State Of the Region Address highlights end of Cordillera Month Celebration

Baguio City (1 August) — The region culminated the 22nd Cordillera Month celebration Thursday at the Baguio Convention Center highlighted with the State of the Regions Address delivered by Regional Development Council (RDC) Acting Chair and National Economic and Development Authority Director Juan Ngalob.

Ngalob, in his SORA said that the region’s Economic Growth (Gross Regional Domestic Product – GRDP) slowed down to 1.8%, from 7.23% in 2007, the lowest regional growth rate nationwide. While we have the slowest growth in GRDP, we have the highest per capita GRDP next to the National Capital Region. This means, if we divide our regional output of P30.9 billion equally among us, we are better off than the rest of the country, Ngalob said.

He explained that the effect of the global economic recession on the region’s industry sector played a big part on the slow down, especially on the manufacturing sub-sector. Ngalob’s report though highlighted the increase in revenue in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), from P20.69 Million in 2007 to P37.64 Million in 2008.

Ngalob also highlighted the Cordillera Roads Improvement Project (CRIP), the flagship program of the region. The CRIP aims to improve the road network in Cordillera, so as to bring development to all parts of the region.

“Ten years ago we were the fastest growing region with our economy growing at 17 percent, having the lowest growth rate is certainly not what we want,” according to Ngalob. He also stressed that “the level of development and the state of the region is more than just economic statistics. It is also about the state of its people and the environment that they live in. The state of the region is about where we are now compared to how far we have gone and looking forward to our ultimate goal… the attainment of our regional vision”

Thus, Ngalob reiterated that, “our road to development is not easy and neither is the decision on autonomy, but we have to rise to the challenges of development and autonomy because it is our destiny!”

According to Ngalob, the balancing act of protecting the environment and yet striving for economic growth to improve the people’s welfare is a huge challenge. And the collective decision we have to make on the issue of autonomy is another aspect that will have a definite impact on our future development.

Is autonomy critical to our region’s development? Ngalob explained that, “we face to a formidable challenge in development. We have to reduce our poverty incidence by half in 2015, increase the length of our paved roads to equal at least the national average, restore the badly damaged watersheds and the silted rivers and undertake land reform through the unique CAR fashion demanding the partnership of agencies, who not only have different goals but even conflicting goals at times, are just a few of the challenges we have to conquer.”

“These demands require an equally revolutionary approach that contain with is sufficient powers and resources to effectively address the gargantuan development task. The only radical approach we see that has a legal basis is regional autonomy.” However, even as we aspire to have more freedom in charting our own development, we should not pursue autonomy in a reckless manner. If and when, we will draft the third organic act, it should be well thought-out, well coordinated, calibrated and Most of all popularly participated and supported. Everyone should be better off and no one worse off in the regional autonomous set up,” Ngalob said. Presidential Assistant for Cordillera, Thomas Killip, who served as guest speaker during the program, lauded the region’s renewed pursuit for regional autonomy and development, as provided by the constitution. Though he asserted that the only thing left to do is to decide what kind of autonomy the Cordillerans want.

Different national government line agencies, members of the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE) also held their family day during the program. Employees from different government agencies also had an afternoon of fun, which included games, raffles, and fitness dancing or “hataw.” Lito Dar(PIA)