the poorer provinces. The strategic development plan will be highlighted in the President's State-of-the-Nation-Address (SONA) on July 24, 2006.

The four mega regions are: North Luzon which is composed of Regions 1, 2, the Cordillera Administrative Region and the northern part of Aurora and Nueva Ecija, would be developed into an agri-business center; Metro Luzon-Region 3, 4A and Metro Manila. During its first round discussion, the President encouraged greater logistics investments in Clark and Subic Economic Zones, in expressways and ports in the urban beltway as well as Aurora. She also called for investments in agri-business in Nueva Ecija as well as investments that would benefit the island provinces of Mindoro and Marinduque from the development of CALABARZON; the Central Philippines mega-region, which includes the island provinces of in the Visayas, shall be developed into the country's tourism center; and Mindanao mega-region would be developed into the country's food basket.

(PIA/T.Villavert)

[Sera]

Categorizing Manila as the industrial center, Central Phil. as the Tourism Center, North Luzon & Minda as the food baskets are mere ploys of Manila to further centralize capital & investment in Manila. By Making Manila the industrial center they would further congest Metro Luzon...Why, is Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod limited to Tourism only? Is Davao, CDO, Zamboanga, Butuan limited to "food-baskets" only? I mean dev't should be diverse & wholistic not limited...Mindanao & Visayas could be industrial centers too...

The question is does this "Mega Regions" another sly ploy of further milking the resources of Mindanao & the Visayas into Mega Manila?

[JAMAICUS]

Did you even read the entire content of the mega regions plan or the entire thread? Anyway:



Gov defends Arroyo’s plan to create 4 super regions

Cebu Daily News
Last updated 11:35am (Mla time) 07/14/2006

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday came to the defense of President Arroyo for her creation of four “super regions” amid allegations that it could just be a ploy to deflect the people’s attention away from moves to impeach her.

The four mega regions created by the president are North Luzon, Metro Luzon, Central Philippines and Mindanao.

The Central Philippines mega-region is composed of Regions 4B (Mimaropa), 5 (Bicol) 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas) and 8 (Eastern Visayas).

“At least she makes plans for the country. She has some objectives, she has some vision as to how she will achieve it, that is another story,” the governor said.

Marañon said the current regional structures would remain the same, as placing several regions under one super region is just for consolidating projects and for planning.

He said among the programs included in the medium term development plan is the proposed bridges to interconnect Panay, Negros, Cebu and Bohol.

“The building of the bridges is quite ambitious because the financial requirements are huge but at least they have been included in the master plan. Before we were told we were just dreamers and now a feasibility study is under way,” he said.

Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico Jr., president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, also believed that super regions are good for the country because they will hasten development.

“There is nothing bad that can come out of this, it will just highlight the need to decentralize to spur development in the countryside,” added Mayor Alfonso Gamboa of EB Magalona town in Negros Occidental.

Inquirer

http://globalnation.inq7.net/cebudai...rticle_id=9769

[Sera]

My only protest against this Mega Regions is the Unjust Categoriztion of GMA. I mean the investors would see Manila as the "Only" viable destination for Industry for example. Why does GMA need to label the 4 mega regions & categorize appropriate investment options for a specific region?

I mean specifiying Visayas as a Tourism Economy or Mindanao as a food basket...Why can't we for once de-centralize Manila & also invite investors to put up manufacturing or industrial facilities in Davao, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro or Bacolod? By specifying Metro luzon as the Industrial Center, people would flock more to Manila & Calabarzon for more jobs. What does degree holders from colleges look for now? Most of the Baccalaureate courses are for industry-only a few cater to tourism or agricluture. Aside from that I agree that the earnings of each region should be utilized within that region.

[kevinb]

SONA to focus on funds for ‘super regions’

By DJ Yap, Leila Salaverria
Inquirer
Last updated 01:19pm (Mla time) 07/19/2006

ONE OF the issues that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will focus on in her State of the Nation Address on July 24 will the decentralization of funds for the development of the country’s planned “super regions,” according to a Malacañang official.

“The President is going to be concentrating on decentralizing a lot of funds,” Arthur Yap, chief of the Presidential Management Staff and presidential adviser on job creation, told the Bulong Pulungan forum yesterday.

Yap said there were enough funds from revenue collections and earnings for Malacañang to put in more investments into the development of the so-called “super regions.”

The President last week identified four regions to be turned into investment and development areas -- North Luzon (to include the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and the Cordillera Administrative Region, including the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija); Metro Luzon (Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions and Metro Manila); Central Philippines (Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas), and Mindanao (the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Socsargen and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).

Yap yesterday indicated the likely development focus of each region -- Mindanao and Northern Luzon for agriculture, Central Philippines for tourism, Central Luzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol regions for major infrastructure.

“You’ll see the SONA concentrate on that,” he said.

Yap said transferring national funds to the so-called super regions would generate employment and investment in these areas and thus jump-start development there.

“When you bring down more funds to super regions, you actually capacitate [sic] them to do more local projects critical to them. That creates jobs in the local level and that is a signal to the private sector to invest,” said Yap.

He said job generation has always been the focus of the President’s SONA.

Yap said he hoped the President’s SONA would be received well and heeded.

He said he hoped “it can be taken as [and] seriously accepted as marching orders on where we intend to go.”

He said “things are really looking up,” noting that the economy grew in the first quarter, revenue collections were up, the peso was stable and unemployment had slightly gone down, among other indicators.

But groups opposed to the President believe they already know what she will say in the SONA.

“She won’t be crowing about the accomplishment of her past SONA promises. Instead, she’ll focus on the supposed destabilization attempts against her,” said Wilson Fortaleza, spokesperson of the militant Laban ng Masa.

“In the past, she used to talk about how she improved the economy, or how she delivered on her promises. But now her being an economist won’t work anymore, she won’t have anything to be proud of,” Fortaleza told a press conference called by Laban ng Masa, the Freedom from Debt Coalition and Sulong.

Looking silly

He said Ms Arroyo would likely talk about crushing the communist insurgency in keeping with the “all-out war” she recently declared against the communists.

“She’ll also talk about the involvement of the opposition and all the critics of her administration,” he added.

Militants said the President would “only look silly” if she were to paint a rosy picture of the economy, citing the many supposed negative indicators.

Fortaleza said the value-added tax (VAT) on oil and power has “harshly [affected] the lives of the people.”

“Under the administration of Ms Arroyo, the cost of power has almost doubled to P9 per kilowatt hour from P5 per kilowatt hour before she signed the Electric Power Industry Reform Act into law in 2001,” said FDC president Ana Maria Nemenzo.

The FDC said power rates in the Philippines are the second highest in Asia. The country also has the third highest industrial electricity rates and seventh highest household power rates in the world, it said.

As a prelude to the protest marches during the SONA, the FDC, Laban ng Masa and Sulong will hold a day of protest against the VAT on oil and power on July 20.

[Sinjin P.]

Originally Posted by kevinb

North Luzon (to include the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and the Cordillera Administrative Region, including the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija); Metro Luzon (Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions and Metro Manila); Central Philippines (Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas), and Mindanao (the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Socsargen and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).

Hmmm, pwedeng kasuhan yung gumawa ng article, hindi niya binanggit ang Central Visayas. So buburahin sa mapa ng Pilipinas ang Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor at Negros Oriental?

[Skyblue_Navyblue]

oo nga! pansin ko!

[Jimbu]

Palace: Super regions prelude to decentralization of political power
By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star 07/20/2006

President Arroyo created the four new "supra" economic regions of North Luzon, Metro Luzon, Central Philippines and Mindanao to devolve political power from Manila to local governments nationwide as envisioned by Charter change advocates, Malacañang said yesterday.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye Jr. said the administration awaits the action of Congress and the proponents of the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

"Building the economies of the super regions would give the citizenry a preview of how it is to live under a regime of political equity and renewal," he said.

Bunye said the national and the various local governments would pour their combined financial resources to spur growth and create markets for investments, and to facilitate a more strategic approach to planning.

"The decentralization of economic power is a prelude to the eventual decentralization of political power under the aegis of Charter reform," he said.

"At this stage, the people are gearing in growing numbers for constitutional change. We deliver the goods to the people and provide them the much-needed jobs right on their doorstep; and we are confident that now is the time to push the momentum of Charter change to its logical conclusion," Bunye said.

However, Bunye did not say whether the four mega-regions would be the first step to forming federal states as proposed by some Charter change advocates.

"The mega-regions are a good companion to the broader distribution of political power through Charter reforms," he said.

The massive devolution of development from the national to the regional level "will break up the bureaucratic clog that impedes local progress, and spell a quantum leap in investments and jobs," Bunye said.

Earlier, Secretary to the Cabinet Ricardo Saludo said that Mrs. Arroyo might issue an executive order dividing the Philippines into the following areas:

• North Luzon covering the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Autonomous Region and the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija.

• Metro Luzon covering Metro Manila, Central Luzon and the CALABARZON region.

• Central Philippines covering the MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) area, the Bicol Region and Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.

• Mindanao covering the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, SOCSKSARGEN Region, Caraga region and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Mrs. Arroyo said her goal is to bring the national government and the various local governments to work closely together in economic planning.

Rather than discuss the administration’s vision from the usual central and national point of view, its roadmap would be discussed in the Regional Development Councils and other regional institutions "as our partners in development," she added.

The government would pour P100 billion annually in the next three years into the four new regions to jumpstart their economies, Mrs. Arroyo said.